Higher Level Teaching Assistant - ESOL Programme - Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children

Role Responsibility

Kent County Council’s Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking (UAS) Children’s Service provides accommodation and support to newly arrived unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in Kent. The Service leads on social care practice with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in Kent, which Ofsted recognises as Outstanding. The Service is developing as a centre of excellence for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children that can show case social care and social work practice nationally.  We are seeking passionate and skilled professionals to join us on this journey.

We have an exciting opportunity available for a Higher Learning Teaching Assistant, as part of the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Programme for UAS Children.

This is an opportunity to work in a Service where you will be responding to newly arrived unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, supporting their learning needs as a key component to their resettlement into the UK.

The primary focus of the post is to plan and deliver tutoring sessions to individuals and groups of UAS children placed at the Reception Centres in Kent and to promote the educational engagement, attainment and progress of these young people, who are in care to Kent, and are waiting for a transfer to the care of other local authorities on the National Transfer Scheme (NTS).

We are looking for applicants who are:

• Highly motivated and dedicated to supporting the learning needs of a vulnerable group children and young people
• Experienced in delivering robust learning plans, covering the agreed education programme
• Understanding of the safety and wellbeing of UAS children
• Able to adapt their teaching approaches to best meet the needs of the children and young people

This post is full time. We are taking applications for HLTAs to work with UAS children in our Reception Centres, located in Swale and Ashford (please state in your application if you have a specific location preference). For further details please read attached Job Description and Person Specification.

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure application to the Disclosure and Barring service.

Interviews are tentatively scheduled to take place on Friday, 25 April 2024 at Kroner House, Ashford.

Candidates invited to interview will be required to deliver a presentation as part of the interview, which will need to be submitted to the panel ahead of time (details of the presentation topic will be shared directly with shortlisted candidates).

Contact Details

Siobhan Austin via email to siobhan.austin2@kent.gov.uk

About the Company

Work that works for you and us - let’s talk flexibility!

KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county’s working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds, faiths and those with caring responsibilities, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

Please note – if you are interested, please apply as soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.