Vacancies

Teaching & Learning Assistant Band C

Start Date 1 June 2026 or as soon as possible

Hours 32.5 hours per week, term time only (39 weeks)

8.30 a.m. to 4.20 p.m. Monday

8.30 a.m. to 3.20 p.m. Tuesday to Friday

Plus 2 Parent Evenings’ each year

Salary: Band C £26,824 - £29,540 (actual salary £20,198 – £22,244)

Contract: Permanent

Forest Oak School Mission Statement: Working Together, Releasing Potential

Forest Oak school caters for pupils aged 4 to 18 years with moderate learning difficulties. Ofsted say we are an outstanding school (latest Ofsted 2024).

Forest Oak is seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic person to join our team as a Band C Teaching Assistant. Working under the instruction of the Senior Leadership Team, you will collaborate with teaching colleagues to support the delivery of quality learning, teaching and assessment to help raise standards of achievement for all learners.

To be considered for this post you must hold an NVQ Level 3 Teaching Assistant qualification or other relevant childcare qualification, and have experience working with learners, preferably those with additional needs. You must be an individual who has the skills and passion to positively impact on our learners. You must also possess the commitment, enthusiasm and energy to inspire them every day. You must show your ability to interact well with learners and teachers alike in a culture built on the values of mutual trust and respect.

Our Teaching Assistant roles are different from other settings. We require our Teaching Assistants to have not only the academic ability to support our pupils but also, the passion, enthusiasm and determination to engage our pupils in their learning. We expect true partnerships with parents and the confidence to facilitate these independently; you need to be able to work at pace in a fast-paced environment producing consistently high quality work. Your pastoral work will be excellent and you will be confident in being one of the first points of contact for parents in need of support. Optimism and consistency will be your core performance virtues. You will be both IT literate and IT confident. You will be assured challenging colleagues to undertake their best endeavours for all learners, recognising excellence and challenging when standards of excellence are yet to be met. At interview, we will explore your ability to develop rapport with learners.

It would be advantageous if candidates could demonstrate the following:

Experience of supporting learners with speech, language and communication needs.
Experience of working with learners with cognition and learning needs there by able to collaborate with teachers to differentiate / scaffold learning tasks and activities for learners working significantly below age related expectations.
Must be prepared to train for, or be experienced in delivering, intimate care plans.
An understanding of learners sensory differences
Experience of helping learners to understand and regulate their emotional responses and develop a greater sense of self-awareness, independence and resilience
Working knowledge of a range of interventions and approaches to enhance literacy and numeracy development
Partnership with parents

Why join Forest Oak School?

A welcoming, supportive, and inclusive working environment.
Commitment to your professional development with high quality continuous professional development opportunities.
Access to staff wellbeing initiatives and a wide range of employee benefits.
The chance to make a meaning impact on the lives of young people.
Where staff are passionate about enabling all pupils to achieve beyond expectations.
Where together we make a creative, dynamic team, proud to overcome challenges and celebrate each individual’s achievements.
Work on a campus with two other schools, in a very well resourced building

If you would like to find out more, contact Jill Lambert on 021 717 0088.

Application by SMBC Application Form only – return via post or email.

Please note we do not accept CV’s

Closing date for applications is 12 April 2026

Interviews are scheduled to take place as soon as possible after the closing date.

We warmly welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and communities. Solihull Council is proud to be an equal opportunities employer, committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected and supported to thrive.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all colleagues to share this commitment. All appointments will be subject to an enhanced DBS check, including a Children’s Barred List check, and online searches will be conducted for shortlisted candidates.

Our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy is available to view here: https://www.forest-oak.solihull.sch.uk/page/?title=Policies&pid=35.

If you require the application form in a different format, please contact school.

*****************************************************************************************

Learning Support Assistants to include

Personal and Medical Care Support

We do not have any current vacancies at present. However, if you wish to apply for future vacancies, we will keep your application on file.

Salary: B Band - £24,796 - £25,583 (pro-rata) £18,671 - £19,264 (Actual Salary)

(This is subject to qualifications and experience)

Post: Learning Support Assistants to include Personal and Medical Care Support

(Fixed Term Post until 31^st August 2027)

Start date: TBC – Application will be kept until vacancy arises

Hours: 8.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. Monday to Friday, working either 2, 3, 4 or 5 days a week; the same every week. Plus staff meeting/training - to be confirmed.

32.5 hours per week

A fantastic opportunity to work across Forest Oak and Merstone Schools.

Both schools are Ofsted rated outstanding and this is a wonderful opportunity for anyone looking to start a career in SEND education and care.

We are seeking to appoint highly motivated and enthusiastic Band B Learning Support Assistants to be part of our schools who have a fun-loving positive attitude that makes every pupil feel valued as playing and interacting with the learners is essential. You will be involved in the day-to-day education and care of children and young people with a wide range of SEND aged from 3 -19 years and could be at any one of our school sites to include;

Pebbles Nursery
Forest Oak School
Merstone School
Oakwood Centre
Woodlands Campus

Each morning you will be allocated your placement for the day. This will give you a wide range of experiences and opportunities to work across ages and phases and to support a wide range of SEND to include MLS, SLD, PMLD, ASD and ADHD. You will be joining a fantastic, hardworking and experienced staff team who will encourage and support you to grow and develop.

You will need;

A high level of multitasking is essential - this is a busy hardworking environment and on a daily basis you could be working at any site in our schools
A calm and sensitive approach, combined with patience, tolerance, stamina, and humour
A willingness to learn and develop your own skills and abilities to best support our pupils
Resilience, as there are times when things are a challenge both mentally and physically
To build positive and supportive relationships
To be a team player, resilient and motivated by challenge
To have the ability to think creatively

Finally, you must be prepared to feel special and important to many children and young people and their families. There is simply no other job quite like it.

The role

The role is for 8.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. Monday to Friday plus staff meeting/training (to be advised). We are looking to appoint working either 2 ,3, 4 or 5 days a week. You will need to be able to work set days, the same days every week. Please indicate on your application form what days you would be prepared to work.

We are dedicated to providing a range of induction and continuing professional development opportunities to the successful candidates and look forward to hearing from applicants with suitable skills and experience. In the supporting statement part of your application, you should clearly specify the following;

Do you have basic literacy and numeracy skills?
Do you have any SEND or childcare / adult social care / school-based experience?
Do you have any relevant qualifications?
Are you able to assist in the physical care and behaviour management of pupils, including moving, lifting and handling when appropriate?
Do you have an awareness and understanding of the needs of the children with physical disabilities, learning difficulties, sensory impairments, challenging behaviour and medical difficulties?
Tell us about your personal skills and qualities.

Essential/ Desirable;

NNEB/ NVQ 2 /BTEC or other relevant childcare or healthcare qualification desirable
GCSE Maths & English Pass or Reading & Writing Skills and Numeracy Skills NVQ Level 2 essential
SEN experience desirable
Recent experience of working with children in a learning environment desirable
Ability to work positively with parents, school nurses and other professionals to improve the support for the pupil essential
Medical care experience desirable
Basic knowledge of First Aid desirable

Would you like to be part of the team? If so, download the information and application pack and return your completed application form to office@merstone.solihull.sch.uk or contact school for more information.

Forest Oak School and Merstone School

Windward Way

Smith’s Wood

Birmingham B36 0UE

Tel: 0121 717 0088 Email: office@forest-oak.solihull.sch.uk

Closing date: open

Interview date: TBC

Our schools are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All positions in our schools are subject to Enhanced DBS checks. We undertake an online search of all shortlisted candidates as part of the recruitment process.

Solihull Council is proud to be an Equal Opportunities Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees – a place where we can all be ourselves.