TEACHING ASSISTANT

Job Application Pack

TEACHING ASSISTANT
Gap Student

Closing Date for Applications: 20 April 2026

OUR SCHOOL

Thank you for your interest in Newland House School. Our welcoming Pre-Prep and Prep School sits

on a 5-acre site in a quiet residential area on the edge of Twickenham and Teddington in South

West London. Established in 1897, Newland House is one of the oldest and largest Independent

Prep Schools for children aged 3-13 in the area.

We are passionate about inspiring a life-long love of learning and bringing out the brilliance in every

child. Our curriculum is innovative, broad and ambitious, giving every child the opportunity to

explore their academic, sporting, and creative passions. We are committed to supporting each

pupil's unique learning journey, and our dedicated teachers and staff continuously seek fresh ideas

to enhance learning experiences both in the classroom and beyond.

Ensuring the happiness and wellbeing of our pupils is core to all we do. We want every single child

in our school to feel safe, valued and cared for and visitors, parents and children consistently

comment on the positive, happy, and vibrant atmosphere at our School.

SUMMARY OF THE ROLE

The School is seeking an enthusiastic and motivated gap year student with keen interest in the area of

sports to support the PE department in the games sessions along with supporting the Wrap Around

Care team during breakfast club. This role is ideal for someone taking a structured break before

university or further education and looking to gain valuable work experience, develop key skills, and

contribute meaningfully in a professional environment.

The post will mainly involve working as a member of the Sports department and in particular

supporting either the Director or Deputy Director of Sport. The School’s main aim is to provide a

curriculum that is broad and balanced, covering the academic, artistic and physical elements that are

crucial for the development of the whole child.

This role is a great opportunity for those who are planning a career working with young people and

who need experience to get their first job or get onto a course.  You can prepare for a career working

with children and demonstrate the impact you can have on their lives.  It is a one-year post which gives

you an insight into a range of roles on offer in schools. You will help with administrative work, lunch

duties, sports arrangements, lessons and matches. You will learn to plan, organise, support, extend

and enrich the lives of children and be a reliable team player and will work with children in all age

ranges from the Nursery to Prep. The Gap student will start the day with Breakfast Club which

operates daily from 7.30 am but this is an additional part of the role and is flexible. You may need to

work occasional evenings and weekends to support fixtures.

FURTHER DETAILS

Application closes: 9.00 am on Monday 20 April 2026

Interviews: Shortly after advert closes

Employment Start Date: 1 September 2026

Salary: £17,377 p.a. or £20356 p.a. (including Wrap Around Care (WAC) each morning)

Contract type: 1 year fixed-term (2026-27 academic year)

Contract term: Term-time only (33 weeks)

We welcome early applications and reserve the right to interview and make an appointment prior to the

closing date.

JOB DESCRIPTION
Main duties and responsibilities
Responsibilities relating to leading teaching and learning

•

•

 Promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young persons for who you are responsible

and with whom you come into contact.

 Shadow Director of Sport/Deputy Director of Sport’s timetable.

• Assist with PE lessons – Prep, Pre-Prep and Nursery.

• Games – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and some Saturday mornings.

•

In-charge of ‘reserves’ when a match is being played.

• Assist with the swimming bus; swimming club and school galas and Sports Days.

• Assist with playground duties when necessary.

• Assist with wet break supervision when necessary.

• Supervision of pupils in changing rooms.

• Assist on educational visits.

• Be responsible for a team.

• Keep notice boards, changing rooms and equipment storage areas tidy.

• Attend residential leavers’ trip.

• Supervise breakfast club.

• No teaching of academic subjects required.

• Undertake such other appropriate duties as may be required from time to time.

Pastoral Duties:

•

•

•

•

•

•

 Promoting and safeguarding the welfare of the pupils.

 Promoting the general progress and well-being of individual pupils.

 Encouraging pupils’ participation in other aspects of school life such as extra-curricular programme.

 Being vigilant in preventing bullying and work swiftly to resolve incidents of bullying, following the

school’s Anti-Bullying Policy.

 Maintaining a constant awareness of all issues relating to child protection.

 Alerting staff members to problems experienced by pupils and those concerned with the welfare of

individual pupils after consultation with the appropriate staff.

• Maintaining good behaviour amongst pupils.

• Looking after pupil’s health and safety.

JOB DESCRIPTION
cont.

Main duties and responsibilities

Other Duties:

• Adhering to the school’s Code of Conduct Policy.

• Supporting whole school events as necessary/expected.

• Attending /completing all mandatory training.

• Attending departmental meetings as advised by the Head of Department.

• Undertaking such other comparable duties as the Head requires from time to time.

You  will  be  accountable  to  the  Director  and/or  Deputy  Director  of  Sport.  The  post  advertised  will

involve the applicant working as a team member chiefly in the Games Department.

THE CANDIDATE

The School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and

expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Qualifications

• No  particular  qualifications  are  required  but  good  GCSEs,  a  keen  interest  in  Sport  and  working

with children are all essential.

Experience

• No prior experience necessary, however any extracurricular involvement (e.g. school council/Duke

of Edinburgh/clubs), volunteering or work experience will be considered an advantage and may

demonstrate valuable transferable skills such as teamwork, communication, and reliability.

Skills

• Good verbal and written communication skills.

• Basic IT literacy (e.g. use of Microsoft Word, Excel, email).

• Ability to manage time effectively and prioritise tasks.

• Teamwork and collaboration skills.

• Ability to follow instructions and complete tasks independently.

Knowledge

• Awareness of appropriate professional behaviour within a school environment, including

safeguarding and child protection responsibilities.

• Basic understanding of how schools operate and the importance of supporting both staff and

students.

• Willingness to learn about the school’s values, policies, and procedures.

• Understanding of the importance of confidentiality and respectful communication in an educational

setting.

•

Interest in supporting children and young people in their learning and development.

Personal competencies and qualities

• Enthusiastic and motivated, with a strong desire to gain experience and develop skills.

• Reliable, punctual, and committed to agreed responsibilities.

• Willing to take initiative and respond positively to feedback.

• Friendly, approachable, and respectful towards others.

• Adaptable and open to new challenges.

• Flexibility and ability to work well with the job-share partner.

THE CANDIDATE
cont.

Candidates  should  aim  to  address  most  of  the  above  criteria  in  their  application  form,  making

reference to any relevant school, volunteering, or extracurricular experience where applicable. We

understand that gap year applicants may not meet all of the listed requirements, but we welcome

enthusiasm,  a  willingness  to  learn,  and  a  genuine  interest  in  working  in  an  educational

environment. The interview will also include questions relating to safeguarding and promoting the

welfare of  children,  in line with the school’s safeguarding  policies. This is a valuable opportunity

for gap year students seeking meaningful, hands-on experience in a school setting.

WHAT WILL WE OFFER

• Hands-on experience in a supportive and professional setting.

• Opportunities for training and skill development.

• Insight into the education sector for future career planning.

• A reference for future employment or university applications.

WHY WORK AT NEWLAND HOUSE
SCHOOL

Generous pay and allowances – based on

Cycle to work scheme – purchase bicycles

skills and experience.

and equipment at a tax advantageous rate

and pay for the equipment over 12 months.

Pension – teaching and non-teaching staff

enjoy a generous employer contribution

Career personal development – training and

pension scheme.

career development opportunities are

Longer holidays – than the maintained

sector for teachers (19 weeks) and a

minimum of 25 days for full-time non-

teaching staff plus bank holidays and

additional time at Christmas.

Staff fee remission – all staff are eligible for

fee remission after successful completion of

available for all teaching and non-teaching

staff. There are many opportunities to take

on additional responsibilities. Financial and

other support with obtaining relevant

professional qualifications.

Continuous appraisal process – to ensure

staff get regular feedback.

probation. The continuance and value of the

iPads – all teaching staff are given iPads for

school fee remission is at the discretion of

their teaching and assessment and non-

the Governors.

teaching staff when required as part of their

Enhanced sick and maternity/paternity pay

role.

Flexible and generous time off work policy –

exciting programme of socialising events

special leave, time off for dependents and

including quiz nights, karaoke, theatre trips,

appointments.

golfing weekends and many more.

Staff social committee – organise an

Lunches and refreshments – lunches and

Staff reps forum – an opportunity to get

refreshments are provided by the school to

your voice heard.

all members of staff, free of charge during

term time.

Flexible working options – job share and
part-time.

Safeguarding

Newland  House  School  is  committed  to  safeguarding  and  promoting  the  welfare  of  children  and

young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We adopt a fair, robust

and consistent recruitment process in accordance with the guidelines of the government document,

Keeping Children Safe in Education. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening

appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service

(DBS). The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the School is therefore

permitted  to  ask  job  applicants  to  declare  all  convictions  and  cautions  (including  those  which  are

"spent" unless they are "protected" under the DBS filtering rules) in order to assess their suitability to

work with children. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and

where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Newland  House  School  values  diversity,  equity  and  inclusion  for  its  pupils  and  staff.  We  want  our

community to feel valued and respected, so we are working hard to build an inclusive culture which

celebrates  diversity  in  different  forms to reflect  the  community we serve. We  believe  that having a

diverse workforce offers different perspectives which helps us to work towards our shared vision and

strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of  backgrounds to apply  to join

our School.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Employees will be required to support and encourage the school’s ethos and its objectives, policies

and procedures as agreed by the governing body.

Employees shall uphold the school’s policy in respect of child protection and safeguarding matters.

Employees will be expected to comply with any reasonable request from their line manager or SLT

to undertake work of a similar level that is not specified in this job description.

All members of staff are required to participate in the school’s appraisal scheme.

The job  description  is  current at  the  date shown, but  in  consultation with you,  may be changed  by

the Head to reflect or anticipate changes in the job commensurate with the grade and job title.

It is not a comprehensive statement of procedures and tasks but sets out the main expectations of

school in relation to post-holder’s professional responsibilities and duties.

HOW TO APPLY

Candidates should pay attention to the summary of the role/person specification and explain within

their application how they meet the criteria, whilst also describing what they will bring to the post

from their own knowledge and experience.

Completed applications with a covering letter should be sent to the HR Manager by the closing date.

No CVs will be accepted.

Applications will be reviewed and shortlisted on a rolling basis, and we reserve the right to interview,

appoint and close the advert early depending on the volume of applications we receive. We therefore

encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment. We will only be

contacting those candidates who have been selected to progress to the next stage of the process.

Please note that referees will be contacted prior to the interview.

If you would like an informal confidential discussion regarding this role prior to application then

please contact HR Manager, Ashlesha Sarang-Patel via email on asarang-patel@newlandhouse.net