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Lunchtime Assistant

Employer
Chailey Heritage Foundation
Location
BN8 4EF, Lewes
Salary
£8.46 to £9.13 per hour
Closing date
11 Jul 2019

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Job Details

Due to an increase in pupil numbers we are currently recruiting for Lunchtime Assistants to join our school.

The Lunchtime Assistant role is vital in helping make a positive difference to children with complext physical disabilities and health needs by assisting with their lunch, personal care and providing stimulating opportunities through a variety of activities. It is hard work, and requires commitment, but it is a hugely fulfilling job and can bring real joy.

The role of a Lunchtime Assistant (LTA)

At Chailey Heritage the lunchtime assistant job is very different to that in a mainstream school.  You will need to be creative, flexible, hardworking, commited, patient, and very observant.  You will be trained by nursesand senior staff to carry out many procedures, including:

  • Eating and drinking – learning how different children can be helped to eat and drink safely.
  • Personal care – ensuring that the children’s hygiene needs are taken care of safely and with dignity.
  • Manual handling – learning to use all sorts of equipment with the children while keeping the children and yourself safe.
  • Safeguarding – you will be trained to understand all aspects of safeguarding, with an emphasis on what this means for children with disabilities.

When you have sufficient experience, you will also be trained in the following:

  • Gastrostomies – learning how to use equipment to be able to feed a child through a tube.
  • Medicines – learning how to administer and ensure that the children you work with receive the correct medicine at the right time.
  • Epilepsy – learning how to safely manage children who have seizures, and what to do in an emergency.

Training and support

For all these duties, and more, you will receive first-class induction and ongoing training from qualified professionals, and you will not be expected to carry them out alone until you have been signed-off as competent. You will be assigned a ‘buddy’ to mentor you and make sure that you are confident in your new role, and you will have a co-ordinator who will set targets for you and support you. There is a team of nurses available to support and advise staff and manage emergencies and if necessary call the on-site Doctor.

What are we looking for?

  • Literacy & Numeracy skills: You will need to be able to read and understand instructions on equipment and medicine bottles, syringes and so on.  You will also be expected to follow and complete a routine/handover sheet.
  • ICT skills: Many of our children rely on technology, for learning, for fun, for speaking and many more things, so you will need to be able to learn to use their technologies. Also we rely on e-mails and using our intranet and the internet to find information.
  • Communication skills: you will need to be able to communicate effectively and appropriately with all sorts of people as well as the children, including: other professionals; parents & families; visitors.
  • Common sense: a lot of what you will do will be following co-ordinators', but once you are competent, you may well be working on your own with a child. We need to be sure that you will be safe and that the input you give to the child will be useful and relevant. There are also many health & safety factors to understand working with our children.
  • Team work: you will be a member of many teams. It is crucial that we work together effectively and efficiently, and this means excellent communication, co-operation and respect for each other.

What we offer

  • Hours of work are 13.75 hours per week (11.30am - 2.15pm), Monday to Friday, term time only (45 weeks per year including holidays).
  • Competitive rates of pay from £8.46 per hour rising to £9.13 per hour.
  • Once trained, lunchtime assistants can also register as bank staff to work on our residential bungalows out of school hours, at weekends and in the holidays, as well as at our holiday clubs, which can enhance basic pay.
  • Employee Benefits - including CHF group pension, onsite parking, café, appreciation awards, gym and staff yoga sessions.

Chailey Heritage Foundation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All posts are subject to enhanced DBS clearance.

Chailey Heritage Foundation is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion for all its young people and staff.

Please Note: Chailey Heritage Foundation requires a fully completed application form from all candidates before an application can be shortlisted by one of our recruiting managers. This application form will be emailed to you following your online application being sent. Unfortunately we are unable to shortlist any candidates without this application form.

Company

Chailey Heritage Foundation is a pioneering charity providing education, care and transition services for children and young people with complex physical disabilities and health needs.

We are recognised as one of the UK’s leading centres for children and young adults with neurological motor impairment such as Cerebral Palsy, and we have a national reputation for our work in supporting young people’s communication and developing independence through powered mobility.

Our aim is to provide a stimulating and inclusive environment where all young people are given every opportunity to make progress towards fulfilment and develop life skills in preparation for adulthood.

Our charity encompasses Chailey Heritage School, Chailey Heritage Residential and Chailey Heritage Futures.

Company info
Website
Telephone
01825 724444
Location
Haywards Heath Road
North Chailey
East Sussex
BN8 4EF
GB

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