Higher Level Teaching Assistant - Chellow Heights Special School
Kirklees CouncilThe Breakroom Take
- People enjoy this job
- Recommended by parents
- Respectful managers
- Proper training
- Proper breaks
About Kirklees Council
Kirklees Council is a local authority. They oversee local services.
Job description from Kirklees Council
Do you have a passion for working with children and want to help make a difference to their lives?
Come and join the team at Chellow Heights.
We are recruiting a Higher Teaching Assistant to join our expanding team, working in small classes of pupils in a special school setting. You will have experience working with children with a range of special needs and be an outstanding practitioner with passion and commitment to making a difference. The successful candidate will support pupils in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 and will complement, appreciate and support the role of teachers and other professionals by undertaking work/care/support programmes which enables access to learning in the community as part of a teacher planned approach. You will take responsibility for the implementation of learning activities/work programmes under an agreed system of supervision with individuals/groups, in or out of the learning environment. This will include assisting the teacher in the whole planning cycle and the management/preparation of tasks/resources. You will work as part of a team of specialist staff to contribute to the effective and efficient teaching and learning of pupils with additional needs.
About Chellow Heights
Chellow Heights school is a large special school which is located on two separate sites. Both sites offer exceptional learning environments for our pupils which enhance their learning and quality of life experiences. These include an outstanding outdoor provision, multi-sensory rooms, soft play, food technology rooms and our 'engine' rooms which are used to support our pupils with their sensory processing.
Our West Site is the larger provision and in addition to the resources highlighted above, also boasts a multi-sensory hydrotherapy pool, rebound therapy room, music therapy room and jungle gym (soft play room).
Our South Site is a much smaller provision in terms of the size of building yet capitalises brilliantly on the large outdoor space available.
Our mission statement ' Enjoy, achieve, excel, excite, one vision, one community, new heights 'encapsulates our purpose. We believe that children learn best when they are having fun and enjoy what they do. Although located on two separate sites (South & West), we are very much one community with one vision to provide a personalised education to our pupils.
To apply, go to Chellow Heights Special School - Vacancies
Chellow Heights is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and we expect all staff to share this commitment. All successful staff will be requested to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service Check and where applicable a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants as part of our overall vetting checks.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974. The amendments to the ROA 1974 (Exceptions Order 1975, (amended 2013 and 2020)) provides that when applying for certain jobs, certain spent convictions and cautions are protected and they do not need to be disclosed to employers. If they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Guidance about whether a conviction or caution should be disclosed can be found on the Ministry of Justice website and further information about filtering offences can be found in DBS filtering guide.

Job insights from Breakroom
Teaching assistants
Teaching assistants support teachers and help children with their educational needs
What you’ll do as a teaching assistant:
- Support teachers in the classroom
- Support children with their educational needs
- Be responsible for the health and safety of children
- Listen, support and teach children
Is it right for you?
This job may involve:
- Standing
- Sitting
- Physical activities
- Using a computer
- Emotionally demanding duties
What employees say
Pay
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Needs improving
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Most people aren’t paid a living wage
Do Kirklees Council pay teaching assistants enough to live on?
Most people are not paid a living wage.
How we know this
68% of people say they are paid below the Real Living Wage for where they live.Based on data from 19 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between March 2023 and March 2025.
Why this matters
Everyone should be paid enough to live on.
The Real Living Wage is a voluntary rate employers can sign up to that is based on the real cost of living.
The current rates are ÂŁ12.60 per hour, and ÂŁ13.85 per hour in London.
Find out more in our explainer about the Real Living Wage.
Okay
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Only some people are paid market rates
Do Kirklees Council pay teaching assistants market rates?
Only some people are paid above average for their job.
How we know this
43% of people are paid below average for the type of work they do.Based on data from 21 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between March 2023 and March 2025.
Why this matters
Pay can vary a lot between types of job. Employers should be ensuring that the rates their staff are paid are in line with similar roles elsewhere.
Needs improving
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Most people don’t get paid breaks
Do teaching assistants at Kirklees Council get paid breaks?
No. Most people don’t get paid breaks.
How we know this
94% of people say they don’t get paid breaks.Based on data from 17 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between March 2023 and March 2025.
Why this matters
A good job should have paid breaks.
You should be paid for all your time at work, whether you’re on a break or not.
Good
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Most people get sick pay
Do Kirklees Council pay teaching assistants sick pay?
Yes. Most people get proper sick pay.
How we know this
75% of people say they would get paid if they were sick but scheduled to work.Based on data from 16 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between March 2023 and March 2025.
Why this matters
Everyone gets sick sometimes. You should be able to take time off without worrying.
At a good job you should still get paid if you’re scheduled to work but can’t due to sickness. Your contract should say how many sick days you can take each year.
This is more than the legal minimum, which says you should only get paid if you are unwell for 4 full days. See Citizens Advice for more details.
Hours and flexibility
-
Needs improving
-
Hard to book holiday
How easy is it for teaching assistants to book a holiday at Kirklees Council?
Most people find it hard to book holiday.
How we know this
83% of people report it’s hard to book holidays.Based on data from 18 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between July 2023 and March 2025.
Why this matters
A good job should let you take time off when you need it, and it shouldn’t be a nightmare to arrange.
Okay
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Some people find it hard to take sick leave
How easy is it for teaching assistants to take sick leave at Kirklees Council?
Some people find it hard to take sick leave.
How we know this
35% of people report that it’s hard to take time off if they are sick.Based on data from 17 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and March 2025.
Why this matters
Everyone gets sick sometimes. You should be able to take time off when you need to.
A good job should support you when you’re unwell and have systems in place that will allow you to take time off to recover when you need it.
Good
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Most parents say it’s good
Is working as teaching assistants at Kirklees Council good if you have caring responsibilities?
Most parents and carers say this is a good place to work.
How we know this
100% of people who care for a child or other relative report this is a good place to work.Based on data from 11 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between March 2023 and March 2025.
Why this matters
Whether it’s looking after children or caring for a relative, a good job should support your responsibilities outside of work.
Workplace
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Good
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Most people feel treated with respect
Do teaching assistants at Kirklees Council feel treated with respect by their managers?
Most people feel treated with respect by their managers.
How we know this
74% of people say they’re treated with respect by their managers.Based on data from 19 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and March 2025.
Why this matters
Everyone should get treated with respect by their managers. You shouldn’t feel discriminated against or bullied, and if you have a problem you should be able to speak to someone about it.
Good
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Most people get proper breaks
Do teaching assistants at Kirklees Council get proper breaks?
Most people get proper breaks.
How we know this
71% of people report that they get to take proper breaks.Based on data from 17 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between March 2023 and March 2025.
Why this matters
When you take a break it should be a proper rest. It should last the full duration and you shouldn’t get pulled off it.
Needs improving
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Most people are stressed
Is it stressful for teaching assistants to work at Kirklees Council?
Most people feel stressed here.
How we know this
84% of people say they often feel stressed at work.Based on data from 19 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between March 2023 and March 2025.
Why this matters
Work isn’t always easy, but if you’re frequently feel stressed, that’s not good.
Your employer should support you with enough people and resources to get your job done without feeling overwhelmed.
Okay
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Only some people enjoy their job
Do teaching assistants at Kirklees Council enjoy their jobs?
Only some people enjoy their job.
How we know this
35% of people report they don’t enjoy their job.Based on data from 17 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between March 2023 and March 2025.
Okay
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Only some people recommend their team
Do teaching assistants at Kirklees Council recommend working with their team?
Only some people recommend working with their team.
How we know this
38% of people report that they wouldn’t recommend working with their immediate team to a friend.Based on data from 21 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between March 2023 and March 2025.
Why this matters
A good job means enjoying the place where you work.
The people you work with every day really matter. They can be the difference between a terrible day and a great one.
If you’d recommend your team to a friend, this shows that something’s going right.
Okay
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Only some people get enough training
Do teaching assistants get enough training when they start at Kirklees Council?
Some people didn’t get enough training when they started.
How we know this
41% of people report they didn’t get enough training when they started working here.Based on data from 17 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and March 2025.
Why this matters
A good job should give you good training when you start, not just drop you in at the deep end.
This means that you’ll be happier and more productive from day one and shows that your employer values you.
It’s also very important if your job involves anything that could be dangerous. Good training from the outset keeps you and your team safe.
Okay
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Only some people get support to progress
Are teaching assistants given support to progress at Kirklees Council?
Only some people are given support to progress here.
How we know this
In the last year, 67% of people report not being given an opportunity to get better at their job, learn a new skill, learn to manage a team or get more responsibility in their role.Based on data from 18 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between April 2023 and March 2025.
Why this matters
A good job should help you progress at work, if you want to. That might be supporting you to get better at the job you currently have, learn something new, manage a team or take on more responsibilities.
This means you’ll be able to build on your skills and experience, and earn more money.
Needs improving
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Head office doesn’t understand what’s happening
Do teaching assistants think Kirklees Council head office understands what's happening where they work?
Most people think head office doesn’t understand what’s happening where they work.
How we know this
82% of people think that this employer’s head office or owners don’t have a good understanding of what’s really happening where they work.Based on data from 17 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between March 2023 and March 2025.
Why this matters
At a good job, the role of head office should be to support the people on the frontline serving customers.
To do that properly, the company’s owners or head office need to have a good understanding of what’s really happening on the frontline. This is especially important when a company owns multiple locations.
Needs improving
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Most people don’t feel well informed by head office
Do teaching assistants feel well informed about how Kirklees Council is doing?
Most people don’t feel well informed about how the company is doing.
How we know this
86% of people feel that they aren’t kept well informed about how the company is doing as a whole.Based on data from 14 people who took the Breakroom Quiz between March 2023 and March 2025.
Why this matters
At a good job, there should be a supportive relationship between the people working on the frontline serving customers and the people who own the company or work in head office.
You should be kept informed about how the company is doing as a whole, both in good times and when things get tough for the business.
What Kirklees Council employees say about their job
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Best thing
The holidays, sick pay, taking breaks, flexi time
Worst thing
Stress from customers and lack of different tasks in job role
Business support officer at Kirklees Council, August 2024
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Best thing
The working hours are good for if you have school aged children. You get half term and holidays off.
Worst thing
Understaffed so you are doing extra work for low pay.
Physically demandingCare assistant at Kirklees Council, June 2023
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