Teaching Assistant (Lunchtime Cover) - Part-time - Special Needs Position

Danecourt School, Gillingham

• Ref:MED887-7031-188S
• Posted:01/10/2025
• Pay:Grade D2 (4 - 11) £6893 - £7703 (Actual Salary)
• Start Date:ASAP
• App Close Date:31/10/2025 at 12:00
• Interviews:TBC

Advert

Join Danecourt School as a Teaching Assistant (Lunchtime Cover)
Create a Calm, Caring Lunchtime Experience

• Hours: 12.5 per week (Mon–Fri, 11.30am–1.30pm)

• Contract: Permanent, Term Time Only (38 weeks)

• Start Date: ASAP

• Salary: Grade D2 (Points 4–11) £6,893 – £7,703 actual (£13–£14 per hour)

Are you looking for a fulfilling, part-time role in a nurturing environment? Do you enjoy working with children and want to make a real difference every day? Danecourt School is seeking a caring and reliable Teaching Assistant (Lunchtime Cover) to support pupils with special educational needs (SEN) during lunchtime.

This is an opportunity to join a welcoming and award-winning school where you will play a vital role in creating a safe, calm, and inclusive atmosphere during one of the most important parts of the school day.

About the Role

As a Lunchtime TA, you’ll provide practical and emotional support to pupils, ensuring lunchtime is positive, structured, and enjoyable. You will:

• Supervise and support pupils in the dining hall and playground.

• Encourage independence, positive behaviour, and social interaction.

• Assist with transitions between lunchtime and class.

• Help pupils access their meals and provide personal care when needed.

• Offer reassurance and guidance to support emotional regulation.

• Work collaboratively with the wider staff team to ensure consistency.

Who You Are

We’re looking for someone who is:

• Warm, patient, and empathetic, with a genuine love for working with children.

• Calm and confident when supporting pupils with additional needs.

• A good communicator and team player, willing to learn from others.

• Reliable, punctual, and committed to making a difference.

• Experienced in working with children with SEN (desirable but not essential).

No specific qualifications are required. What matters most is your compassion, reliability, and willingness to support pupils in their daily routines.

What We Offer

At Danecourt, part of the Maritime Academy Trust, support staff are valued as key members of the team. We are proud winners of the Primary Special School Provision category at the Medway Parents and Carers Forum SEND Awards.

You can expect:

• A supportive team-based culture across classrooms and satellite provisions.

• Clear development pathways, with opportunities to grow into wider roles.

• Regular training, including weekly CPD for support staff.

• A healthy work-life balance with term-time only hours.

• The chance to directly impact pupil wellbeing and confidence every day.

Ready to Make a Difference?

We’d love to welcome you for a visit—come and see what makes Danecourt so special. Contact the school office on 01634 232589 to arrange.

Find out more about the role, school, and Trust in the Candidate Information Pack attached. Apply now via My New Term—we may interview and appoint as applications are received, so don’t delay!

Danecourt School and the Maritime Academy Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We embrace diversity and equal opportunity, striving to build a team that reflects a range of backgrounds and experiences. All appointments are subject to an Enhanced DBS check and online checks in line with safeguarding guidance.

Information about the school

Danecourt Special School is part of the Maritime Multi-Academy Trust, an innovative partnership of schools in Greenwich, Bexley, Kent and Medway . Our schools transform through collaboration and an entrepreneurial curriculum which equips children with life skills. We are a special school catering for primary aged children who have special educational needs. The children who attend Danecourt have a wide breadth of needs including complex learning difficulties and autism.

At Danecourt our mission is support all pupils to become “STARS” -

S - Self reliant T - Team Players A - Aspirational R - Resilient S - Successful

This is facilitated through pupils receiving a personalised curriculum that is tailored to meet their individual specific needs. The highly trained staff team maintain high expectations of what each individual pupil is able to achieve, striving to ensure that they all reach their maximum potential; celebrating difference and encouraging curiosity and creativity. Staff work collaboratively with families/carers and a range of other agencies in order to meet the pupils needs and as a result, pupils make strong progress academically, emotionally and socially. Pupil achievement is hugely valued and celebrated in a manner that is meaningful and appropriate for each pupil.

If you are interested in becoming a part of the Danecourt community and working with us, telephone the school and make an appointment to come and meet some of the pupils and staff and to experience for yourself the quality of education given to all of our children and the unique atmosphere throughout our school.

Job Contact Information

• Name:Maritime Academy Trust
• Address:50 John Harrison Way, Greenwich, London, SE10 0BG
• Telephone: 020 8858 0394
• Email: recruitment@maritimeacademytrust.org

Documents

Below are documents that have been added to this vacancy.

• Application Pack