Teaching Assistant (Early Years / Nursery) - Term Time

St John's Church of England Primary School, Canterbury

• Ref:KCC886-2000-189S
• Posted:22/05/2025
• Pay:KSB (£25,126 FTE, £20,625 actual)
• Start Date:1st September 2025
• App Close Date:05/06/2025 at 08:00
• Interviews:17th June 2025

Advert

We are looking to recruit an inspiring full-time (term-time) Teaching Assistant, primarily/initially to work with our Nursery children.  

Please note that this post requires a relevant Level 3 qualification.  Before applying, please use the DfE qualification checker to ensure you have an appropriate qualification: Early years qualifications achieved in the United Kingdom - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Applicants without a listed qualification will not be considered for the role.

This is an exciting opportunity for a candidate to start or continue their professional development at an inclusive and forward-thinking school in the heart of Canterbury. 

St John's promotes the achievement of every child within a caring, Christian community. 

We believe in nurturing each individual pupil in order for them to reach their full potential. If you share this ethos then this is the school for you!

Ofsted 2018 said 'Pupils’ behaviour is good. A purposeful calmness permeates the school. Strong relationships between staff and pupils help pupils feel secure and promote their learning and personal development well.'

St John's has excellent facilities including a forest school, EAL specialist provision, learning hub intervention spaces, a well resourced library, an AstroTurf pitch and nurture provisions. We have recently made a significant investment into fully refurbishing our EYFS Reception and Nursery classrooms, which provide spaces for high quality continuous provision and child-initiated learning. We also have an EYFS SEN intervention space and a sensory room.

Recent feedback from the local authority celebrated our high quality teaching and learning of early reading, which is a high priority for the whole school.

Our vision for EYFS at St John's prioritises children's language development and widening vocabulary, social interaction and being part of a community, alongside providing rich environments and engaging learning to broaden children's life experiences and build their cultural capital. 

Within our EYFS staff team we have a dedicated and experienced range of teachers and teaching assistants, including a speech and language therapist and a specialist SEN teacher. This enables us to offer high quality provision for all children, as well as providing ongoing professional development for staff.

We warmly welcome visits to the school. Arrangements for visits can be made through the school office (01227 462360).  We look forward to meeting you.

Information about the school

In 2024, Ofsted graded St John's as a good school in all areas.

The school, based in the heart of Canterbury, is a larger than average primary school, with two classes in each of Years 1 to 6. The school has provision for Early Years Foundation Stage children, with a nursery and two reception classes. In addition to our teaching team we have a supportive pastoral team including an Assistant Headteacher for Behaviour and Personal Development, SENDCos, an EAL Specialist and a family liaison officer. The school is a Church of England voluntary controlled school.

Our school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, and the school reserves the right to carry out online checks on shortlisted candidates as per KCSIE guidelines. Our Child Protection Policy can be found in the Policies section of our website.

Please note that unfortunately we are not in a position to contact unsuccessful applicants.

Job Contact Information

• Name:Jo Williamson
• Address:St Johns Place, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 1BD
• Telephone: 01227 462360
• Email: office@stjohns-canterbury.kent.sch.uk

Documents

Below are documents that have been added to this vacancy.

• Job description