About Us 

Ochil Tower School is a thriving educational and residential community, where 27 children and young people, aged 8-21, with special and complex additional support needs live, learn and grow together.

The aim is always to create a beautiful and calm experience. Ochil Tower School is set in seven acres of stunning Perthshire countryside. This enables its children and young adults to feel more relaxed and better able to forge relationships with peers and staff. They are then more able to build self-esteem, confidence, and their capacity for resilience.

The School provides excellent care and education and is not short on ambition. In October 2018, it opened a new Life Skills Centre. This facility is for young adults aged 18 – 21 and is designed to help them so that they are better prepared for the challenges of living an independent adult life by developing their skills in learning, life, and work. OTS has also been focussed on extending the residential provision to 52 weeks. The Board of Trustees have a commitment to further enhancing and developing the opportunities for the young people, the residential houses, and their plans to build new educational facilities for the school.

In response to the pupils' high social and educational needs, the school focuses on creating imaginative and flexible approaches to develop self esteem, confidence and an interest in broad learning and educational aims. This is facilitated by a flexible social pedagogical approach which combines care and education as mutually affecting arenas of lifelong learning. It is the task of the educator to recognise and build on the individual strengths of each young person and use their interests to help them engage in their learning. We are a Camphill community which incorporates the ethos of Waldorf education and Camphill values into our 24h curriculum which is based on the Curriculum for Excellence. 

The Role 

We are looking to recruit a Class Assistant who will support pupils in the classroom setting to achieve learning aims and care and provide support to the teacher out with class hours in relation to documentation, creating learning resources and setting up course work. The post also includes support in the houses during breaks, lunch and rest hour when needed and agreed by the teacher. The post holder will also be required to meet and address challenging behaviour and will encourage the pupils to engage in a meaningful and structured daily routine. 

We are seeking a motivated and committed individual who has a view that ‘work is more than just a job’ and has a genuine interest in young people, being willing to work through difficult times with them. 

You should be caring, nurturing and empathic, with an ability to support young people to feel safe and secure. You will need to be flexible, tolerant and understanding, being able to treat young people as individuals.

You will be honest and trustworthy, know how to set limits and boundaries whilst being able to recognise your own limits and when to ask for help. You will be able to be part of a team, to be supportive of others and cooperative with all members of the class and house community. 

Qualities needed for the position

This post also will require the individual to have good levels of resilience, have a positive outlook and self-concept; be optimistic; pro-social, have stamina and endurance to be appropriately assertive, be able to handle pressure,set limits and boundaries and able to know their own limits and ask for help or respite and is willing to be emotionally involved but also to step back when appropriate. We are looking for someone who is honest, trustworthy, fair, consistent, likes young people and is genuinely interested in them. 

Qualifications

A qualification of SVQ 3 Social Services (Children and Young People) at SCQF Level 7 plus HNC Social Care is preferable and or Certificate as a Classroom Assistant ( there are also a variety of alternative qualifications accepted by SSSC. Please go to their web-site to check) .

Suitable candidates will be accepted without qualification if there is a commitment to work towards it. Ochil Tower School will facilitate and pay for this. 

Registration

If not already registered with the SSSC (Scottish Social Services Council) this must take place within 6 months of commencing work. Financial and practical assistance is provided to achieve this. Compliance with all Codes of Practice as stated in SSSC guidelines is expected at all times. 

Anyone with a GTCS Registration is not required to do so, however has to continue to uphold their registration through engagement with the GTCS standards and take part in an annual PRD with the Head of Education as stated in our Professional Update and Professional Review & Development Policy. 

This post requires PVG membership in relation to working with children/adults 

The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 ( Exclusions and Exceptions) ( Scotland) Order 2013 applies to this post. 

Experience 

Six months experience of Class assistance/support work with young people with Additional Support Needs

What we Offer

• 8 hours shifts Monday to Thursday, 6 hours Friday
• 7 weeks annual leave, 6 further weeks not required to work
• Enhanced sick pay
• Enhanced maternity pay
• Employee assistance program
• Cycle to work scheme
• Opportunity to develop professional skills and knowledge
• Workplace pension scheme

If you need further information about this vacancy please contact Miriam Puccianti (Head of Education) on miriam.puccianti@ochiltowerschool.org