Midday Supervisory Assistant (MDSA)

Overview

We are seeking an enthusiastic and highly motivated person with a warm personality, to join the very friendly and supportive team at our all-age special school, for pupils with Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD) or Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD), including Autism (ASD). We have 86 children on roll.

Midday Supervisory Assistants (MDSAs) work as part of the class team under the direction of Class Teachers and may be required to work with pupils of any age and ability.

Personal attributes

You may have skills already, or be keen to develop skills, in working with pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), including complex medical and health needs, and Autism.

You will have:

a flexible attitude
a positive approach
strong communication skills
enthusiasm about supporting pupils to develop their skills in:
- eating
- socialising
- playing
- communication (verbal and non-verbal, as appropriate)
enthusiasm to develop your own skills to use the school's strategies to support all pupils appropriately
the ability to work co-operatively and to develop positive relationships
patience
the ability to stay calm in challenging situations
emotional and physical resilience
a sense of humour

Salary

Pay Scale and Points: Grade 1, Point 2

Salary: £12.26 per hour

Contract Type and Working Hours

Required from: As soon as possible

Contract type:

Permanent (subject to a six-month probationary period).

Contracted working hours:

6 hours 40 minutes per week, 38 weeks per year, term time only.

This is broken down as 1 hour 20 minutes each day (12:00 – 13:20) Monday to Friday.

Additional hours:

You will be required to attend some statutory training sessions and/or meetings after school and on P.D. Days; for these occasions you would claim additional hours.

MDSAs will also be given a Relief Learning Support Assistant contract (casual/zero-hours contract), as they may have the opportunity to work additional hours on an ad hoc basis.

Location

Hillside Special School
Hitchcock Place
Sudbury
Suffolk
CO10 1NN

Job Description and Application Form

Closing date and how to apply

Closing Date: Friday 10th January 2025 at 10:00am

Interview Date: Friday 17th January 2025 (for the morning and duration of lunch)

We actively encourage applicants to see our school in action before applying for vacancies. If this post is of interest to you and you would like to know more, please contact us via email to admin@hillside.suffolk.sch.uk including your full name and 'MDSA vacancy' in the subject line and we will be pleased to arrange a mutually convenient time for you to visit.

If you think you have the qualities to fulfil this role and you want to make a real contribution to our school, we would welcome an application from you. Please send your completed application form to admin@hillside.suffolk.sch.uk or in the post to Mrs. Lizzi Murphy, Headteacher, Hillside Special School, Hitchcock Place, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 1NN.

All applications must be made on an official application form. CVs cannot be accepted.

Job reference: MDSA Dec24

Hillside Special is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and we expect all staff to share this commitment. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020. It is also subject to a satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and children’s barred list check. Our commitment to safeguarding is underpinned by robust processes and checks which are in place across the school.

We expect all candidates to have read the following two documents:

No recruitment agencies, thank you.