Higher Level Support Assistant
Job Summary
Contract Type:
Term-time only (Permanent)
Working Pattern:
Full time - term time plus specified days
Advert Start Date:
12/11/2026
Advert End Date:
23/11/2026 12:00
Salary:
£33,673 - £36,581 per annum, £28,913 - £31,410 actual salary pro-rata (£17.45 - £18.96 per hour)
Job Category:
Schools - Support
Employment Location:
Gilbert Ward Academy, Princess Louise Road, Blyth, Northumberland, NE24 2TS
Further Information
Gilbert Ward Academy
Princess Louise Road
Blyth
Northumberland
NE24 2TS
Working Pattern: 37 hours per week, term time + 5 additional training days
Are you seeking a new role?
We are looking to appoint an exceptional HLSA to join our strong, dedicated teaching team. As a Higher Level Support Assistant, you will plan and deliver lessons across the school to cover teacher PPA time, support with our integrate pathway while also leading targeted group and individual pupil interventions . What matters most is finding the right person with the values, skills, and passion to make a real difference for our pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs.
This role is perfect for a positive and professional individual who:
- Has 5 GCSEs Grade C+/4+ (or equivalent) including Maths and English
- Has NVQ Level 4 DfE recognised Teaching Assistant SEND Assistant, EYFS or Childcare qualification or higher qualification with relevant experience
- Has training in relevant learning strategies and specialist knowledge in particular curriculum areas
- Is a supportive and co-operative team member with a flexible approach
- Has excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Please refer to the attached job description and person spec for full details of the requirements of the role.
As a valued member of our team, you will:
- Be in a highly supportive and skilled staff team who share expertise across the Trust
- Have tailored professional development opportunities to support subject teaching and career progression
- The chance to make a meaningful difference at a growing, values-driven academy
Does this sound like the role for you?
Gilbert Ward Academy, part of Prosper Learning Trust, opened in September 2023 and has now grown to full capacity with 80 pupils across all year groups. This is a very exciting phase in our journey: having successfully built and grown the school, we are now embedding our practice and continuing to make excellent progress.
At Gilbert Ward Academy, we deliver our curriculum through four needs-led pathways: Integrate, Engage, Explore and Discover. All pupils access the same curriculum, but delivery is adapted to meet individual needs. Pupils are allocated to a pathway based on their personal profile, and movement between pathways is fluid to ensure provision remains responsive and supportive.
As part of Prosper Learning Trust, which supports five specialist schools in the North East, we share a commitment to empowering vulnerable young people to succeed.
Visits to the school are encouraged to share our vision and discuss the role. To arrange a visit or request a confidential conversation, please email admin@gilbertwardacademy.co.uk.
To learn more about Gilbert Ward Academy and Prosper Learning Trust, please visit the websites.
Prosper Learning Trust was established in January 2018 to help vulnerable young people succeed against the odds. Four core values underpin everything we do as a Trust, these are Aspiration, Integrity, Resilience and Kindness. We are looking for staff who share those values and want to support our young people.
The Trust currently have 5 schools in the region:
- Newcastle Bridges School – Alternative Provision academy offering education to pupils unable to access mainstream school due to medical needs including hospitalised children and young people (3-19 years)
- Mary Astell Academy – Alternative Provision academy offering education to permanently excluded pupils and pupils who are struggling in mainstream school (11-16 years)
- Thomas Bewick Special School – Special School academy for pupils with a diagnosis of autism (3-19 years)
- Harry Watts Academy – Special School academy for pupils with a diagnosis of autism (5-16 years)
- Gilbert Ward Academy – Special School academy for pupils with SEMH or a diagnosis of autism (11-16 years)
The successful candidate will be deployed initially at Gilbert Ward Academy but will be expected to work at any Prosper Learning Trust site should the need arise.
Benefits of working for Prosper Learning Trust
The Trust is proud to say that we match the Real Living Wage and we also offer successful candidates:
- A friendly and supportive team of staff who are willing to share expertise and learn from one another
- Opportunities for career development and support with development through Trust wide Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes
- Access to an Employee Assistance Programme and support from the Trust's Wellbeing Network Group
- Access to either Teacher's Pension or Local Government Pension Scheme, each with favourable employer contribution rates
- Employee centred policies that support you in and beyond the workplace
- Funded eye tests for DSE users (subject to T/Cs)
- Bike 2 Work scheme
For more information on why we think you should work for us see our Trust website, where you will also find videos of what our current staff think.
The successful candidate will be welcomed into the Trust, so if this sounds like the role for you, please don't hesitate to apply.
Please note that all successful candidates will be required to complete an online pre-employment medical questionnaire.
Qualifications
- 4 GCSEs Grade C+/4+ (or equivalent) including Maths and English - essential
- NVQ Level 4 DfE recognised Teaching Assistant SEND Assistant, EYFS or Childcare qualification or higher qualification with relevant experience - essential
- Training in relevant learning strategies and specialist knowledge in a particular curriculum areas - essential
- Higher Level Teaching Assistant Status - desirable
- Willingness to undertake first aid and medication training - desirable
Safeguarding Information
Prosper Learning Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, as well as vulnerable adults, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Successful applicants will be required to apply for Disclosure from the DBS.
The Trust actively promotes equality of opportunity with the right mix of talent, skills and potential and welcomes applications from a wide range of candidates. The Trust selects all candidates for employment based on their skills, qualifications and experience, in comparison against the person specification.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. If you are invited for interview, you will be required to disclose convictions that would not be filtered, prior to the date of the interview. Certain spent convictions and cautions will be ‘protected’ and do not need to be disclosed. Full details on protected convictions and information about which convictions must be declared during job applications can be found on the Ministry of Justice website. You will be asked for further information about your criminal history during the recruitment process. If your application is successful, this self-disclosure information will be checked against information from the Disclosure and Barring Service before your appointment is confirmed. This role will include Regulated Activities and an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) disclosure is required for this post. Please note that in all cases written references will be taken up and made available to interviewers before the final selection stage; even if you indicate otherwise.
Online vetting checks will be carried out for candidates who are shortlisted.
Job roles, specifically for Newcastle Bridges School, that are located within The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust sites, will be subject to an additional layer of safer recruitment / pre-engagement checks managed by the NHS, under their Honorary Contract Policy. An employee of Newcastle Bridges School may be required to work across more than one site.
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