- Job title: Junior School Assistant
- Job Type: Full time, term time only, fixed term contract until 3rd July 2025. Mon-Fri 8am-4:45pm with a 45 minute unpaid lunch.
- Salary: £8,330 (£9,663 if the full pension flex benefit is utilised)
- Department: Junior School
- Reporting to: Director of Studies
- Location: Highgate, North London, Junior School
- Start: 3rd March 2025
- Closing Date: 7 February 2025 at 5:00 pm
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Highgate School believes that recently graduated students, or post-A Level students having a gap between going into higher education, can make a valuable contribution to the running of the Junior School whilst at the same time benefiting in terms of their personal development from the opportunities the experience will offer. The School seeks bright, enthusiastic, energetic and flexible young people who are prepared to take advantage of the opportunity to work in a leading London independent day School. The School aims to offer a balance between day-to-day tasks and working with children alongside experienced teachers.
The role is particularly suited to those applicants interested in pursuing a career in teaching as it provides an opportunity to gain experience of working with children, working with teachers and TAs, and other stakeholders within a school environment. Post-holders will gain a thorough insight into the workings of a busy Junior School and the importance and responsibilities of different roles within a school.
The Junior Support Assistants will be managed on a day to day basis by the Assistant Principal Operations of the Junior School who is responsible for organising and monitoring their weekly timetable.
The duties and responsibilities the postholder is likely to perform are set out below. However, this list is not exhaustive and a flexible "can-do" attitude is therefore essential.
The Department 'From the moment you step foot inside our bright and well-resourced building, you will feel the buzz of excitement from our pupils ringing through the corridors. At the heart of our school is a nurturing environment where pupils feel happy, safe and secure so that they can fulfil their potential academically, socially and emotionally and be their very best selves.' - Philippa Studd, Principal.
Highgate Junior School is one of the largest Key Stage 2 Independent Junior Schools in the country with 445 pupils from Years 3 to 6 in five classes per year group.
We pride ourselves on providing an innovative curriculum which challenges our pupils to be curious, creative and brave in their learning. Our timetable is designed to incorporate both an intellectually rigorous approach to studies alongside skills-based learning. We aim for our pupils to develop a genuine love of learning whilst acquiring a knowledge of how they learn, how to take responsibility for their learning and how to apply their skills and knowledge in a variety of different contexts.
We have a team of staff dedicated to nurturing our pupils' wellbeing. To develop a sense of community and belonging from day one at Highgate, our pupils all belong to a form group and one of our four houses. We want to nurture in our pupils how to be a reflective and proactive member of the community with a sense of social responsibility and a deep understanding and appreciation of the wide range of heritages, cultures and backgrounds in our diverse society.
The Junior School is located on Bishopswood road, Highgate, in an outstanding purpose-built teaching environment. The deliberate playfulness of the architecture and the openness to our sports fields is the physical expression of our belief in nurturing childhood playfulness and curiosity.
Working as a TA in the Junior School is incredibly rewarding. The children's love of learning is infectious, and the teaching staff are supportive and actively encourage our contribution to the dynamic curriculum. The environment makes it a pleasure to come to school every day - as do the excellent free lunches!
- Junior School Teaching Assistant
Job Description
Responsibilities in the Junior School:- Assisting teachers/TAs within lessons.
- Running small groups eg reading groups, native language support, handwriting support, times table consolidation.
- Creating displays of children's work and updating notices.
- Supporting class teachers and TAs with admin tasks.
- Assisting and accompanying on educational visits and trips.
- Meeting pupils for the 'Walking Bus' to school.
- Assisting pupils with movement between sites within the school.
- General Administration: assisting the School Office with day-to-day administration, including mailing and photocopying.
- Helping with organising and ordering of stationery.
- Assisting the Librarian in keeping the Library tidy.
- Assisting the Head of Music and the Music Administrator with administration at critical periods eg during ABRSM exams.
- Supporting with Sport and Exercise: under the direction of the Assistant Principal Operations and when other commitments allow, assisting in Junior School Sport and Exercise. This will take the form of a support role under the direction of the SpEx trained staff.
- Assisting teaching staff on duty including in the Dining Hall at lunchtime, at breaks and after School.
- Assisting with after-School activities and sports teams when necessary.
These duties and responsibilities are intended as a guide. They are not exhaustive: the Junior Support Assistant will be expected to undertake any reasonable task or responsibility as required by Senior Team of the Junior School.Person Specification
- Criteria
- How will these be tested or verified?
- Ability/Skills
- Able to work on one's own initiative
- A team player
- A high level of IT skills
- Strong communication skills
- Ability to prioritise
- Personal Attributes
- Ability to build strong relationships with key stakeholders
- Flexible with a 'can-do' approach and able to work effectively without supervision
- An interest in working with children
- Reliability
- Resilience
- A sense of humour and sense of perspective
BenefitsLocation | Highgate Village, adjacent to Hampstead Heath, with quaint shops and easy connections across London.
Pension | AVIVA workplace pension scheme offered - 26% employer contribution, with the ability to flex up to 16% of this as additional non-pensionable salary, employees contribute a minimum of 5%.
Personal development | Comprehensive induction support for new staff. Focus on continued professional development for all employees.
Leisure facilities | Free access, at stipulated times, to our sports facilities, including a fitness suite and swimming pool (recently refurbished).
Lunch | A complimentary lunch including hot meals, sandwiches, salads, fresh fruit and dessert.
Help with sustainable travel | Access to the Cycle to Work Scheme and a Season Ticket Loan scheme for public transport.
Family-friendly policies | Highgate appreciates that employees sometimes have family commitments so we try to be as supportive as possible, for example with enhanced maternity pay (8 weeks' full pay, then 10 weeks' half pay) and paid dependant leave.
At the heart of our school is a nurturing environment where pupils feel happy, safe and secure.
- Philippa Studd, Principal Junior School
Working at HighgateA culture of community, kindness and belongingHighgate is a caring, open-minded community, where we promote kindness, empathy and friendship. Everyone who works and studies with us deserves to feel they are part of a welcoming environment that enables them to be themselves and to thrive as individuals.
Our community extends beyond the school, through partnerships, charity work and our commitment to equality, inclusion and sustainability. All members of our school community are encouraged to look outwards and play an active role.
In a recent ISI inspection (Dec 2021), it was noted that "Pupils show exceptional respect for, and appreciate diversity within the school and wider community, and their own and other cultures, demonstrating sensitivity and tolerance to those from different backgrounds and traditions."
Staff wellbeingHighgate is committed to staff wellbeing, which we promote by encouraging a strong work-life balance; trying our best to support flexible working requests; providing a nutritious complimentary lunch in the dining hall; and offering access to sporting facilities including our recently renovated swimming pool.
The Staff Wellbeing Committee, with representatives across the School, meets regularly to drive forward initiatives, and a selection of staff have been trained as Mental-Health First Aiders.
We encourage an open culture throughout our school, with regular staff surveys, action committees and opportunities to feedback. We strive for continual learning and improvement, and staff training and development is paramount. There are opportunities to participate in the wider life of our school, such as taking part in trips or societies and getting involved in partnership projects.
More details about working at Highgate can be found here:
Work with us Aims + Ethos
A fun, collaborative and forward-thinking environment with a real sense of community
- Philippa Studd, Junior School Principal
Charitable work and sustainabilityAs an independent school, we want to use our position as a charity effectively: to make high-quality education accessible to as many children as possible - through our bursary programme at Highgate and through our work with local state schools. We have partnerships with over 60 state schools across 7 London boroughs, and we are the principal educational sponsor for London Academy of Excellence, Tottenham - an academically-selective state sixth form in a community where such opportunities are lacking.
Alongside this, our staff and pupils undertake charitable activities throughout the year. These range from staff giving up their time to neighbourhood schools and charitable organisations, focused fundraising campaigns, to pupils undertaking community work in the local area or further afield.
As a school, we have a central role to play in educating our pupils, staff and parents about the importance of environmental sustainability. We are taking positive action to adapt our operational performance to tackle the negative effects of climate change. We encourage all our staff to reflect upon their personal and professional practices, to support our environmental agenda and to make positive changes wherever possible.
Application procedure- Closing Date: 7th February 2025
- In Person Interviews: 11th February 2025
Contact: Alison Lloyd , Director of Studies JS is happy to answer any questions about this post.
Early Application: Applications will be considered 'as and when' received and we may close the vacancy if we appoint before the closing date.
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InclusionWe know that more diverse teams are stronger teams, and that the more inclusive we are, the more our staff and pupils will feel a sense of belonging and will thrive. To enable us to make reasonable adjustments, please let us know of any disabilities (including neuro-divergence) when you submit your application.
SafeguardingAs this role will have regular unsupervised contact with children you must, if appointed, comply with Highgate's Safeguarding Policy and Staff Code of Conduct. If in the course of carrying out the duties of the post the post holder becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety and welfare of our pupils, these concerns must be reported immediately in accordance with the Safeguarding Policy. If whilst in the post, Highgate becomes aware of any safeguarding concerns to staff, pupils or the community; these will need to be followed up in line with the safeguarding policy and code of conduct which is underpinned by KCSE and other legislation. These concerns may need to be shared with other agencies. A copy of these policies will accompany all offers of employment. Training will also be provided to all staff to support Safeguarding practice.
Please read before you applyHighgate is committed to the safeguarding and welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to this post, including checks with past employers, the Disclosure and Barring Service and overseas police check if necessary. Candidates from overseas must provide information about their past conduct, for example, by providing documents issued by overseas teaching authorities. DBS Privacy Policies
Please note that this role is 'exempt' from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore, you are required to declare any convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings that are not 'protected' (i.e. filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). Shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide details of all unspent convictions and those that would not be filtered, prior to the date of the interview. DBS Code of Practice
In accordance with the latest guidance from KCSIE, we shall be conducting online searches on any candidates who are shortlisted.