19 days remaining to apply

  • Job start date

    1 September 2026

  • Closing date

    29 June 2026 at 9am

  • Date listed

    4 June 2026

Job details

Job role

  • Teaching assistant

Visa sponsorship

Visas cannot be sponsored

Working pattern

Full time

Contract type

Permanent

Full-time equivalent salary

£20,591.00 - £23,541.00 Annually (Actual) Grade 5 SCP 9-17/39 Weeks/ 32.5 Hours

Teaching Assistant Level 2 job summary

Job Title: Teaching Assistant

Location: Walsall

Oakwood School is a specialist provision for children and young people aged 3 - 15 years with complex educational needs.  The school is commissioned for 267 places (September 2025).

We pride ourselves in providing a safe, stimulating and nurturing learning environment where we help our pupils to learn in bespoke and innovative ways to ensure optimum progression.

Our highly qualified staff coupled with our forward-thinking approach to resources and technology, allow learners to communicate and participate in the world around them.

We promote a wide range of high-quality learning experiences, catering for all learning styles so that no learner is ever left behind.

At Oakwood everyone is valued and treated with respect and is encouraged to be the best they can possibly be.

Our Vision

At Oakwood School we are nurtured to grow and flourish.

We promote a culture of positivity, ambition and resilience through pupil centred learning to engage, motivate and empower learners in all areas of their lives. 

Learners are at the heart of our school. Together with their families, we foster strong supportive teams around them to build on strengths and overcome barriers, embracing creativity, innovation and technology.

We maximise potential, grow independence and celebrate all achievements.

Our Mission

As a hub of the community, it is our responsibility to create opportunities for every learner to be the best that they can possibly be! Through our personalised curriculum learners will develop emotionally, physically and holistically. Learners will feel valued, respected and safe in our happy and inclusive environment.

Find more information here: Oakwood School

Want to make a difference to young people?

Are you ready to embark on a rewarding journey within an educational community that values increasing opportunities, improving outcomes for our students. We are looking for a Teaching Assistant to join our team.

Key Duties and Responsibilities: 

SUPPORT FOR PUPILS

Supervise and provide particular support for pupils, including those with special needs, ensuring their safety and

access to learning activities

Assist with the development and implementation of Individual Education/Behaviour Plans and Personal Care

programmes.

Establish constructive relationships with pupils and interact with them according to individual needs

Promote the inclusion and acceptance of all pupils

Encourage pupils to interact with others and engage in activities led by the teacher

Set challenging and demanding expectations and promote self-esteem and independence

Provide Feedback to pupils in relation to progress and achievement under guidance of the teacher

Attend to the pupils’ personal needs and implement related personal programmes, including social, health,

physical, hygiene, first aid and welfare matters as required

SUPPORT FOR THE TEACHER

Create and maintain a purposeful, orderly and supportive environment, in accordance with lesson plans and assist

with the display of pupils work

Use strategies, in liaison with the teacher, to support pupils to achieve learning goals

Assist with the planning of learning activities

Monitor pupils’ responses to learning activities and accurately record achievement/progress as directed

Provide detailed and regular feedback to teachers on pupils’ achievement, progress, problems etc.

Promote good pupil behaviour, dealing promptly with conflict and incidents in line with established policy and

encourage pupils to take responsibility for their own behaviour

Establish constructive relationships with parents/carers

Administer routine tests and invigilate exams and undertake routine marking of pupils’ work

Provide clerical/admin. Support e.g. photocopying, typing, filing, money, administer coursework etc

SUPPORT FOR THE CURRICULUM

Undertake structured and agreed learning activities/teaching programmes, adjusting activities according to pupil responses

Undertake programmes linked to local and national learning strategies e.g. literacy, numeracy, KS3, early years recording achievement and progress and feeding back to the teacher

Support the use of ICT in learning activities and develop pupils’ competence and independence in its use

Prepare, maintain and use equipment/resources required to meet the lesson plans/relevant learning activity and assist pupils in their use.

SUPPORT FOR THE SCHOOL

Be aware of and comply with policies and procedures relating to child protection, health, safety and security, confidentiality and data protection, reporting all concerns to an appropriate person

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

Contribute to the overall ethos/work/aims of the school Appreciate and support the role of other professionals

Attend and participate in relevant meetings as required, within normal contractual hours

Participate in training and other learning activities and performance development as required

Assist with the supervision of pupils out of lesson times, including before and after school and at lunchtime Accompany teaching staff and pupils on visits, trips and out of school activities as required and take responsibility for a group under supervision of the teacher

Pay range: Grace 5 SCP 9-17

Qualifications and Skills: 

SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE

Effective use of ICT to support learning

Use of other equipment technology - video, photocopier

Understanding of relevant policies/codes of practice and awareness of relevant legislation

General understanding of national/foundation stage curriculum and other basic learning programmes/strategies

Basic understanding of child development and learning

Ability to self-evaluate learning needs and actively seek learning opportunities

Ability to relate well to children and adults

Work constructively as part of a team, understanding classroom roles and

responsibilities and your own position within these

An awareness of, and commitment to, equality of opportunity

For full details of the post please see attached Job Description and Person Specification

Why The Mercian Trust?

As one Trust we share a common purpose.  We call it our social mobility and social justice mission to change our communities through the very best equitable education.  When we get this right, it enables our children and young people to fulfil their potential, thrive in the world of work, and make a positive contribution to the local, national and international community. Our recent achievements include:

Sustainable Growth - becoming one of the largest and most diverse trusts in the region

Social Mobility & Social Justice - National recognition for the Trust’s two selective grammar schools who the most successful on the number of local disadvantaged students passing the entrance and joining the schools

Increasing Opportunities - Opening brand-new purpose-built campus in Walsall Town Centre including an alternative provision for students at risk at permanent exclusion from mainstream schools alongside a Digital Skills Hub to provide professionals and employers

Pioneering Spirit - National recognition for pioneering work around youth mental health, including establishing an in-house multi-disciplinary team of clinicians and allied health professionals delivering interventions and providing support to vulnerable students

Outward Looking - Organising and hosting the region’s first Youth Suicide Conference (2023) and Youth Violence Conference (2024) at Villa Park

Innovation and Improvement - A multi-million-pound investment in the digital infrastructure of Trust schools and our Digital Skills Hub underpinning the ongoing transformation of how staff teach, students learn, leaders lead and the whole Trust operates in readiness for the AI-supercharged careers and workplaces of the future.

Want to be a part of something extraordinary? Find out more: The Mercian Trust - Home

What can we offer you:

Benefits: 

Financial, Health and Lifestyle

  • discounts on everyday purchases (Eden Red)

  • a comprehensive free of charge health plan (UK Health Care)

  • a cycle to work scheme via Halfords

  • Access to the Blue Light Card

For further benefits including education sector leading CPD: The Mercian Trust - What we can offer you

The Mercian Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and vulnerable adults, and all appointments are subject to enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks and satisfactory references.

The Mercian Trust is also committed to promoting equality, challenging discrimination and developing community cohesion. We welcome applications from all sections of the community. 

Please take time to read our policies attached to this advert.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications. Please apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

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.

View advert on external website (opens in new tab)

About Oakwood School

School type
Academies, Does not apply, ages 3 to 15
School size
Up to 150 pupils
Age range
3 to 15
Ofsted report
View Ofsted report

School location

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