Higher Learning Teaching Assistant – Outdoor Learning and Sports

 Sands School

Job Description

Position Title

Working with

Salary

Hours

Contract type

Description

Key requirements

Disclosure level

Higher Learning Teaching Assistant – Outdoor Learning and Sports
Specialist
SEND Department and Curriculum Lead, Key stage 3 and 4

£19,667

4 days a week, term time, 9.00 – 4.30

Permanent
We’re seeking an HLTA with a difference to lead sports activities
for all year groups and provide outdoor learning activities for key
stage 3 groups to build emotional and social skills.
Experienced HLTA / Experience of working with all kinds of SEND
needs / Experience of leading outdoor learning including sports
Enhanced

Start date

September 2026

Apply by date

10/05/2026

Sands School

Sands is an Independent day school for 11-17 year olds providing innovative child-centred
education since 1987.  First and foremost Sands School is a democratic community in which
staff and students run the school as equal participants through the weekly school meeting.
Our ethos fosters trust, mutual respect and self-directed learning.  Students are encouraged
to take responsibility for their environment and their learning.  Staff are expected to deliver
their teaching and to relate to students and colleagues with this in mind.

Sands is a non-academically selective school and attracts students from a very wide variety
of learning backgrounds. Students join the school having attended mainstream schools,
other alternative schools or having been home educated. A significant proportion of our
families have relocated to Devon in order for their children to join the school, from other
parts of the UK and from abroad.

We have a higher than average percentage of students with some additional needs, for
example dyslexia, ASC or SEMH issues such as high anxiety but we are not a Special School.
Sands has six year groups covering KS3 and KS4. The younger groups Y1 to Y3 correspond
with years 7 to 9 in mainstream schools. We deliver KS4 over three years rather than two,
with students having the option to sit some GCSEs in O2, the penultimate year, and some in
O1, the final year.

Class sizes in the Y-groups (KS3) are normally limited to twelve and in the O-groups (KS4) to
sixteen.

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Spreading secondary education over 6 years instead of 5, enables us to create more space
and flexibility for our students.  We have a rich tradition of balancing academic learning with
emotional and social development and outdoor adventure and play.

For an introduction to the school and its philosophy please explore the website
http://www.sands-school.co.uk

Equal Opportunities
Sands School is an equal opportunity employer, we value diversity and will not discriminate
on the basis of protected characteristics. We encourage applications from all backgrounds.

Role Description

We are seeking a Higher Level Teaching Assistant with a difference.  At Sands we believe that
strong emotional and social skills are the foundation for learning in all areas.  As part of a
redevelopment of our curriculum we are seeking a unique individual to join our team with
experience of supporting a variety of SEND needs, particularly SEMH needs and anxiety as
well as experience in leading outdoor activities and sports sessions.

Sands has a rich tradition of prioritising play and outdoor adventure.  Your role will be to
develop activities to ensure physical exercise, outdoor learning and adventure become a
central and consistent element of the school week for all students.

Outdoor learning and forest school
Your role will be to develop and provide activities and learning experiences which support all
students but specifically those with SEND needs and in our younger key stage 3 groups to
promote personal development, resilience, and positive behaviour through experiential
learning.

You will work closely with the SEND Team, Safeguarding Team and subject teachers to plan
and deliver activities targeted at the needs of the individual groups.  You will then deliver
these activities both independently and in collaboration with subject teachers.  Activities will
include taking curriculum classes outside, Forest School activities such as bushcraft, outdoor
cooking, navigation, team-building, environmental education and outdoor fitness and visits
to the natural environment in the local area.

Physical education sessions
You will also provide physical education and sports sessions to all year groups. The
curriculum for the Physical education and sports sessions will be planned by the Curriculum
Lead in collaboration with you and will have an emphasis on physical exercise and fitness as
a central part of a healthy balanced lifestyle, team-building and enjoying the outdoors.  The
curriculum will introduce students to a wide range of sports and physical activities including

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team sports such as football, basketball and hockey and physical leisure activities such as
walking and swimming.

Sessions will be delivered both at Sands in the school’s garden and dedicated sports court as
well as off-site at local facilities such as sports halls and swimming pools and in the local
natural environment such as Dartmoor and local beaches.

You will not be required to lead students through qualifications or certification.

As well as the timetabled PE sessions for all year groups you will plan additional sports
opportunities open to all students, such as climbing or water sports, in collaboration with
other members of staff with specific skills and experience or with local specialist providers.

Health and safety
You will work closely with the school’s Health and Safety Coordinator and Educational Visits
Coordinator to ensure all activities have been thoroughly risk assessed and well planned with
safety at the forefront.

General responsibilities
As well as being a responsible adult in the school you will be a part of this community and
will be expected to engage with and support all our students. To participate in the
democratic processes you will attend the weekly School Meeting and Staff Meeting or follow
their minutes if you are unable to attend.

All staff at Sands need to fully support the ethos of the school, which means being able to
work with and relate to our students in a way that is different from the norm in mainstream
schools. This means finding strategies to achieve objectives through discussion and shared
decision-making and establishing the personal authority that comes only from being a
trusted and respected adult. Within these core values each adult brings their own
personality to their role and there is no set way of doing things.

Safeguarding Responsibilities
Sands School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young
people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

All staff are responsible for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of students within the
school, raising any concerns and following the school's Safeguarding Policy and Procedures.
New staff must familiarise themselves with Safeguarding Policy and Procedures and should
have had or be willing to undertake Level 2 safeguarding training. They should know the
name of the designated senior person with responsibility for child protection. They should
understand their responsibilities in being alert to signs of abuse and referring any concerns.

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Data Protection Responsibilities
All employees handling personal data must do so responsibly, securely and in line with the
school’s policies, guidance and training.

Person Specification

Selection will be made on the basis of the closest match to the person specification set out
below.  Candidates are encouraged to apply where they meet the majority but not all of the
criteria set out.  Sands School values diversity and inclusion and we especially welcome
applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds.

Educated to at least college level, preferably in a related field
such as education and/or sport and fitness
GCSE Maths and English at grade C / 4 or above
QTS in Physical Education and/or Level 3 Forest School Leader
qualification
Full UK Driving licence
D1 minibus driving license
First Aid Certificate, preferably in Outdoor Emergency First Aid
Experience of supporting students at key stage 3 and 4 level
Experience of outdoor learning environment
Experience of coaching sports and other outdoor pursuits
Experience of planning educational visits
Have experience of supporting learners with SEMH needs and,
ideally, of successfully working with diagnoses of ASC, ADHD
Understanding of health and safety regulations including risk
assessing outdoor, physical and adventurous educational
activities
Have high levels of literacy and numeracy and be computer
literate.
Have excellent communications skills and be able to work
collaboratively within a team and with young people.
Hold an enhanced DBS disclosure with list checks and satisfy all
safer recruitment checks before commencing in post.
Be positively motivated to work with children and young people.
They will be able to form and maintain appropriate relationships
and personal boundaries with children. They will have the
emotional resilience to work with challenging behaviour.
Will have demonstrated their potential to support, contribute to
and thrive in the unique learning environment of Sands.

Essential
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Desirable

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Will make themselves knowledgeable of the school's ethos; be
prepared to accept the ethos; to take part in the system; to
encourage young people to use their authority with
responsibility; implement the decisions of the School Meeting as
required.

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This post includes contact with children and is considered a regulated activity. As such the
successful applicant will be required to apply for an enhanced disclosure (with barred list
checks) from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).  Further details can be found at
https://www.gov.uk/disclosure-barring-service-check.  It is an offence to apply for a role
where a person is barred from regulated activity with children.

The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974 and Exceptions
Order 1975, applicants will be required to declare spent and unspent convictions and
cautions that are not ‘protected’.

An online check of publicly available information will be completed to assess shortlisted
candidates’ suitability to work with children.

Staff Benefits

•  Work in a small school with small class sizes
•  Time to get to know individuals really well and tailor learning to their needs
•  Democratic management structure which gives all staff a voice in the running of the

school

•  Supportive staff team with wellbeing at the heart of all policies
•  Home-cooked school lunch
•  Free onsite parking

Terms of Appointment

The role is part-time.  Working hours are 7.5 hours per day, 4 days per week, term time only.

The rate of pay is  £24,584 per annum for a full-time post, pro-rata for the number of hours.

Holiday is taken during the school holidays.  5.6 weeks paid holiday has been included in the
salary for the post.

There is no pay progression based on either performance or time served. Pay increases to
compensate for cost of living inflation are at the discretion of the school governors and

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depend upon the general school budget and the scope to meet additional costs through fee
increases.

The role is subject to a six-month probationary review, which would involve direct feedback
from students as well as peer observation. It is essential that the feedback from students is
acknowledged, respected and appropriately responded to.

How to Apply

Applicants should return the application form to work@sands-school.co.uk by the closing
date of 10th of May.  CVs will not be accepted in lieu of an application form.  Short listed
candidates will be invited for interview and references will be sought prior to the interview
stage and an online search will be conducted on all shortlisted candidates.

Applicants are encouraged to request a visit to the school ahead of submitting an application
to get to know the school and the role better.

Sands is a genuinely democratic school which means that all decisions, including the
appointment of new staff, are made collectively by staff and students together. Students will
be involved in short-listing and interviewing candidates. Applicants should bear this in mind
when preparing their application.

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