Job Description

We would like to appoint a Learning Support Assistant to work with a pupil who has Special Educational Needs. The role would be predominantly in a Year 4 class, supporting an individual pupil who has an EHCP, with Social Emotional and Mental Health needs. The role is available on a fixed term contract, until the pupil leaves the school at the end of Year 6.

The hours are from Monday to Friday for a total of 30 hours and 50 minutes per week from 08.40-15.10 (minus 30 mins lunch break).

The successful candidate will be calm, confident and patient. They will have good communication skills and a commitment to building a strong relationship with this Year 4 pupil, in order to support them in accessing the full primary curriculum.

We are a welcoming and friendly school with a great staff and children. We have a positive ethos and a strong community feeling that make St Mary's a really lovely place to come to work. The school is committed to providing appropriate training and support for the successful candidate.

We warmly welcome visits by prior arrangement.Please contact our Office Manager, Kerry Baker, to arrange a visit.

We have given a start date which is soon after the interview date, but we would be prepared to wait for a suitable candidate to work through any required notice period.

Information about the School

We are a one-form entry primary school in Burnham-on-Crouch with 237 pupils currently on role. We are fortunate to have attractive and very spacious grounds, with a good sized playground, spiritual garden, large field, a forest school area and our own swimming pool. We are well resourced and our children appreciate and care for their school.

At St Mary’s, we are proud to be a Church School and our close links with the St Mary’s Church and the church community help to strengthen and enrich our Christian Vision, ‘to aspire, believe, belong and achieve, guided by the love of God’. The first letters of these words spell the word ABBA. Importantly for us, this is the Biblical word meaning ‘Father’ and reflects our school’s Christian distinctiveness.

Our vision is woven through all aspects of school life and is evident in the curriculum, worship and day to day activities of St Mary’s School. Our Christian Vision has always been a strength of the school and our community is shaped and underpinned by it in every way.

Our parents/carers are supportive and keen to participate in school life. We are fortunate to have an active Parents' Teachers' and Friends' Association which helps us in many ways, including fundraising for the school. Ofsted 2022 noted that, "Parents are appreciative of the commitment from staff and leaders. As a result, a number of parents commented positively on the support their children had received."

We follow an exciting curriculum, which uses a cross curricular approach where appropriate. We are extremely proud to have been re-accredited with the full International School Award in 2023, which greatly enriches life at St. Mary's and our participation in a range of international projects and activities is an integral aspect of school life.

We prioritise the well-being of pupils and staff. Our exciting OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) initiative has improved the quality of our lunchtime provision, meaning that our pupils return to classrooms in the afternoon happy and ready to learn.

Our pupils achieve well; in 2025, we were delighted with our statutory assessment results.

We are very proud of our school, our pupils and our strong, successful team.