Higher Level Support Assistant

Pay/ Salary Range: N6 SCP 20-24 FTE: £31,586 - £34,314

£27,121 - £29,464 actual salary pro-rata (£16.37 - £17.79)

Working Pattern: 37 hours per week, term time + 5 additional training days

Are you seeking a new and rewarding challenge?

Gilbert Ward Academy, part of Prosper Learning Trust, is delighted to announce an exciting opportunity for a Higher-Level Support Assistant to join our team from September 2025.

As a purpose-built, state-of-the-art special free school that opened its doors in September 2023, we are dedicated to providing exceptional education for pupils aged 11-16 with Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs.

Some of the duties you will participate in include:

• Supporting and assisting teachers as part of a professional team
• Contributing to raising standards of pupils’ achievement
• Undertaking a range of teaching and learning activities under the professional direction and supervision of a qualified teacher

Located on Princess Louise Road in Blyth, Northumberland, our academy serves as a beacon of hope and opportunity for our pupils and their families. Since our official opening in September 2023, we have remained dedicated to delivering a personalised, high-quality education that extends beyond academic success. We focus on the holistic development of each child, ensuring they are equipped with the knowledge, skills, confidence, and resilience necessary to thrive in all aspects of life.

Our academy currently serves 60 pupils and is set to expand to a capacity of 80 pupils in September 2025. These roles offer a unique opportunity to contribute to the academy’s growth, delivering high-quality support that inspires our pupils to reach their full potential.

The successful candidate will:

• Have a NVQ Level 3 in Teaching Assistant or equivalent or working towards
• Possess a Higher Level Teaching Assistant Status or working towards
• Be able to demonstrate professional competencies within the HLTA standards
• Have experience of working with children of the relevant age in a learning environment
• Be a supportive and co-operative team member with a flexible approach
• Have excellent communication and inter-personal skills

At Gilbert Ward Academy we offer 3 pathways in school. Our formal pathway captures the greatest percentage of our cohort, consisting of discrete teaching in subject specific lessons. Our alternative pathway is targeted towards our more hard-to-reach pupils who require a more diverse offer. This pathway approach consists of work-based placements as motivators and skill builders catered to pupil aspirations, combined with reduced in-school placements addressing core academic needs. Our semi-formal pathway is for our pupils who display higher anxiety needs and significant social and emotional needs. This pathway has a relationship approach using consistent core staffing to allow for strong and robust pupil staff relationships. This uses a highly structured provision, with discrete learning opportunities alongside a focus of social and emotional learning.

As a Higher Level Support Assistant, you will plan and deliver lessons across the school to cover teacher PPA time, while also leading targeted group and individual pupil interventions.

We Can Offer:

• A supportive and experienced team of staff who share expertise across the trust.
• Exceptional facilities designed to meet the needs of SEMH learners.
• Comprehensive professional development opportunities.
• The chance to make a significant impact on a growing academy and its pupils.

Visits to the school are encouraged to share our vision and discuss the roles. To arrange a visit or request a confidential conversation, please email admin@gilbertwardacademy.co.uk

To learn more about Gilbert Ward Academy and Prosper Learning Trust, please visit the websites.

Prosper Learning Trust was established in January 2018 to help vulnerable young people succeed against the odds. Four core values underpin everything we do as a Trust, these are Aspiration, Integrity, Resilience and Kindness. We are looking for staff who share those values and want to support our young people.

The Trust currently have 5 schools in the region: 

• Newcastle Bridges School – Alternative Provision academy offering education to pupils unable to access mainstream school due to medical needs including hospitalised children and young people (3-19 years) 
• Mary Astell Academy – Alternative Provision academy offering education to permanently excluded pupils and pupils who are struggling in mainstream school (11-16 years) 
• Thomas Bewick Special School – Special School academy for pupils with a diagnosis of autism (3-19 years) 
• Harry Watts Academy – Special School academy for pupils with a diagnosis of autism (5-16 years) 
• Gilbert Ward Academy – Special School academy for pupils with SEMH or a diagnosis of autism (11-16 years) 

Prosper Learning Trust was also recently named as the lead partner in the opening of a new Free School in Jarrow, South Tyneside. This school will be a Special School academy for pupils with SEMH (4-11 years).

The successful candidate will be deployed initially at Gilbert Ward Academy but will be expected to work at any Prosper Learning Trust site should the need arise.

Benefits of working for Prosper Learning Trust

The Trust is proud to say that we match the Real Living Wage and we also offer successful candidates:

• A friendly and supportive team of staff who are willing to share expertise and learn from one another 
• Opportunities for career development and support with development through Trust wide Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes 
• Access to an Employee Assistance Programme and support from the Trust's Wellbeing Network Group 
• Access to either Teacher's Pension or Local Government Pension Scheme, each with favourable employer contribution rates. 
• Employee centred policies that support you in and beyond the workplace 
• Funded eye tests for DSE users (subject to T/Cs) 
• Cycle to work scheme 

The successful candidate will be welcomed into the Trust. If this job sounds like you, don’t hesitate to apply.



For more information on why we think you should work for us see our Trust website, where you will also find videos of what our current staff think. 

Please note that all successful candidates will be required to complete an online pre-employment medical questionnaire.