Author: Geoffrey Fitzpatrick

Application Pack

CANDIDATE INFORMATION BROCHURE

This is a welcoming school where pupils are known and celebrated as individuals, Ofsted 2024
This is a welcoming school where pupils are known and
celebrated as individuals, Ofsted 2024

#

About our School

Our school is at the heart of the local community providing education, experiences and opportunities for children aged 4-19.
We consider ourselves one big happy Newfield Family. We believe what makes us unique is the expert way in which we create a needs-led provision matched to each pupil’s key learning needs.
We pride ourselves on providing a set of learning experiences across a child’s time with us which places the needs and the abilities of the learners at the heart of provision and planning. It is based on outcomes we want the pupils to achieve at each key stage of their learning journey.
We allow our children to lead the learning at each key step of their journey, and our common principle throughout is to think about how we can help them achieve the maximum independence and meaningful skills for life beyond the classroom across each stage of their learning journey and in preparation for adulthood.
We achieve this by applying the principle of never doing anything for a child that they can, could or should do for themselves.

Every day our pupils amaze us with what they achieve, and we ensure we set our expectations high for all of them. To us there is no such phrase as ‘I can’t’ - we just say ‘You can’t yet… so let’s find a way together’. As a result of this attitude our students make progress beyond expectations.
We believe the key to our success lies in the fantastic knowledge, passion and commitment of the experienced staff team. Nothing happens in isolation and everyone’s contribution is valued. Our knowledge of each pupil’s needs and focus on developing learning shines through all we do.
This team approach extends to our families and other agencies, so we can agree on the most effective ways to support our pupils to reach their potential. In its truest sense we work using a team around the child and family approach.
As the Headteacher I feel incredibly proud of what we achieve together. Our pupils are an inspiration to us all, and enrich our lives daily.

#

	Key Dates

POST: Welfare Assistant

Applications Close	Monday 23rd February 2026 at 9am
Post effective from	Monday 13th April 2026

Welfare Assistants – Grade B - Permanent - 10 hours
£24,413 to £24,796 pro rata salary range
£12.65 to £12.85 per hour
Newfield School is an impressive, well-resourced special school situated in Blackburn, Lancashire providing high quality specialist education, care and therapy for children and young people aged 4 - 19 years with a wide range of learning difficulties including autism, PMLD, SLD, complex medical needs, sensory impairments and physical disabilities.
We are looking to appoint a number of enthusiastic and committed Welfare Assistants to join our busy, demanding and rewarding school, starting in April 2026.
Under the direction of teachers and senior staff, you will provide supervision of individuals and groups of children during lunchtime to support the school in the management of pupils at lunchtimes.
Applicants should have an interest in working with children, excellent standards of hygiene and be willing to undergo training in line with their duties.
Whilst we particularly welcome applicants with experience of working with children and young people, it is more important that you have a child centred approach in working with our very special children as a full programme of training and development will be provided.
Effective communication with children, young people, parents and carers will be an essential part of the role.
Please see details of working pattern below to be worked 39 weeks per year during term time including 5 annual professional development full days:
Hours per Week – 10 hours
Working Pattern – 11.30am – 1.30pm – Monday to Friday
Actual Salary £6,010 - £6,104 based on working part time during term time
You will also be required to work 3.30pm until 5pm on six occasions per year in order to undertake training and meet with your class team – these dates will be planned in advance and you will have plenty of notice.
On the 5 annual professional development days you would be required to work 9am til 3pm.
You will be required to attend an Induction which will take place over 5 days. During this induction you will need to be available to work from 9am until 3.30pm all week. Details of this will be confirmed.
Find out more about our school by visiting www.newfield.org.uk.
Completed application forms are returnable to recruitment@newfield.blackburn.sch.uk or to Recruitment Team, Newfield School, Old Bank Lane, Blackburn BB1 2PW
Closing Date: Monday 23rd February 2026 at 9am
Interview Date: to be advised
Newfield School is committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Please note that in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025 an online search will be carried out as part of our due diligence on shortlisted candidates.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Any offer of employment will be subject to a satisfactory check supplied by the Disclosure and Barring Service. The check will include any cautions, reprimands or final warnings as well as convictions.
Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered

#

	Letter from the Headteacher

6th February 2026
Dear Applicant
Thank you for downloading an application pack. I hope that the information will be useful and assist you in deciding whether to apply for the post of Welfare Assistant.
We pride ourselves on meeting the needs of our children and their families. We already have a dedicated and hard-working team and together with the pupils, parents, staff and governors, we continue to develop and provide exemplary practice and achievement.
Well-being and professional development for all staff is a strong feature of the school and should you be successful we offer:
• a full induction and training package
• specific mentoring and training opportunities to develop expertise
The school has achieved many externally validated accreditation and awards, including our re-accreditation for autism through the National Autistic Society, the Inclusion Quality Mark and Rights Respecting School Award through UNICEF.
You can find out more about our school and its achievements by visiting our website; www.newfield.org.uk where I am sure many of your questions will be answered. However, if you wish to speak to someone personally, then please contact email recruitment@newfield.blackburn.sch.uk and we will arrange for someone to call you back.
We want motivated employees who will enjoy the challenge of a whole school effort to continue our work. If you feel that you would like to be part of this exciting professional challenge, we would like to hear from you.
Good Luck!
Rachel Kay
Head Teacher
‘Newfield School is committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults as its number one priority. This commitment to robust recruitment, selection and induction procedure is shared by all staff and volunteers of Newfield School.’

#

	Reference Guidance

When applying for any role at Newfield School whether it's a casual role or a permanent one, you will need to provide two referee details.
Your first referee needs to be your current (or most recent) employer. The details we require are:
The name of your current line manager or HR department
A telephone number of the organisation
An email address which contains the organisation's name rather than a personal email address. For example, john.smith@blackburn.gov.uk and not johnsmith87@yahoo.com
If you are currently working in a school establishment then the Headteacher should be the referee
Your second referee can be another previous employer or a character referee. The details we require are:
The name of your referee
The referee's relationship to you
The referee's telephone number
Character referees should be someone who can talk about your personal qualities such as a coach, client, teacher, or colleague.
Some further notes regarding referees:
If you have not worked previously then you can provide the details of your most recent place of education. As with employer referees we would expect the email address to contain the educator's name.
You should speak to your referees prior to providing us with their details
Once we have requested details from your referees we will chase them once, after that it is your responsibility to chase your referee to provide us with a reference.
If no reference has been received, or unsatisfactory references have been received, Newfield School may revoke your offer of employment.

#

	DBS Guidance

Documents required for a Standard and Enhanced DBS check
Original documents must be produced and these must be checked by the organisation in the presence of the holder
There are three different options a person can provide documents:
Option 1 – one document from group 1, and two documents from group 1, 2a or 2b.
If the applicant doesn’t have any documents from group 1, then move onto option 2.
Option 2 – one document from group 2a, and two documents from 2a or 2b.
If the applicant cannot fulfil the requirements from option 1 or option 2, then they must go to option 3.
Option 3 – a UK birth certificate, and one document from group 2a, and three documents from 2a or 2b
Documents required for a Standard and Enhanced DBS check
Group 1 – Primary ID documents
Passport (any valid and current passport)
Biometric residence permit (UK only)
Current driving licence photocard (from UK, Isle of Man, Channel Islands & EU, either full or provisional
Birth certificate (must have been issued within 12 months of birth in the UK, Isle of Man and Channel Islands and other authorised overseas UK territories for example HM Forces and diplomatic embassies)
Adoption certificate (from UK and Channel Islands)
Group 2a – Government documents from trusted sources
Current driving licence photocard (from UK, Isle of Man, Channel Islands & EU, either full or provisional
Current driving licence (from UK, Isle of Man, Channel Islands and EU, either full or provisional, paper version acceptable if it was issued prior to 1998)
Birth certificate (must have been issued within 12 months of birth in the UK, Isle of Man and Channel Islands and other authorised overseas UK territories for example HM Forces and diplomatic embassies)
Marriage or civil partnership certificate (from UK and Channel Islands)
HM Forces ID card (UK only)
Firearms licence (UK, Isle of Man, and Channel Islands)
Documents required for a Standard and Enhanced DBS check
Group 2b – Financial and/or local authority documents
Mortgage statement (UK or EEA within last 12 months)
Bank or building society statement (UK and Channel Islands or EEA within last 3 months)
Bank or building society account opening confirmation letter (UK within last 3 months)
Credit card statement (UK or EEA within last 3 months)
Financial statement (e.g. pension or endowment – UK within last 12 months)
P45 or P60 statement (UK and Channel Islands within last 12 months)
Council Tax statement (UK and Channel Islands within last 12 months)
Work permit or visa (UK – must be valid)
Letter of sponsorship from future employment provider (Non-UK or non-EEA only – valid only for applicants residing outside of the UK at time of application)
Utility bill (UK, not a mobile telephone bill, within last 3 months)
Benefit statement (e.g. Child Benefit, Pension, UK, within last 3 months)
Central or local government, government agency, or local council document giving entitlement (e.g. from the Department for Work and Pensions, the Employment Service, HMRC UK and Channel Islands, within last 3 months)
EU National ID card (must be valid and in date)
Cards carrying the PASS accreditation logo (UK, Isle of Man and Channel Islands, must be valid)
Letter from head teacher or college principal UK (for 16 to 19 year olds in full time education. Only to be used in exceptional circumstances if other documents cannot be provided)

#

	Right to Work Guidance

What is a Right to Work document?
A right to work document approved by the Home Office falls into one of two primary categories:
List A - these documents are evidence that you have an unrestricted and permanent right to work in the UK.
List B - these documents are proof of a temporary or partially restricted right to work. These are split into two sub-groups to determine the point at which your new employer will need to recheck your proof of right to work, because of time restrictions on your permissions.
List A:
A full UK passport that confirms your British nationality.
A passport, national identity card or a Registration Certificate showing that you are a national of a European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland.
A permanent residence card issued by the Home Office as a family member of an EEA or Swiss national.
Biometric Residence Permit indicating you have the right to stay indefinitely in the UK.
A passport showing you are exempt from immigration control.
Immigration Status Documentation issued by the Home Office, showing your right of abode or the ability to stay indefinitely in the UK - along with a document showing your National Insurance number and name.
Birth certificate or adoption certificate issued in the UK or the Channel Islands alongside a document showing your National Insurance number and name.
Certificate of registration of British citizenship.
List B:
Group 1:
A passport showing you’re allowed to stay in the UK and carry out the type of work in question.
Biometric Residence Permit (see above).
A residence card issued by the Home Office, confirming you as a family member of an EEA or Swiss national, or who has a derivative right of residence.
Immigration Status Document containing an endorsement of your right to live and work in the UK, along with proof of National Insurance.
Group 2:
A Positive Verification Notice (PVN) issued by the Home Office, which indicates that you can stay in the UK and carry out the work in question.
A Certificate of Application that’s less than six months old (along with a PVN).
Application Registration Card confirming you can take the employment in question (along with a PVN).
What if I have an expired passport or can’t provide the relevant documents?
There are exceptional circumstances where an employer may still offer you work if you’re unable to produce the relevant documents at that particular time.
Employers can contact the Home Office Employer Checking Service to verify your right to work if you:
Are able to produce a Certificate of Application, an Application Registration Card (see List B - Group 2) or an application to extend or vary your permission to work in the UK before the expiry date.
Your employer will be given a Positive Verification Notice to confirm your right to work, but they must repeat the right to work check process after six months.
Checking EU, EEA, or Swiss citizens’ right to work has not changed, even though the UK has now left the EU. Nationals can still use their passport or National Identity Card until 30th June 2021. From then on, new immigration rules will apply.
Employers should check current passports, visas or travel documents which haven’t expired, where possible. However, if someone doesn’t have a current passport then employers can accept expired documents as evidence of their right to work in the UK.

#