2 X Lower School Teaching Assistant

The role? At ISL, we believe that meaningful learning happens through play, relationships, curiosity and exploration. Our Stay n' Play after-school childcare programme provides children aged 3–6 with a welcoming and engaging environment where they can relax, connect with friends, make choices and continue learning through purposeful play. We are looking for a Lower School Teaching Assistant who enjoys working with young children and can help create an experience where every child feels safe, known, included and valued. What will you do? Working closely with the Lower School Beyond-the-Classroom Lead and Stay n' Play team, you will:
- Welcome children and support smooth transitions into the after-school programme.
- Prepare inviting spaces, activities and materials for play and exploration.
- Facilitate assigned activities while remaining responsive to children's interests, choices and needs.
- Support individuals and small groups as they play, create, communicate and explore.
- Encourage positive relationships, independence and responsible decision-making.
- Supervise children across programme spaces and support safe collection and dismissal.
- Collaborate with colleagues to ensure a consistent, high-quality experience for children.
- Contribute observations, ideas and feedback to the ongoing development of Stay n' Play.
- Participate in relevant professional learning and contribute to the wider Lower School community. What skills do you bring? We are interested in what you can do and how you use your skills to help young children thrive. You can:
- Build warm, respectful and trusting relationships with young children, colleagues and families.
- Create a caring, inclusive environment that promotes children's wellbeing and sense of belonging.
- Support learning through play, inquiry and exploration, responding to children's interests and ideas.
- Encourage children's agency, independence, curiosity and confidence through developmentally appropriate choices and experiences.
- Plan and facilitate engaging activities that balance creativity, active play, social interaction and opportunities to recharge.
- Use positive, age-appropriate approaches to behaviour and help children navigate friendships, transitions and emotions.
- Adapt your approach to individual strengths and needs, including those of multilingual learners.
- Work collaboratively, communicate clearly and contribute positively to a multicultural community.
- Remain organised, flexible and calm in the dynamic environment of an after-school programme.
- Actively supervise children and consistently prioritise their safety, safeguarding and wellbeing. Who are you? You see young children as capable, curious learners. You know when to join their play, when to ask a question, when to offer support and when to step back so they can try for themselves. You bring warmth and energy while providing the consistency and calm young children need. You value collaboration, reflection and continuous learning, and you contribute to a culture of care, respect and belonging. Our commitment to students Through this role, you will support ISL's Strategic Plan by helping deliver a Lower School programme that meets high creative and academic standards and enables children to be active, engaged and successful learners. ISL is committed to safeguarding and prioritising the wellbeing of children and young people and expects you to share this commitment. You will be expected to maintain appropriate professional boundaries, demonstrate sound judgement and follow ISL's child protection, health, safety and security policies and procedures. We are keen to attract applicants from diverse backgrounds, particularly those whose nationality, identity, gender or race is currently under-represented in international education. Profile: (training, experience, skills and aptitudes necessary to do the job) Required:
- A minimum of a secondary school diploma or equivalent.
- Fluency in English, with strong spoken and written communication.
- Successful experience working with young children, ideally ages 3–5;.
- Strong interpersonal, communication and collaboration skills;
- Confidence with everyday digital tools and a willingness to learn school-specific systems.
- The ability to work positively and responsibly with children and adults.
- Reliability, good judgement, discretion and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
- A genuine commitment to child safeguarding, inclusion and wellbeing. Valued experience includes: We value experience working with young children in schools, Early Years settings, childcare, after-school programmes or other environments where children learn and develop together. Particularly relevant experience includes supporting play
- or inquiry-based learning, multilingual learners, children's social-emotional development and independence, and working collaboratively with colleagues and families in culturally diverse communities. Experience in an IB PYP or another child-centred, inquiry-based setting is an advantage, but is not essential. We recognise that strong candidates bring different experiences and pathways. We encourage you to apply if you believe your skills, approach and experience equip you to succeed in this role, even if you do not meet every preferred criterion. The successful candidates must:
- Be passionate and enthusiastic about students and their education;
- Be innovative in working with students;
- Be responsible for own learning and well-being: value continuous learning, collaborative work, self-reflection, and resiliency;
- Be confident and motivated in working with students, parents and colleagues: build and maintain partnership;
- Be pro-active, well-organised and discreet;
- Be adaptable to a wide range of situations, work independently as well as part of a collaborative team;
- Be an effective communicator by reading, writing, speaking and listening confidently and reflectively as well as asking questions appropriately;
- Be committed to the health, safety & security of children, including child protection issues;
- Demonstrate ethical behaviour in and out of the classroom;
- Be a contributor to the World, culturally sensitive, and display care, empathy and consideration for others. Among main

responsibilities:
*General:*
- Assist in creating a caring, positive learning environment as directed;
- Promote mutual respect and understanding among all members of the group;
- Establish and maintain positive relationships with students, parents, colleagues and leadership;
- Assist in maintaining expectations of student behaviour in and out of the classroom to create a well-functioning and consistent learning atmosphere in school;
- Comply with School policies and procedures relating to child protection, health, safety, welfare, security, confidentiality and data protection, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person;
- Be familiar with all school rules and conscientiously assist in enforcing them;
- Assist a student in the event of sickness or accident; *Activities:*
- Support the Beyond-the-Classroom Lead organizing the different activities of the After-School Care activities and student group lists if necessary;
- Help prepare the logistics and the materials for the activities;
- Run the assigned activities of the programme;
- Work in close collaboration with other colleagues assigned to the activities;
- Assist with the clearing up after the activities;
- Ensure ISL's health and security requirements are met during the programme;
- Share constructive feedback of the programme at the end of the school year;
- Support the Supervisor in any other necessary issues related to the After-School Care activities; *Additional:*
- When absent, leave information concerning daily tasks for substitute;
- Handle personal problems and grievances in a professional way as outlined within the ISL Staff Handbook;
- Model the values and professional demeanour as outlined in the ISL Staff Handbook;
- Undertake professional development as might be required by the school to better fulfil their role;
- Undertake such other duties as may be assigned by the appropriate Principal or the Director. Recruitment timeline: If you are shortlisted, you will receive a notification email to book your interview. If you have not been contacted after the deadline, your application is potentially unsuccessful but, in any case, you will receive an official answer.