Specialist Teaching Assistant

About the role

Join Our Team

Are you passionate about making a real difference in children’s lives? At St Catherine’s, we are seeking a caring and proactive Specialist Teaching Assistant to join our warm and dedicated community. This is a wonderful opportunity to work with individuals and groups of children to support communication and speech and language development.

About St Catherine’s

St Catherine’s is a popular, growing, two-form entry Church of England Primary School, nestled in the vibrant market town of Hoddesdon. We are the only Church of England Primary School in the area, proudly rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted in 2023. Our strong partnerships with parents, carers, families, and our local parish church help us to create a genuine sense of belonging for all.

We welcome children from a wide range of backgrounds, reflecting the diversity of our community. Guided by our values of Love, Forgiveness, Respect, Hope, Trust and Courage, we foster an inclusive environment where everyone is encouraged to ‘let your light shine’. Our innovative Inclusion Team ensures that every child receives the nurture and support they need to thrive, and our leadership team is committed to staff wellbeing, professional development, and maintaining a healthy work/life balance. At St Catherine’s, learning is fun, meaningful, and accessible to all.

The Role

As our Specialist Teaching Assistant, you will play a vital role for our children, carrying out assessments and interventions to provide early help in supporting children with speech and communication needs. This role will be 31.25 hours per week, Monday to Friday from 8.30am until 3.15pm, including a half hour lunch duty. (There will be a 30 minute unpaid lunch break within these hours). Working closely with our SENCO and teaching staff, you will help children who need extra support to develop their communication, ensuring they feel safe, understood, and ready to learn.

Key Responsibilities:

• Assessment of speech and communication needs

• Together with the SENCO, planning a programme of support

• Liaising with external professionals

• Communicating with families

• Working with children on EHCP targets

• Support groups of children in class

• Contribute to a nurturing school culture where early intervention and personalised support enable every child to flourish.

• Carry out Midday Supervisor role

The Person

We are looking for someone who is compassionate, resilient, and committed to making a positive impact in children’s lives. If you are a team player who believes in the power of inclusion and wants to be part of a supportive school community, we would love to hear from you.

We’re Looking For:

• Somebody with experience of working in a school environment, with an understanding of the needs of primary-aged children.

• Experience in supporting children's speech and language development or an interest in training in this

• A positive, can-do attitude towards pupil learning and development.

• Patience, calmness, and consistency when supporting children who may have a range of needs

• A respectful and empathetic approach to meeting the individual needs of every pupil.

• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt to different situations.

• Willingness to work collaboratively as part of a close-knit team.

• Self-motivation, resilience, and a genuine commitment to helping children succeed.

What We Offer

At St Catherine’s, you will be welcomed into a friendly and supportive team where your wellbeing and professional growth are prioritised. We believe that when our staff feel valued and cared for, our children thrive.

Benefits of Joining Our Team:

• A warm, collaborative environment where every team member is supported and appreciated.

• A nurturing school culture, committed to helping all children – and staff – let their light shine.

• A strong focus on work/life balance, with leadership dedicated to minimising unnecessary workload.

• Excellent opportunities for ongoing professional development and career progression.

We would be delighted to show you around our lovely school.  Please contact the school office on 01992 463214 to make an appointment with our headteacher, Dorothy Marlow.

We are fully committed to promoting the safeguarding and wellbeing of all pupils, this post is subject to safer recruitment measures which requires an enhanced criminal records check via ‘Disclosure and Barring’ Service. For shortlisted candidates, online searches will be done as part of our due diligence checks. We reserve the right to close the application process early, so please apply early to avoid disappointment.