Job title: Learning Support Assistant
Salary: B3 TTO £22,128 plus Secure Unit Allowance of £3,020 per annum
Hours: 37 hours per week Mon‑Fri
Contract: Permanent
Are you someone who can connect with young people, who are often hardest to reach, with empathy, resilience and a genuine belief in their potential? Do you understand child and adolescent development, use a restorative approach, and have relevant experience? If so, you could be our next Learning Support Assistant at Adel Beck Secure Children’s Home.
We support up to 24 young people aged 10 to 18. Each arrives with their own story, some following court proceedings, some on remand or sentence, and others needing secure accommodation for their own protection or the safety of others. What they all share is the chance for a fresh start.
Our goal is to transform the trajectory of each young person we encounter. We help young people shift their attitudes, build healthier behaviours, re‑engage with learning, and develop the emotional skills needed to move forward with confidence.
We want every young person who leaves Adel Beck to feel safer, stronger and ready to make a positive contribution to their communities, safe from risk‑taking, exploitation and offending.
As part of Child Friendly Leeds, we’re committed to making our city a place where all children are happy, healthy and able to reach their full potential.
Role
As a Learning Support Assistant, you will be expected to provide 1:1 and in‑class support for our young people with additional learning needs in accessing all aspects of the curriculum.
About You
We are looking for experienced, enthusiastic, adaptable candidates with the personal qualities to connect with and inspire vulnerable children and young people.
- Good IT skills particularly in MS Office Word, Excel and database programmes, email and the Internet
- Good interpersonal and communication skills, including face‑to‑face, telephone and written communication skills
- Able to listen actively, ask questions, clarify points and check understanding
- Ability to deal positively and objectively with challenging pupils
- Ability to demonstrate an ability to work as part of a team
- Ability to work using own initiative and adhere to strict timescales
- Effective skills in the facilitation of mentoring, supervising and developing pupils with a wide spectrum learning styles and educational needs
- Ability to manage self and work under pressure
- Ability to lead learning activities and monitor progress of young people within their subject area
Experience and Qualifications
- GCSEs or Equivalent in English and Mathematics
- Understanding of child and adolescent development
- Understanding of restorative and trauma‑informed practice
- Knowledge of relevant legislation, policies and child protection and safeguarding principles
- Experience working in a residential childcare/education environment and supporting children or young people with complex and challenging behaviour
Benefits
- A competitive salary plus allowances
- Funding to study for relevant qualifications
- Ongoing training opportunities to build the skills needed to do your best for the young people in your care
- A clear career path for the right candidates through the team structure, with potential for progression
- A range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further
- Membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund
We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care‑experienced people.
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Children’s or Adults’ barred list as applicable will be carried out on preferred candidates.
Job Description
Responsibilities
- Support the Home’s main purpose of encouraging and enabling children and young people to develop attitudinally, behaviourally, educationally and emotionally so that they may deliver positive contributions to their families, society and their local communities whilst reducing offending, resulting in a decrease in victims of youth crime.
- Work together with colleagues from all other service areas within the home to provide and maintain a safe and secure living and learning environment that promotes the safety and welfare of children and young people in which they can prosper, develop and achieve.
- Input and retrieve information using the computer and IT systems available.
- Provide literacy and numeracy support for students as appropriate.
- Provide 1:1 support for students.
- Be accountable for the highest standards of achievement of all, including pupils with SEN and identified vulnerable groups, and monitor, report and evaluate pupil achievement and set targets for improvement.
- Monitor student progress and attainment.
- Establish and maintain liaison with outside agencies in support of students.
- Effectively manage individual student caseload.
- Carry out supervisory duties in accordance with published schedules and procedures and always maintain professional credibility.
- Be proactive in personal professional development.
- Assist with the development and implementation of Individual Learning Programmes.
- Establish constructive relationships with pupils and interact with them according to individual needs.
- Promote the inclusion and acceptance of all pupils.
- Encourage pupils to interact with others and engage in activities led by teachers.
- Set challenging and demanding expectations, academic aspirations of students, and promote self‑esteem and independence.
- Create and support a purposeful learning environment.
- Assist with the planning of learning activities.
- Promote good pupil behaviour, dealing promptly with conflicts and incidents in line with restorative principles and approaches and encourage pupils to take responsibility for their own behaviour and actions.
- Establish constructive relationships with parents/carers, students and staff within the centre.
Essential Requirements
- IT skills particularly in MS Office Word, Excel and database programmes, email and the Internet
- Good interpersonal and communication skills, including face‑to‑face, telephone and written communication skills
- Able to listen actively, ask questions, clarify points and check understanding
- Able to deal positively and objectively with challenging pupils
- Able to demonstrate an ability to work as part of a team
- Able to work using own initiative and adhere to strict timescales
- Able to develop and maintain manual and computerised administrative systems and databases
- Effective facilitator of mentoring, supervising and developing pupils with a wide spectrum learning styles and educational needs
- Able to manage self and work under pressure
- Knowledge and experience of work with difficult and demanding young people.
- Knowledge/Awareness of differentiated learning
- Knowledge of National Minimum Standards for Children’s Homes (England and Wales)
- Knowledge of the Ofsted Framework for Education
- Experience in the field of Special Education
- Experience in providing learning support in formal and informal contexts on a one‑to‑one basis and providing supervision of young people.
- Experience of working in a team and on own initiative.
- Experience in working with young people in conflict and in crisis.
- Experience in face‑to‑face service delivery with young people.
- Experience of working and implementing restorative approaches.
- Experience of working with external agencies in relation to pupil support.
- Experience of maintaining electronic and computerised records
Desirable Requirements
- Knowledge of National Standards for Youth Justice Services
- Knowledge of Children’s Homes National Minimum Standards
- Knowledge of the Children act 1989, Volume 5, Children’s Homes
- Knowledge of the Secure Estate for children and young people
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