Educational Support Assistant - Spen Valley High School

We are looking to recruit an experienced Educational Support Assistant to join our SEN Team. 

We are looking for an individual who is passionate about working with young people, who is proactive, courageous, open-minded, and enthusiastic.  Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they have the resilience, drive and determination to support students to overcome their barriers to learning.

Applicants require Maths and English GCSE grade C/4 or above to qualify for this role.   

Our school:  

We are an oversubscribed, 11-16 comprehensive school situated in North Kirklees, West Yorkshire. Having been awarded ‘Good’ in all areas by Ofsted in March 2022, this is a key time for Spen Valley High School as we build upon our many strengths and continue to develop a truly coherent and high-quality provision for our students. In this role you will work alongside a team of highly professional & dedicated staff, who are welcoming, courageous, open-minded, and supportive.   

We are privileged to have been part of the Alex Timpson Programme, and our commitment to becoming a Trauma Informed School was nationally recognised in November 2021, when we were awarded the Attachment Research Community (Secondary) Award.    

What makes Spen Valley High School different?  
We are proud to be a Trauma Informed School and are looking for someone who fully supports our vision and approach. We know that all young people have been disadvantaged by the Covid pandemic but alongside this, we have a considerable number of students in our school with complex backgrounds. These young people not only require but deserve courageous and resilient staff who have high standards and wish to help students to navigate their way through the challenges they face. We make no excuses about our approach; but this is not about ‘dumbing down’, far from it, we want colleagues with high expectations but who can manage students through outstanding teaching, support and developing strong relationships. We require someone with good emotional intelligence and who will show warmth, compassion, and empathy to all our students.   

As a leader we want someone who will engage our students through their enthusiasm and passion for their subject; someone who will inspire them beyond the curriculum and expand their cultural knowledge so that they can stand ‘shoulder to shoulder’ with any other young person, from any other background. We want someone who enjoys working with young people, who believes it is a privilege to be a part of their journey into adulthood, and who will show them unconditional positive regard.   

We pride ourselves on being ethical leaders and leading with integrity. When joining Spen Valley you are entering an environment that balances professional challenge with support and kindness. We expect our colleagues to work hard and go the ‘extra mile’ for our students, but in doing so we recognise that additional support is sometimes necessary and our Trauma Informed and relational approach extends to the way we work with our staff. We offer a wide range of CPD opportunities, including a bespoke CPD package that genuinely meets the needs of each colleague. As a member of the Red Kite Teaching Alliance, we receive high-quality support, advice and training and work closely with colleagues from some of the most successful schools in Yorkshire. We encourage our staff not only in their involvement in various activities throughout the school, but also to be proactive and develop new and fresh ideas to engage and enthuse both our staff and students.  

Staff Benefits include:  

• The opportunity to work with colleagues across the Red Kite Teaching School Hub  
• Teachers’ Pension  
• Employee Healthcare  
• Staff supervision (counselling & support services)  
• Varied Wellbeing Activities  
• Cycle to work scheme  

How to apply  

We know that applying for a job takes a great deal of time and effort; it is therefore important that before you apply that you make sure we are the right school for you. To find out more, we ask that you look at our website, particularly our Trauma Informed Practices (Including our Relationship Policy) and if necessary, contact our HR Team to discuss the role further. If you do wish to continue with your application, we ask that you do not provide a generic letter; we are looking for candidates who have a genuine passion for working in our school, therefore we ask that in your letter of application you give specific information as to why you want to work in our school and what experience and/or qualifications you have, will make you the best candidate for the role.  

To apply for this role please complete your application and cover letter and submit these to hr@spenvalleyhighschool.co.uk 

Application Form

Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form

For more information about the school please see our website at www.spenvalleyhighschool.co.uk or contact our HR Lead, Tracey Bland on 01924 405451 or by email hr@spenvalleyhighschool.co.uk.  

All employees are required to promote and actively support the school’s responsibilities towards safeguarding and are subject to Enhanced DBS Checks.