Lead Teaching Assistant (Ark Alexandra Academy)

JOB DESCRIPTION

Salary: £26,824 - £32,061 (pro rata). Actual starting salary: £23,073.14
Contract type: Permanent
Working pattern: Full Time - Term Time

Closing date: Sunday 18th January 2026, 11.59pm
Interview date: Thursday 29th January 2026

How to apply: Please click 'Apply' at https://careers.arkonline.org/vacancies/1038/lead-teaching-assistant.html  to complete an online application form. Please ensure you complete your application fully. You will be able to pause, save and log back in to complete your application up until the vacancy closes. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early for this role to avoid disappointment. 

For more information about the role, please download the Job Description and Person Specification .

Who to contact if you have a query: HR on ALEHR@arkalexandra.org   

Lead Teaching Assistant
Start date: March 2026
Location: Ark Alexandra Academy, Hastings, East Sussex
Salary: Ark Outside London Support Scale 6, points 8 -19: £25,992 - £31,067 (pro rata)
Actual starting salary: £23,073.14
Hours: 36 hours per week, 39 weeks per year (Term Time Only)
Contract: Permanent
Closing date: 11:59pm on 18 January 2026

The school reserves the right to close this advert early and interviews may take place before the advertised closing date. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early for this role to avoid disappointment.

Would you like to be instrumental in helping remove barriers to student progress and development?

We are looking for a reliable and detail-oriented Lead Teaching Assistant (TA) to join our hard-working Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) team. You will have your own dedicated area and will have access to a range of online training for your role. 

As a Lead Teaching Assistant you will provide specialist support for pupils, parents, TA’s and teachers, to establish a supportive learning environment in which children make excellent academic progress. You will lead a team of TA’s, alongside planning and delivering intervention programmes to address the student needs and to remove barriers to their progress and development. You will be instrumental in our mission to provide every student, regardless of their background, a great education and real choices in life.

We offer health benefits such as Healthcare Cash Plan, Cycle to Work scheme and Employee Assistance Programme or if you prefer retail therapy, staff discounts (online and in-store) via instant vouchers or reloadable gift cards from the Ark Rewards scheme.

As the ideal candidate you will:

Our School:

We are aiming to create one of the top performing schools in the UK right here in Hastings.  

Ark Alexandra Academy is a popular secondary school in Hastings. We operate a ‘One School, Two Campus’ model, which brings with it unique opportunities for career growth and development. The school is on an exciting and rapid journey of improvement which is underpinned by research and best practice. We place primacy on traditional values: discipline, courtesy and respect. Our students are smart and ready to learn and thrive. We are a strict no mobile phone school.   

As part of the Ark network, Ark Alexandra Academy has access to the dedicated support of a highly successful MAT with a well-regarded CPD offer for leaders and teachers at all levels and a developing programme for support staff. In addition, the school is part of the Hastings DfE Education Investment Area giving an increased focus on the region, potential funding, and genuine opportunities for collaboration between schools.

If you’re interested in further information about our school, please visit our website, www.arkalexandra.org  
 

We aim to build a diverse and inclusive organisation where everyone – staff and students – can do their best work and achieve their full potential. We want to reflect and represent diverse perspectives across our organisation because we know that doing so will make us stronger and more effective. To know more about Ark’s diversity and inclusion commitments, please click on the link at the bottom of the advert on the application website.

Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in its academies. In order to meet this responsibility, its academies follow a rigorous selection process to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants. 

Ark requires all employees to undertake an enhanced DBS check. You are required, before appointment, to disclose any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Non-disclosure may lead to termination of employment. However, disclosure of a criminal background will not necessarily debar you from employment - this will depend upon the nature of the offence(s) and when they occurred. To read more about Ark’s safer recruitment process, please click on the link at the bottom of the advert on the application website.

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