Teaching Assistant

Courtlands School, Plymouth, Devon, PL6 5JS

10 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  ASAP - pending pre-employment checks

• Closing date

  23 November 2025 at 10:59pm

• Date listed

  13 November 2025

Job details

• Job role:
  • Teaching assistant
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: £19,316.74 - £20,253.78 Annually (Actual)

Teaching Assistant job summary

Dear prospective candidate,

Thank you for taking the time to look at our Teaching and Pupil Support Assistant position at Courtlands School.

Courtlands is a friendly and ambitious school which is part of Transforming Futures Trust in Plymouth which caters for primary aged children (4-11) with Moderate Learning Difficulties, communication and interaction needs and Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs. Our innovative curriculum is based on meeting individual’s needs rather than schemes of work, and it provides a wide range of curriculum and therapeutic input.

Our children love coming to school and enjoy all that we have to offer, through curriculum and therapies, but most of all the personal relationships they have with their peers and us. They tell us that they feel very safe and well cared for and proud when they make progress. They behave exceptionally well when calmly and consistently supported to reflect on their own needs and learn to empathise with others and to be proud of their own achievements. 

We are looking to recruit an outstanding Teaching and Pupil Support Assistant to join the team. We are looking for people with a real passion for working in an environment with complex but rewarding children in a supportive and compassionate environment. You will complement the work of teachers by taking responsibility for agreed learning activities under an agreed system of supervision. This may involve planning, preparing and delivering learning activities for individuals/groups or short term for whole classes and monitoring pupils and assessing, recording and reporting on pupil’s achievement, progress and development. The successful candidates will demonstrate an informed and efficient approach to teaching and learning by adopting relevant strategies to support the work of the teacher and increase achievement of all pupils including, where appropriate, those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and use effective behaviour regulation strategies consistently in line with the school’s policy and procedures.

We can offer you a motivated and skilled staff team and a real opportunity to make a difference to the future of our wonderful children and school. You will receive training in a wide range of areas and mentoring from a line manager and Leadership team whose door is literally open all the time.

Support for students in accessing learning activities across the curriculum including Learning Outside the Classroom, as directed by Teacher/Senior Staff to include:

Support and encourage students to engage in learning activities both inside and outside the classroom, and promote positive relationships between all in the school community

Use effective behaviour regulation strategies consistently in line with the school’s policy and procedures

Work with other schools, educational psychologists, health and social care professionals, and other external agencies as appropriate

Secure relevant resources for pupils

Assist with the supervision of students during off-site activities

Be aware of, and comply with Policies and Procedures relating to: - Child Protection; Health & Safety; Security; and Confidentiality - reporting all concerns to the Designated Person/s

Be aware of, and support difference, and ensure all students have equal access to opportunities to learn and develop

• Communicate regularly with staff, parents, carers and agencies

• Support children who are in crisis

Be an effective model of the expected behaviour of students, communicated using trauma informed and trauma sensitive strategies.

To support in the development of Individual Education Plans

Contribute to the overall ethos/work/aims of the school

Appreciate and support the role of other professionals, and maintain positive working relationships

Attend relevant meetings as required

Participate in training, learning activities, performance development, and maintain record of own professional development

• Ensure records are maintained and kept up to date

  Please see the attached Candidate pack for more information

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 Courtlands School

• School type: Academy, ages 4 to 11
• School size: 108 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 4 to 11
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Courtlands School website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/courtlands-school

Courtlands Special School Academy is a friendly and ambitious academy in Plymouth which caters for primary aged children (4-11) with Moderate Learning Difficulties and Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs. Our innovative curriculum is based on meeting individual’s needs rather than schemes of work, and provides a wide range of curriculum and therapeutic input.

We are leaders in our field, having won numerous national awards for our work, and work in a Trauma Informed way to support our children to overcome their difficulties and make great progress in all areas of their development. We constantly strive for the best ways to support our children, and welcome innovation and new, evidence based ways of working.

You will need high levels of emotional resilience, and good coping strategies born out of successful experience of teaching and supporting children with complex needs including Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties such as ADHD and attachment disorders; Communication and Interaction needs such as ASC and Speech and Language Difficulties. This could be in either a special school or mainstream school, with mainstream experience being an advantage.

We can offer you a motivated and skilled staff team and a real opportunity to make a difference to the future of our wonderful children and school. We look after our staff with award winning care for their wellbeing (National Wellbeing in Schools Award 2019). You won’t be taking marking home to do in the evening, and you will be given the freedom to meet the needs of the pupils in your class, along with the resources to do it. You will receive training in a wide range of SEND and real time support and mentoring form a Leadership Team whose door is literally open all the time.

School location

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