The City of Edinburgh Council is recruiting a Pupil Support Assistant vacancy at Wester Hailes High School focused on supporting the school’s work in closing the poverty related attainment gap.
The post is permanent working part-time 30 hours a week during term time (39 weeks a year) with a salary of £28,046 – £32,010 (pro-rata for part-time and sessional).
Job Purpose
- Working collaboratively as a member of the team within all education establishments, help pupils meet their educational, care and welfare needs, ensuring those with intensive and complex and/or a high level of language support needs can effectively access the curriculum. Support the development and delivery of individual, group and whole school approaches and programmes in one or more specialist areas, including, but not restricted to; Bilingual Support, Attendance, Care Experienced, De-escalation, Neurodiversity. To be flexible and provide support and assistance in the day-to-day operations of the school as directed by the school leadership team.
- The support needs of the child or young person may include significant social, emotional and behavioural needs requiring provision of a high level of support for dysregulated behaviour.
Major Tasks
- Working as part of the school team, ensure the ongoing health, safety and welfare of the pupils and bringing any child protection matters to the attention of the teaching staff in accordance with school procedures.
- Work directly with parents of pupils with intensive and complex needs to provide advice and give feedback on matters relating to their child.
- Provide targeted support to pupils with intensive and complex needs.
- Complete and share routine documentation related to pupil welfare requirements e.g. medication.
- Providing comfort and care for minor accidents, upsets, or ailments e.g. cuts and bruises; and reporting these to teaching colleagues.
- Provide personal care to pupils with complex additional support needs e.g. feeding, toileting, changing, dressing whilst encouraging independence and ensuring their safety and comfort. This may include gastronomy/peg-feeding, catheterisation, tracheostomy (all once relevant training has been undertaken).
- Supervising and mentoring Pupil Support Assistants and Pupil Support Workers in all learning environments.
- Follow standard procedures for risk assessment when required.
- Assist teachers and pupils in all aspects of learning and development by: supporting creativity and skills for life and learning: supporting planned group and individual programmes e.g. reading interventions, one-to-one learning activities and learning opportunities in the local community.
- Apply specialist knowledge to plan, implement and review group and individual programmes.
- Co-ordinate strengths-based, solution-focussed individual planning and review through record keeping for individual pupil learning profiles, providing records at appropriate meetings and attending these, as required.
- Develop positive relationships and the emotional wellbeing of children and young people using evidence–based interventions related to the post-holder’s area of specialist knowledge.
- Support planning and delivery of whole-school and individual plans in area of specialist knowledge, with the involvement of all key partners including parents, carers and multi-agency partners.
- Assist in building capacity of learning and teaching staff and other professionals by providing advice on specialist area and supporting the development and delivery of professional learning.
- Build relationships with families to help them engage with their children’s learning by: removing barriers to their and their children’s involvement in school life; helping them participate in evidence-based parenting groups; support their attendance at relevant meetings.
- Support the development of parenting capacity and family wellbeing using evidence-based interventions with individual and groups of parents and carers.
- Leading and supporting individuals and groups of pupils in the community.
- Coordinate transition programmes for pupils moving schools e.g. supervising and escorting pupils to the receiving school; assisting with allocated tasks; and encouraging pupils to participate in group activities.
- Carrying out home visits individually or jointly with other professional staff.
- Participating in professional development opportunities, in–service and refresher training as deemed appropriate.
You can read the full job description and apply for the post online here. The closing date for applications is 17 March 2025.
