Learning Support Assistant

Main Responsibilities

Learning Support Assistant

G4S Care and Rehabilitation Services

Oakhill Secure Training Centre, Milton Keynes, MK5 6AJ

Salary range £23,022.61 - £25,427.78 per annum

Permanent - Full Time (40 hours per week)

Benefits: Company Pension, free on-site parking, uniform, on-site canteen, access to High Street Shop discounts and ongoing training and development

About Us

G4S Oakhill Secure Training Centre (STC) cares for children aged 12 to 18 years old who have been remanded or sentenced to periods of detention.  The children in our care can be vulnerable and challenging, with a wide range of complex social and emotional needs. This is an environment that calls for high standards of social care and service delivery to provide a secure and stable environment for children to develop their life skills and address their previous behaviours.  We aim to support change and learning.

We strive to help every child feel safe, giving them an opportunity to heal from trauma and feel supported in developing a more positive identity.  We ensure our children have equal access and opportunity for change and are celebrated for their strengths.  We want the children in our care to leave better equipped for life emotionally, mentally, physically, and socially.  We aim to support the constructive resettlement and transition of our children, whether returning to the community or moving to other custodial settings.  We are committed to working in partnership with them and their families, significant others and wider community organisations, to develop a quality regime at the centre.

About the Role

We are now expanding our Education team and we are looking for a Learning Support Assistant to support, guide and deliver individualised support strategies for our pupils in education to ensure that we break down any barriers to learning that they may have.

As a Learning Support Assistant you will play an integral part of a child’s learning at Oakhill Secure Training Centre to assist with the delivery of aspiring educational outcomes.

Oakhill STC is a fast paced, complex and challenging environment and as such the successful candidate needs to be resilient, innovative, passionate and work collaboratively with other professionals in a modern Educational setting.  Together, as a team, we will empower children to take ownership of their own learning journeys and it is our hope that they will go on to make decisions and life choices that will lead to increasingly positive and productive lives.

Not only will you be a Learning Support Assistant, but a mentor to young lives who will develop transparent and collaborative ways of working to engender openness, trust and inclusion with the children. The regime at the centre needs to balance safety, safeguarding, health, wellbeing and learning and development opportunities for the children.

This is an opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of children. You will motivate, inspire and lead them to success, despite the significant challenges of a complex environment, but also give them hope for the future via Education and Learning.

Key Responsibilities:

• Assist Teachers in the planning and delivery of lessons so that young people’s needs are met
• Assist and support young people to overcome their barriers to learning and create positive educational opportunities.
• Build and maintain professional working relationships with young people in order for them to respond appropriately to information and guidance.
• To support our pupils to develop and become independent learners. 
• Promote high standards of behaviour and attitude to assist in creating a positive learning environment that allows pupils to maximize their opportunities.
• Create, review, and manage individual learning plans as well as record the learning support figures on a daily basis as part of our KPI data.
• Assist in the promotion of creating a positive Health & Safety culture across the site leading by example, this includes reporting accidents and near misses in a timely manner & follow the applicable safe systems of work for the role.
• The duties and responsibilities listed within this job description are not exhaustive and the job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary from time to time.

The Ideal Candidate

About You

To succeed in this role, you will need to be a dynamic and engaging individual, with a passion  for helping, mentoring, and supporting at the heart of everything you do. The role will require you to promote a child centred approach which prioritises both the safeguarding of the children’s welfare and wellbeing as well as ensuring that a stable and secure environment is provided for all the children and employees at the Centre.

You should be able to demonstrate the following:

• A good standard of education which will include Grade 4 in English and Maths
• An enthusiastic and positive about improving learning opportunities for young people
• Ability to use Google software including Google docs, sheets and slides

You will play a part in the rehabilitation of a child’s future journey and life choices. We are looking for a highly motivated, caring and determined individual, with the ability to be resilient, confident with a tenacious can-do attitude, have the ability to embrace complexity and be a part of a busy, supportive and fast paced team.

At G4S, we invest heavily in our people.  If you join us you will have a job specific induction programme to equip you with the skills and knowledge for the job. As well as ongoing support and development opportunities we offer generous holiday entitlement, company pension, an onsite gym, free onsite parking and the chance to do an extraordinary job – every day.

For more information on Oakhill Secure Training Centre please visit, https://oakhillstc.co.uk/

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is an important part of G4S Care and Rehabilitation Services and we actively encourage applications from a diverse range of backgrounds.

This role is subject to a checkable history and the strict vetting standards set by G4S and the Youth Custody Services and are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. You must be eligible to work in the UK and must have been resident in the UK for a minimum period of 5 years. You will also need to provide full details of your employment and education history as part of the security screening process for this role.

It is every employee’s responsibility to promote and safeguard the welfare of the children in our care; as such all employees are required to hold a current Enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Scheme) Certificate.