23 Jul Teaching Assistant (Level 1) – Outdoor Learning
Age Range: 2 – 7 years
NOR: 120 plus 52 FS1 (morning and afternoon)
Start date: September 2025
Contract: Fixed Term
Grade: C, Pay Point 5 – 6 (£24,790 – £25,183 FTE)
Working Weeks: 39 weeks per year (38 weeks term time plus 1 week INSETs)
Hours per week: 31 hours 20 minutes
Working pattern: 9:00am – 3:00pm (Monday, Wednesday & Thursday) and 9:00am – 4:00pm (Tuesday and Friday)
Job outline
An exciting opportunity has arisen for Governors to appoint a caring, experienced and passionate Outdoor Learning Teaching Assistant to join our welcoming and friendly school family at St Chad’s CofE Nursery and Infant School. This is a unique and rewarding role for someone who believes in the power of nature to support children’s regulation, wellbeing and love of learning.
We are seeking a nurturing and committed individual who is passionate about supporting children’s social, emotional and mental health through our school’s Nurture through Nature programme. This role involves working outdoors with small groups of children and supporting individual children on a 1:1 basis.
We believe in the transformative power of outdoor learning to help children feel calm, connected and curious. Our approach is grounded in relational practice and celebrates each child’s uniqueness and potential. Many of our children benefit from regular movement and nature-based experiences that help them feel regulated and ready to learn.
This role is suited to someone who:
- Has experience working in a school environment supporting children’s social, emotional and mental health needs.
- Is passionate about outdoor learning and understands its impact on children’s wellbeing and development.
- Can build warm, trusting relationships with children through a child-centred, relational approach.
- Is calm, patient, and able to support children who may struggle with regulation or behaviour.
- Is confident to work outdoors in all weathers and can create engaging outdoor learning opportunities.
- Is a positive and proactive team player who will contribute to our school community with kindness and flexibility.
St Chad’s is a small school with a big heart. Our inclusive Christian vision of love, friendship, compassion and respect runs through everything we do. We are a relational and nurturing school, committed to helping every child flourish—emotionally, socially and academically. We value outdoor learning as an essential part of our curriculum and children’s development.
At St Chad’s, we can offer you:
- Wonderful children who will fill your heart with joy every single day
- A spacious and well-resourced outdoor environment, including a Forest School area
- Ongoing training and development, including outdoor learning approaches and emotional regulation support
- A calm and family-orientated school culture
- A leadership team who will support and champion your role
We are a proud member of the Derby Diocesan Academy Trust (DDAT) and benefit from shared expertise, collaboration and professional development across the trust.
Visits to the school are warmly encouraged. Please contact our school office (during term time) on 01332 345997 or email admin@stchads.derby.sch.uk to arrange a visit.
We welcome applications from those who would like to work full time or from two exceptional candidates seeking a part-time job share. Please indicate your preference on the application form.
Please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of the role.
The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share in this. The successful candidate will therefore require an enhanced DBS clearance.
Application information
To apply for this position, please complete both the DDAT Application Form and the Monitoring Form. Applications should be emailed to SEND@stchads.derby.sch.uk . Please note that the correct forms must be completed and CVs or other methods of application will not be accepted.
Closing date for applications: 9th September 2025
We reserve the right to close the advertisement early and application forms received after the closing date may not be accepted.
Interviews scheduled to take place on: Week commencing 15th September 2025
Due to limited staffing, unfortunately, if you do not hear from us by 15 September 2025, then you will not have been shortlisted for interview. We take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in this post and wish you all the best!
DDAT welcomes a diverse population of both children and staff and is committed to promoting and developing equality of opportunity in all its functions.
DDAT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All appointments are subject to satisfactory references, online checks, pre-employment and Disclosure Barring Service checks. The possession of a criminal record will not necessarily prevent an applicant from obtaining this post, as all cases are judged individually according to the nature of the role and information provided.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare any cautions, convictions, reprimands and final warnings that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013 and 2020).
