Teaching Assistant (1:1 SEN)

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Salary: NJC 2-4 £15,104 - £15,619(Actual) £24,413 - £25,185 (FTE)  well-being cash plan + pension scheme (LGPS) + additional Lift Schools benefits
Hours: 27.5 hours per week - 38 weeks per year 
Contract type: Fixed term until August 2026
Start date: November/ December 2025
Closing date: 2nd November
Interview dates: 13th November 

About the role

As a 1:1 SEN Teaching Assistant, you'll play a vital part in supporting the most vulnerable children during their educational journey. You will work closely with teachers and the SENCO to support children with SEN needs. You’ll help them access learning, develop confidence and experience success – both in and out of the classroom.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Supporting a specific child on one-to-one basis or in small groups during focused activities
• Encouraging language development through play, songs, reading and conversation
• Observing and recording progress, feeding this back to the class teacher
• Supporting personal care needs with kindness and dignity (where necessary) 
  
• Helping to create stimulating, well-organised learning spaces
•  Building strong, trusting relationships with children, families and staff
• Promoting good behaviour, emotional wellbeing and a sense of belonging
• Being flexible to support across the school and when required

Skills we are looking for:

• Patience, kindness and resilience 
• Understanding of child development and how children learn
• Playful, encouraging and able to engage children
• Able to support with speech and language development
• A flexible, proactive approach and a genuine passion for primary education
• Level 2 or 3 Teaching Assistant qualification is advantageous but not essential. We value transferable skills and the dedication and motivation to make a positive contribution to a child's education.
• Paediatric first aid is advantageous 
• UK right to work, as this role is not eligible for sponsorship

About the school:

Lift Shafton is a welcoming and inclusive school community where every child and every member of staff experiences a genuine sense of belonging. We are proud to provide a supportive, nurturing and joyful environment in which our team works collectively to deliver the outstanding education that our families deserve. 

Lift Shafton is a truly special place to learn and to work – a professional yet caring community where dedicated and talented staff are valued and enabled to thrive, and where all children, regardless of background or ability, are supported to flourish. We are also delighted to be extending our provision with the launch of a new nursery in January 2026.

We are proudly welcoming a new nursery provision to our school from January 2026.

Contact info for anybody wanting to arrange a visit:

Who is Lift Schools?

We’re a diverse and inclusive network of schools with one clear mission; to provide an excellent education to every child - in every classroom, every day. And we do this across each of our 57 schools.  As with our students, we want our team to be empowered to do their best work, supported by the best leadership they’ve ever had.

We acknowledge and appreciate the exceptional efforts of everyone here in making this an incredible organisation.

We offer you:

• Comprehensive training: Access a wide range of developmental training to boost your career.
• Generous benefits: From your pension plan to healthcare and financial support, we've got you covered.
• Lifestyle perks: Enjoy discounted gym memberships, travel deals, and even electric vehicle incentives.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive an overwhelming response. All candidates are advised to refer to the job description and person specification before making an application.

Lift Schools are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our pupils, and we expect all our people and volunteers to share this commitment. We adopt a fair and consistent recruitment process which is inline with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. This includes online checks for shortlisted candidates. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check.

Lift Schools embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity.  Job share, part-time and flexible working opportunities will be considered.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and there is a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Follow us on , , and . Further details can be found on our careers page.

Lift Schools is recruiting for Teacher Training placements. Please click to view the website for further details.

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Lift Shafton

Barnsley