Woodside Academy is an all age special school, (EYFS-Post 16 for pupils with a primary diagnosis of autism).  The school is a flourishing and vibrant learning community located in the London Borough of Bexley.   The school’s moto is “All together better” and we are committed to achieving our shared goal of individual and collective excellence for all.  Visitors to the school frequently comment on the welcome they receive, the calm and positive ethos as well as how much pupils and staff enjoy being at school.

Our school is part of London South East Academies Trust- a multi academy trust sponsored by London South East Colleges. We are aiming to expand our thriving Multi-Academy Trust of outstanding schools, each of which has a shared moral purpose and high aspirations for every student. In 2024 LSEAT was formally recognised and awarded as the TES Small Trust of the Year.

Read more on the trust website: https://lseat.co.uk

Woodside Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. As such, all posts are subject to a safer recruitment process, including the disclosure of criminal records and vetting checks.  We ensure that we have a range of policies and procedures in place which promote safeguarding and safer working practice across the school.

For further information about the school, please visit https://www.woodside.bexley.sch.uk/

Your Opportunity

If you are an inspirational, enthusiastic practitioner with an understanding of autism and how to support autistic children develop a confident and positive approach to learning in an educational environment, we would like to hear from you.

We are seeking to appoint a support mentor to join our pastoral support team who is:

·Passionate about high quality personalised provision for children with autism.

·An excellent practitioner, ideally with experience or expertise in working with pupils with special educational needs.

·Someone who loves working closely with children, young people and colleagues to change things for the better.

·Someone with experience of leading group/individual interventions in a range of special/mainstream classes.

·Willing to contribute to the wider school initiatives, aligned to school and Trust development plans, eg. Equalities Diversity & Inclusion, student leadership, enrichment (clubs).

·An excellent role-model.

We offer a comprehensive and bespoke CPD programme throughout the year and have a good record of upskilling staff at all levels

We are seeking to appoint a pastoral team support mentor who is:

·Passionate about high quality personalised provision for children with autism.

·Ambitious, eager and competent to make a difference.

·Will be an excellent role model, especially encouraging positive relationships with everyone they come into contact with.

·Is able to work well independently but also thrives through working as part of a team.

This post is considered to be a customer-facing position; as such it falls within scope of the Code of Practice on English language requirement for public sector workers.  The school therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the person specification. These will be applied during the recruitment/selection and probationary stages.

Please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification for more information.

For an informal discussion about the role please contact the Office Manager on 01322350123.

Please refer to the Person Specification.

To apply for this vacancy please complete the application form below, paying particular attention to Section 5 of the form, to indicate how you satisfy the criteria set out in the Person Specification. Once you have completed this, the form should be submitted viaemail to karen.bellett@woodside.lseat.org.uk. 

Alternatively, paper applications should be sent to Office Manager, Woodside Academy, Colyers Lane, Erith, Kent, DA8 3PB. The closing date for your application is as stated above.

References will be requested for those shortlisted only and prior to interview.  Only those shortlisted for interview will be contacted.

The closing date for applications is 12th December 2024. Interviews are scheduled for December, date TBA.

We reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date.

Only applicants shortlisted for interview will be contacted. References will be requested for shortlisted applicants prior to interview. Shortlisted applicants will be required to complete and return a Self-Disclosure form prior to interview.

Online Searches will be carried out on shortlisted applicants prior to interview. Any concerns will be discussed with candidates at interview. Further vetting checks including an enhanced DBS, incorporating a check of the Children’s Barred List, will be undertaken on provisional offer.

Woodside Academy is committed to equality and diversity in employment practice and service delivery.