Resident Graduate and Teaching Assistant

We are seeking an enthusiastic, dedicated and patient graduate to work within our boarding community and Student Support Department at Cobham Hall. Our Resident Graduate and Teaching Assistant helps in both the boarding and day to day academic support of our male and female students ensuring that students have a secure and supportive ‘home from home’ during term time. This is a residential role and accommodation is provided in our Boarding House. Suitable training and ongoing support will be provided which is vital in the early days of the role.
From waking up students in the morning until the lights go out at night, each day is completely different. This makes the role of Resident Graduate and Teaching Assistant a challenging but hugely fulfilling one.

The Resident Graduate and Teaching Assistant is expected:

Pastoral Care

• To contribute to the induction arrangements for new students joining the House; to ensure that any “settling in” problems are resolved.
• To provide a sympathetic presence in the House and to be sensitive to those who are having difficulties coping with School life; to liaise closely with other relevant staff concerning the progress and welfare of students.
• To be responsible for the care, supervision, cleanliness and presentation of students in the House, co- ordinating and liaising with other Boarding staff as necessary.
• To comply with the Boarding National Minimum Standards and make the familiarisation of these apriority, such as registering students regularly as directed and more often, if necessary, to ensure that every student’s whereabouts is known at any time.
• To be aware of the School uniform and clothing requirements of students, and to ensure that they have all the items they require; to be responsible for the good standard of clothing of students, arranging for clothing to be sent to and return from the Laundry.
• To ensure that the individual circumstances, needs, strengths and weaknesses of each student are identified and known, so that individual opportunities, talents and potential are developed and maximised.
• To implement supervision; to ensure the safety and security (including emotional) of all students at all times when they are in the School’s charge (including meal times, Prep time, weekends and on expeditions and outings).
• To liaise with the School Nurse to ensure that students’ medical requirements are properly catered for; to encourage students to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
• To monitor and support the mental health needs of boarders.
• To ensure that students’ clothes and personal belongings are used appropriately and stored securely and tidily; to ensure that students treat the belongings of others, and the fabric and furnishings of the House, with respect.
• To develop, in the students, a collective responsibility to be aware of the difficulties or problems of others, and to offer such support and help for each other as is appropriate.
• To ensure that students make use of the full and varied programme of extra-curricular activities available and students are appropriately occupied, especially at weekends. To help produce a parents ‘newsletter every half term for the website. To regularly post appropriate boarding content on the Boarding Twitter account.
• To be aware of the academic strengths and weaknesses of students; to liaise with Group Tutors to ensure that relevant background circumstances of students are known and discussed; to ensure that the conditions and supervision in evening Prep are conducive to effective academic progress.
• To counsel students at a time and place which is conducive to good communication, concerning an emotional, academic, social or behavioural problem they may have; to fulfil the requirements of the School’s policy on Safeguarding.
• To take part in appropriate emergency staff cover arrangements for other staff if needed, with a flexible approach. To escort students, as required, to emergency appointments.
• To attend Boarding Staff meetings and any other meetings relevant to the role as required.
• To support the School’s Behaviour and Discipline Policy and, by encouragement and reward and by clearly understood and fair system of sanctions, foster an acceptance of the Code of Conduct of the House and School, to inform the Head of any cases of bullying, substance misuse or sexual misconduct.
• At the end of the holidays (especially if the House has been used for holiday lettings), to supervise the preparation of bedrooms; to carry out a check on furnishings to ensure that all are in good order, repairs carried out, and that bedrooms are clean and presentable.
• At the end of term, to help with the clearing up and cleaning of the House.
• To take part in such performance management or staff review arrangements made by the School.
• To get involved with the life of the School, such as by attending assembly when on duty and to be willing to support and champion boarders such as in their matches, or evening events or performances.

Academic Support

• To support the learning of students who have specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia and are on the autistic spectrum within a structured teaching situation or individually as required
• To assist in promoting the learning and personal development students to whom you are assigned and be a positive advocate and role model
• To be aware of lesson objectives and to assist students in making progress towards these
• To be passionate about supporting students with additional learning needs and to attend training on specific learning difficulties and autism as directed by the Head of Student Support
• To engage in a discourse with teaching staff about planning, and to assist in the preparation and development of resources
• To be familiar with students’ SSD profiles and to use this knowledge to inform support of students
• To monitor students’ progress and achievement, bringing issues of concern to the attention of the appropriate members of staff
• To maintain records of intervention where appropriate and to make them available for inspection upon request by the Head of Student Support or another member of senior staff
• To contribute to being CReSTed Inspection ready as directed by the Head of Student Support
• To work with students as directed to maintain personal confidence, promote positive behaviour and encourage independence
• To supervise students where required, to ensure their health and safety
• To support SSD students in their entitlement to examination concessions in internal and external examinations
• To participate in relevant staff development alongside those related to SSD students
• To undertake from time to time such work as may reasonably be determined by the Head of Student Support with regards to students

This job description contains an outline of the typical functions of the job and is not an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all possible job responsibilities, tasks, and duties. Therefore, it is expected that the Resident Graduate and Teaching Assistant will perform any other key tasks which the Head or other member of the Leadership Team may reasonably assign.

Why choose Cobham Hall?

Cobham Hall is housed in a beautiful Grade 1 listed Tudor mansion built in 1584 and was at one stage home to the Ashes of cricketing folklore. The School is otherwise set in 150 acres of tranquil 18th Century park landscape in the pretty village of Cobham in Kent.

The School is within half an hour of central London via the High Speed train service from Ebbsfleet International to London St Pancras and within an hour of the Channel ports of Dover and Folkestone by car.

Cobham Hall was founded in 1962 and is a single sex Boarding and Day school for girls aged 11 to 16 and Co-ed in the Sixth Form. It is a member of the Round Square network of schools and indeed when it became a member back in 1971 was, at the time, the first all-girls’ school to join the network.