Learning Support Assistant - CORE

Job Description

AIM AND PURPOSE OF THE JOB

The purpose of the role is:

• To support College attendance, retention and achievement strategies by providing a high quality pro-active support service to learners who have special educational high needs support requirements.
  
• To ensure that all learners receiving support achieve as well as their peers and develop independent learning skills.
  
• To provide learning support that contributes to an outstanding student experience from the start of their college journey to progression into further study, employment or greater independence.
  
• To work directly with curriculum staff, Lecturers, PLCs, Student Services and key external agencies to ensure services proactively engage learners and meet individual social, emotional and learning needs.
  
• To comply with relevant performance monitoring and evaluation systems across the department to ensure quality of provision.

KEY ROLES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

• To provide (through one to one and/or group work interventions) high-quality learning support that enables learners to engage and achieve identified goals to aid their progression.
  
• To provide support for the delivery of specialist foundation programmes which may include those for autistic spectrum conditions, mental health, emotional and behavioural difficulties, severe, moderate and mild learning difficulties and disaffected groups and students accessing mainstream courses, in need of additional support.
  
• To ensure learners with support needs are fully engaged with Learner Services and to reinforce College attendance policies.
  
• To support a flexible caseload of individual and/or groups of supported learners, with a specialist need.
  
• To assist in pre-entry activities such as recruitment, enrolment and assessment of support needs.
  
• To assist in the delivery of entry screening and initial diagnostics and use results to inform Personal Learning Plans, set targets and monitor progress.
  
• Liaise with Lecturers, PLCs and other lead delivery staff prior to the start of learning to ensure support can be targeted and managed within the learning session.
  
• To assist in the planning, implementation and measurement of the impact of one to one and group work carried out in order to evaluate its effectiveness and work towards continual improvement of the service.
  
• To maintain accurate records of all information and interventions, ensuring all administration is completed promptly and efficiently within agreed timescales.
  
• To contribute to the negotiation, monitoring and support of individual learning objectives.
  
• To enable learning support procedures to be carried out in line with best practice guidelines with regard to Safeguarding, Prevent, Equality and Diversity and Health and Safety.
• To make an active contribution to the attainment of Functional Skills for supported learners.
• To provide incidental personal care support where necessary.

GENERAL ACCOUNTABILITIES

• To commit to the safeguarding and promotion of the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
  
• To participate in the College’s Performance Management Scheme and attend such training events as are necessary to enable him/her to carry out the duties of the job description.
  
• To continually improve teaching, learning and assessment through proactive CPD and sharing best practice.
  
• To actively participate in the College’s Quality System, including quality improvement strategies and initiatives.
  
• To undertake such other duties as may be assigned commensurate with the grade and purpose of the post.
  
• To take reasonable care for the health and safety of him/her and for others affected by his/her work.
  
• Actively support College Safeguarding, Equality and Diversity policies.
  
• To operate/conduct all HR tasks and functions within the principles of GDPR.

CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

The appointment is subject to the Conditions of Service for Business Support Staff.

All successful applicants will undergo the following checks:

• Enhanced DBS
• 2 x References, one of which must be your current or most recent employer
• Qualification validation check

SALARY

The salary range for this post is from £16,171.84 to £16,715.16 per annum pro rata. Your starting salary will be dependent upon your qualifications and experience. Once you have successfully passed your probationary period, your salary will increase within the salary band on an annual incremental basis, until you reach the top of the salary scale.

HOURS OF WORK

The hours of work will be based on 30 hours per week for 36 weeks per year.

ANNUAL LEAVE

As this is a term time only appointment you will receive a payment in lieu of holiday, which is in addition to your salary. You will also be paid for any Statutory Bank Holidays and concessionary days which fall within your working week.

PENSION SCHEME

The College operates an occupational pension scheme, namely the ‘Local Government Pension Scheme’.

PROBATIONARY PERIOD

All newly appointed staff have to serve a 6-month probationary period.During the probationary period you will have to complete the corporate staff induction, a Teaching and Learning Induction session if you deliver learning and additional mandatory courses on: Equality & Diversity session, Keeping Children safe in Education, Safeguarding Training session, Prevent, GDPR, Cyber Security and Health & Safety training session. Failure to complete these will prevent you from successfully completing your probation.

FIRST AID & FIRE MARSHALL

As defined in the person specification of the job description, those staff with these responsibilities are required to undertake first aid and or fire marshal duties across the College, when called upon to do so.Staff must ensure they are up to date with the relevant training.

REFERENCES

Please note that without 2 satisfactory references being received before the end of the probationary period, new staff will not be able to successfully pass their probationary.

LOCATION

The successful applicant will be based at Worcester but may be required to work at other locations from time to time.

VALIDATION OF QUALIFICATIONS

The College will undertake qualification validation by writing to the appropriate educational institute.Only those qualifications which are essential for the post will be followed up.

CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENT TO OBTAIN A QUALIFICATION

If you are required to obtain a qualification as a contractual requirement, the College reviews its CPD budget on an annual basis regarding availability of funds, and cannot therefore guarantee that newly appointed staff will receive either part or full funding for the course fees. However, student loan facilities are available.

MATHS AND ENGLISH

All staff are required to have a minimum level 2 qualification in both English and Maths.If you are not already in receipt of one or both of these qualifications, you will be expected to obtain it (them) during your employment at the College.

SAFEGUARDING

The College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

All newly appointed staff will be required to undertake safeguarding training following their appointment.

Heart of Worcestershire College adheres to the Department of Education’s guidance on ‘Keeping children safe in Education’.As part of your induction, you will be required to read and understand part 1 of this document.

ONLINE CHECKS

Candidates shortlisted for interview and then subsequently become successful in the recruitment process and prior to a formal offer of employment being made will be subject to online checks being carried out by a neutral party not directly involved in the recruitment process. Consent for these checks was requested at application stage.

DISCLOSURE & BARRING CHECK

All successful applicants will be required to complete and pay for a Disclosure & Barring Service check. The costs of this check will be deducted from the applicants first salary payment from the College. The College adheres to the DBS Code of Practice and has policies covering the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders and the Secure Storage, Handling, Use, Retention and Disposal of Disclosures and Disclosure Information. Copies of these are available on request.

RECRUITMENT OF EX-OFFENDERS

The College is committed to the fair treatment of its staff, potential staff or users of its services, regardless of race, gender religion, sexual orientation, responsibilities for dependants, age, physical/mental disability or offending background.

As an organisation we use the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) to assess the suitability of all prospective appointments. We undertake not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure on the basis of conviction or other information revealed.

Applicant/employees are required to declare any unspent conditional cautions or convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 or any adult cautions (simple or conditional) or spent convictions that are not protected as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020’.

The only exception to this requirement is that applicants/employees do not need to disclose any ‘protected’ cautions, or convictions as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2013.

Please read the ‘Guidance Note to applicants on disclosing information about cautions and convictions in their application’ document before you complete your application form.

Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from working with us.This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of any offences.

TRAINING

All successful applicants will be required to undertake any appropriate training and development as required, including Health and Safety.

NO SMOKING POLICY

HoW College is a Smoke Free environment from the effects of direct/indirect contact with smoking, including using the following:

• Cigarettes
• E-cigarettes
• Vaporisers
• Pipe smoking
• Cigars
• And all other associated smoking products