Teaching Assistant
“The Unicorn School has been truly lifechanging for my child and me.”
About the School
At The Unicorn School, we transform the lives of children with learning differences and those of their families.
With a personalised curriculum, highly qualified staff, cutting-edge technology and kindness, we create the conditions for children to thrive and families to flourish.
We are a small, independent school for children aged 7 to 16 years. We specialise in helping children who are struggling to achieve their potential in mainstream education. These children might have a diagnosis of dyslexia, dyscalculia or dyspraxia, often with co-occurring Autism or ADHD. This can present as difficulties with language, speech, literacy or numeracy that are likely to have a significant impact on their self-esteem, happiness and future opportunities.
Expansion
Demand for The Unicorn School is high. For every school place available, we receive 10 applications. These applications are from parents who are desperate to find a school that can support their child or from six local authorities who have hundreds of children on their waiting lists. Therefore, there is a clear need to expand.
In September 2025 we opened our new school building, The Ock Building. This second site is opposite our existing school, enabling us to double in size. The site also means that we can offer a post-16, life skills provision for the first time.
This expansion presents exciting opportunities for our staff as well as our students and their families as we grow our student body and breadth of our curriculum, especially at KS4.
www.unicornoxford.co.uk
Benefits of working with us
Supportive staff, and an involved community who are committed to school improvement, who will work with you to achieve your goals
Students who are enthusiastic and highly motivated with a love of learning
Excellent premises and well-equipped classrooms providing a modern and technologically advanced learning environment for students. From September 2025 KS4 are housed in a newly developed building across the road.
The opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of our students
A competitive salary (including a staff laptop) and pension contributions
Professional support to continually progress and develop your career
Access to Simply Health
www.unicornoxford.co.uk
Job description
We are pleased to announce that, due to our exciting expansion programme, The Unicorn School is seeking to recruit enthusiastic and dedicated professionals to join our dynamic and friendly team. Our school is heavily oversubscribed, and with the acquisition of a second site, we are poised to offer post-16 education for the first time. This expansion underscores our commitment to providing exceptional education and creating additional opportunities for our students.
A Teaching Assistant is required to join the team on a part-time, permanent basis. You will be adept at helping our students and leading them through challenges in their learning, so they make the best possible progress in each and every lesson.
Our school offers achievement, opportunity and challenge to our students within a supportive environment. The students have a passion and desire to excel in learning. We are looking for conscientious and hard-working individuals who are passionate about education and pay meticulous attention to detail.
As well as supporting learning, all Teaching Assistants are responsible for supporting effective pastoral care to develop pupils' social and emotional progress. They are also required to contribute and be involved in extracurricular activities and the wider life of the school community.
Key Responsibilities and Duties
To aid the pupils to learn as effectively as possible both in group situations and on their own, by:
Clarifying and explaining instructions
Ensuring pupils are able to use the equipment and materials provided
Helping pupils to concentrate on and finish work set
Liaising with class teacher
Establish a supportive relationship with pupils
To encourage acceptance and inclusion of pupils
To develop methods of promoting/reinforcing the children ’s self-esteem.
To attend relevant training both in school and external
To conduct yourself in line with school policies and organisation ethos
To be aware of confidential issues linked to home/pupil/teacher/school work and to keep confidences appropriately.
To undertake duties before, during and after school and to get involved in extracurricular activities.
www.unicornoxford.co.uk
Commitment to Safeguarding and Welfare
The Unicorn School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all its pupils. As a Teaching Assistant, you will be expected to:
Work in line with the school's safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures, as well as relevant statutory guidance (e.g., Keeping Children Safe in Education, Prevent)
Collaborate with the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) to ensure the best interests of pupils are promoted, including sharing concerns where necessary
Maintain a vigilant and proactive approach to identifying and responding to potential safeguarding issues
Participate in regular safeguarding training to keep your knowledge and understanding up to date
Promote a culture of safeguarding and pupil welfare throughout your work at the school
Making an application
Application Form
CVs are not accepted as part of the application process. If you wish to be considered for this post, please complete the application form, providing full details of your education and employment history, including any unpaid or voluntary work. Where there are gaps in your employment, please state the reasons why (eg. gap year, career break, unemployment etc).
You will note that we require details of two referees, one of which must be your current or most recent employer.
Suitability for this Position
This section of the form is very important. It gives you an opportunity to explain why you are applying and why you are the best person for this job. Use the information provided in this application pack as your guide, and give specific examples, where possible, to demonstrate how you match the requirements for this post.
Please remember to sign the declaration on the final page of the application form.
Please return your completed application form to:
recruitment@unicornoxford.co.uk marked for the attention of Alison Woodworth-Sturla.
Alternatively, if you are submitting a hard copy application, please post to:
FAO Diane Kenyon
The Unicorn School
20 Marcham Road
Abingdon
OX14 1AA
Interview and selection process
Those candidates who meet all the requirements for the post will be shortlisted and details of the interview programme will be confirmed in writing.
As part of the selection process, in addition to your skills and knowledge against the requirements of this role, specific questions will be asked to assess your suitability to work with children.
Under the Equality Act 2010, we are legally required to consider making reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged in the recruitment and selection process. We are therefore committed to meeting, wherever possible, any needs you may specify on the application form. Please contact the school if you need to discuss this in any detail.
We will consider any reasonable adjustments under the terms of the Equality Act to enable an applicant with a disability (as defined under the act) to meet the requirements of the post.
Induction and continuous professional development
The Head Teacher and School Governing Body are committed to ensuring your well-being and continuous professional development in this role. On appointment, the Head Teacher will discuss an appropriate induction programme with you which will help familiarise you with the culture of the school, local practices and policies.
You will be offered the opportunity to further develop your professional knowledge by participating in local training events and, where appropriate, working towards further qualifications such as NVQs.
Support staff employees new to The Unicorn School will be subject to a probationary period of 6 months.
Pre-employment checks
References
If you are shortlisted, we will normally take up references before the interview date; however there is an option to decline this on the application form. If you do not give permission to contact your referees prior to interview, we will only contact them should an offer be made and accepted. One of your referees must be your current or most recent employer. Two satisfactory references must be received before we confirm any offer of an appointment. The information we request will relate to salary, length of service, sickness and absence record, skills and abilities, suitability for the job, disciplinary record and suitability to work with children.
Copies of references, or references addressed “to whom it may concern ” , will not be accepted. On receipt of references, your referees may be contacted to verify any discrepancies, anomalies, or relevant issues as part of the recruitment verification process.
Disclosure & Barring Checks
Employment at this school is subject to an enhanced check with the Disclosure & Barring Service. Registration with the Independent Safeguarding Authority will also be a requirement prior to confirming an offer of employment.
Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exemption Amendment) Order 1986, there are a number of jobs where we must take account of convictions, even though they are ‘spent’. All posts at this school are regarded as such.
However, spent and/or unspent convictions may not necessarily make you unsuitable for an appointment.
Validation of Qualifications
All short-listed candidates will be asked to bring original certificates of relevant qualifications to interview. These will be photocopied and kept on file and may be confirmed as genuine with the relevant awarding bodies.
Right to Work in the United Kingdom
Under the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, it is a criminal offence to employ anyone who is not entitled to live or work in the United Kingdom. Applicants can expect us to ask for proof of this at interview stage, where you will be asked to provide some original documentation to confirm that you are eligible to work within the UK. Photographic proof of identity will also be required.
Medical Assessment
A satisfactory medical form will be required before we confirm any offer of an appointment. If there are concerns, a medical assessment will be required.
www.unicornoxford.co.uk