Teaching Assistant ESP

Drake Primary School, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 1JW

8 days remaining to apply

• Closing date

  1 October 2026 at 1am

• Date listed

  23 September 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Teaching assistant
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Part time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full time equivalent salary: £13.91 per hour

Teaching Assistant ESP job summary

Tel: 01842 762055 

Email: headspa@drake.norfolk.sch.uk 

Website: https://www.drake.norfolk.sch.uk 

                                                          

• Salary: Scale D, Point 6 £13.91 per hour (£26,847 FTE) 
• Permanent  
• Part Time 
• 30 hours per week 
• Term Time + 1 week 
• Required 12th October 2026 (or ASAP thereafter) 

 

About Drake Primary School  

Drake Primary School is a passionate, driven, and successful school dedicated to ensuring the progress and life chances of every child. We're looking for enthusiastic and skilled staff, who share our commitment to pupil welfare and achievement. Our warm and friendly school community is underpinned by strong relationships and an attitude of unconditional positive regard for all our pupils. This is a place where you'll feel genuinely supported by leadership, pastoral teams, and colleagues alike.  

The Opportunity  

We're seeking an excellent, enthusiastic, and committed Teaching Assistant to join our newly established Enhanced SEN Provision (ESP) class. This is a fantastic opportunity to develop and share your skills working with children who have a range of SEND needs, supporting both their academic progress and pastoral development. 

This is a pivotal moment to be part of something special. Our ESP provision is newly established, which means you'll have the unique opportunity to help shape and develop an innovative, meaningful provision from the ground up. You won't simply be implementing existing systems – you'll be actively contributing to building a centre of specialist practice and excellence within our school. This is a genuine chance to make a lasting impact and to influence how we support some of our most vulnerable learners. 

You will work at the heart of inclusive practice, supporting pupils both within the specialist ESP classroom and in mainstream settings across the school. This dual role means you'll develop expertise in specialist interventions and approaches while also championing inclusion and belonging for pupils within the wider school community. You'll model high standards of practice, working collaboratively with teachers and support staff to embed inclusive principles throughout Drake Primary. 

Our approach is grounded in building strong, secure relationships and an attitude of unconditional positive regard for all pupils. We believe that when children feel genuinely seen, valued, and understood, they thrive. In this role, you'll be central to creating that relational foundation – getting to know each pupil deeply, understanding their strengths and needs, and supporting them to grow in confidence, independence, and achievement. 

You'll have access to ongoing professional development and the chance to build specialist knowledge in areas such as zones of regulation, speech and language support, and sensory approaches. Working alongside experienced colleagues and leadership who are invested in your development, you'll grow professionally and develop a genuine career in education. 

Working hours for this role are 08:30–15:30 

 

How to apply: 

A job description/person specification is available to download from ‘Attachments’ 

To download an application form, click on the ‘Apply for Job’ button. 

Completed applications should be returned via email to - headspa@drake.norfolk.sch.uk 

 

Closing date: 01 October 2026, 09am  

Interview date: w/c 5 October 2026 

 

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. To this end, you may be required to undergo pre-employment checks. 

This post is likely to come under the requirements of the Childcare (Disqualification) Regulations and the successful applicant will be required to complete a declaration form to establish whether they are disqualified under these regulations. 

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and you will be required to undergo an Enhanced DBS check or Enhanced DBS check with barred list. If you have information to declare it may be protected under the Exceptions Orders and you may not be required to declare it. You will be asked to make a criminal conviction declaration if you are shortlisted for the post. Guidance about whether a conviction or caution should be disclosed can be found on the Ministry of Justice website. 

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 Drake Primary School

• Organisation type: Local authority maintained school, ages 4 to 11
• Education phase: Primary school
• Size: 413 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 4 to 11
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• Website: Drake Primary School website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/drake-primary-school

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