Special Support Assistant

Darwen St James CofE Primary Academy, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3 0EY

3 days remaining to apply

• Job start date

  3 November 2025

• Closing date

  3 October 2025 at 12pm (midday)

• Date listed

  30 September 2025

Job details

• Job role:
  • Teaching assistant
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Key stage: Key stage 1, Key stage 2
• Working pattern: Part time
• Contract type: Fixed term
• Full-time equivalent salary: NJC Grade C SCP 3-5 (£24,796 - £25,583 fte)

Special Support Assistant job summary

Special Support Assistant 

24 hours per week, 4 full days 

Fixed Term for 1 Year

Term Time Only, 44.67 weeks per year 

Darwen St James’ is a small Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary Academy, situated in the heart of Darwen.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a strong candidate to support teaching and learning at Darwen St James' C.E. Primary Academy. This role is varied, and we are looking for an adaptable, flexible and resourceful individual able to cope in a high-pressure environment and deal with constantly changing priorities. The successful candidate will join us at an exciting time in the life of our school and assist in meeting the personal, social and educational needs of our children.

We are looking for a highly motivated, conscientious & creative Special Support Assistant (Level 2), to join our committed & hardworking staff team, at an exciting time in the life of our school.

The suitable candidate will:

• Be an excellent teaching assistant, with previous SEND support experience essential
• Work with the class teacher to fulfil the specific learning needs and targets of individual SEND pupils
• Support other staff to ensure educational settings meet the needs of SEND pupils
• Demonstrate initiative and proactivity to work independently as well as part of a team
• Have high expectations for children’s learning
• Be enthusiastic, energetic, positive and approachable – with a good sense of humour!
• Support and develop our aims and ethos built on Christian values

We can offer you:

• A happy and caring Academy, with a distinctive Christian ethos
• Lively and responsive children, who enjoy school
• Hard working and dedicated team of staff & Governors
• Mutually supportive partnerships between our Local Authority and Cidari Academy Trust schools
• Opportunities for professional and personal development
• Motivated and experiences Governing Body and central Trust team
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Access to health and wellbeing benefits.
• Access to employee benefits & rewards through Perkbox
• Cycle to work scheme

Closing date: Friday 3rd October 2025 at 12pm

Interview date: Monday 6th October 2025 

We are a small and friendly Academy, whose team work happily together, to enable our learners to enjoy and achieve their very best.

Please note that in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024, an online search will be carried out as part of our safer recruitment pre-employment checks on shortlisted candidates.

We are a member of Cidari Multi Academy Trust, established in November 2013, a growing educational trust and part of the Blackburn Diocese. Cidari Education are committed to providing high quality education for all children in our academies based on clearly established Christian values and principles.

Cidari Multi Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The above post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Any offer of employment will be subject to a satisfactory check supplied by the Disclosure & Barring Service. The check will include any cautions, reprimands or final warnings as well as convictions. Further information is available by below.

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

Commitment to safeguarding

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.

Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.

Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children

You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.

Applying for the job

This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

About Darwen St James CofE Primary Academy

• School type: Academy, Church of England, ages 3 to 11
• Education phase: Primary
• School size: 194 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 3 to 11
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Darwen St James CofE Primary Academy website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/darwen-st-james-cofe-primary-academy

We are a Church of England primary academy. Being an academy means that we joined a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT), our trust is called Cidari. Being a CofE academy, means that our Vision and Mission statements are at the forefront of everything that we do here, they are not just words we live them out every day.

We are a one form entry academy and our intake starts with 2yr olds all the way up to 11 year olds. Our staff team are friendly and welcoming, we have an open door policy so that parents can speak to us as and when needed.

Our children are happy and love coming to school, they settle well and always make good friends. The children are engaged in their learning and use a Growth Mindset approach to enable them to build resilience and to be able to challenge themselves to take risks.

School location

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