Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship - Closing date: 9:00am Monday 2nd March 2026
Employer: Derby Diocesan Academy Trust
Location: Arboretum Primary School
Salary: National Apprenticeship Wage – currently £7.55 for the first year, then National Minimum Wage / National Living Wage for age for second year
Contract type: Fixed term for the duration of the apprenticeship (15 – 18 months)
Hours: 35 hrs per week (Mon,Tue, Thur, Fri 8.30am to 3.45pm, Weds 8.30am to 5.00pm)
Working pattern: 39 weeks per year (term time + 5 Inset days)
Start date: April 2026
Closing date: 9:00am Monday 2nd March 2026
Interview: Thursday 12th March 2026
We are offering a fantastic opportunity for the right candidate to gain a Level 3 Teaching Assistant qualification whilst working as a member of our happy, dedicated and hard-working Teaching Assistant team. They will perform a range of duties to support the class teacher, and deliver planned activities to groups and individual children, under the guidance of the teacher to develop their skills, whilst learning the theory underpinning this.
The successful candidate will have experience of supporting children in a classroom setting, and will ideally have experience of working with children with special educational needs or disabilities. You will be able to demonstrate resilience and calm in stressful situations, focussing on solutions with patience, kindness and empathy.
Apprenticeship training will be provided by the Best Practice Network. On successful completion of the apprenticeship, the apprentice will be awarded with a Level 3 Teaching Assistant qualification. Please note that this qualification requires GCSE in Maths and English (Grade C or equivalent); if the apprentice does not have this, they will need to study for and achieve Level 2 English and Maths whilst completing the apprenticeship.
In addition, we can offer you:
- Children who are rewarding to teach, eager to learn and who thrive on success, nurture and positive relationships
- A friendly, welcoming and supportive community who are immensely proud of their school;
- A commitment to continued professional development;
- A friendly working environment which supports and enhances our vision and ethos;
- Employee Assistance Programme
We are a large 625 place primary (which includes 32 children in our 2 year old unit and 60 in our 3 year old nursery), with a rich, ethnic mix of delightful and well-behaved children. We have a modern school that sits in large attractive grounds. We pride ourselves on our caring ethos and the value we place in our dedicated and friendly staff teams. We are a popular school, and have a waiting list for most year groups.
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, completion of a probationary period, 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).
Please note that all candidates must have a right to work in the UK in order to be able to work at our Trust. Unfortunately we are unable to offer sponsorship for international job applicants.
We warmly invite prospective candidates to visit the school to find out more about us and the role. To register your interest, call the school office on (01332) 291140 or email jobs@arboretum.derby.sch.uk .
For more information about the roles, please see the documents below.
Please complete both the DDAT Support Staff application form and the Monitoring form. Applications should be emailed to jobs@arboretum.derby.sch.uk or posted to the school address. Please note that the correct forms must be completed, and CVs or other methods of application will not be accepted; we will not consider CVs as part of the shortlisting process.
Applications should be emailed to jobs@arboretum.derby.sch.uk