Learning Support Assistant – Lunchbox
Key information
Closing date: 12pm, Tuesday 29 April 2025
£13.85 per hour
Part-time, 3 hours per week (41 weeks per annum)
Permanent Contract
Based in Hendon, NW4
Interviews: w/c 5 May 2025
Please find the job description for this role below:
Join a warm, person-centred programme where preparing lunch is a pathway to independence and connection.
Caritas St Joseph’s Pastoral Centre is part of the Diocese of Westminster, providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families. Rooted in the Church’s mission to uphold the dignity and giftedness of every person, we are seeking a dedicated Learning Support Assistant (Lunchbox) to join our team.
This is a rewarding opportunity for a compassionate and creative individual to accompany our learners on their journey towards greater independence, learning, and joy.
About the Role
As a Learning Support Assistant (Lunchbox), you will support students both in and outside of the classroom, helping them to fully access course activities and develop their gifts and talents. You will work alongside tutors to encourage learning, support communication, and foster each learner’s ability to express choice and participate actively.
You will also:
- Assist in the preparation and facilitation of sessions, including supporting food-related activities.
- Act in accordance with our person-centred ethos and safeguarding policies.
- Uphold the confidentiality and dignity of all learners.
About You
We are looking for someone who:
- Has experience or a keen interest in supporting people with learning disabilities.
- Brings energy, initiative, and a team spirit to their work.
- Possesses strong interpersonal and communication skills.
- Shares in the mission and values of St Joseph’s Pastoral Centre.
- Has experience or qualifications in food preparation (desirable).
This post is subject to an enhanced check by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
What we offer you
In return for your hard work and commitment to us, you will receive a competitive reward package which will include, but is not limited to:
- 23 days annual leave + bank holidays (pro rata for part time employees)
- Vouchers for free eye tests and £50 towards the cost of glasses
- Reward Gateway scheme offering discounts on a wide range of products and services
- Pension scheme for eligible employees – 5% paid by the employer
- Salary exchange (salary sacrifice) for pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Life assurance/ Death in Service benefit
Who are we?
We are the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster, a faith-driven charity rooted in service, tradition, and community. Our offices are ideally located near Victoria Station, just a short walk from the inspiring surroundings of St James’s Park and Westminster Cathedral—the heart of Catholic life in the Diocese.
At the core of our mission is a commitment to faith, education, and social justice. Guided by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, we serve over 90,000 students across 208 schools, support 212 vibrant parishes, and drive countless social initiatives that bring hope and compassion to those in need. Our work extends beyond the Church walls, positively shaping communities and transforming lives.
We uphold the values of Competence, Reliability, Honesty, Perseverance, and Love—principles that define our mission and shape the way we serve. As we grow our team, we seek individuals who not only possess the skills for the role but also embody these values in their daily work.
If you are looking for a role where your talents, faith, and commitment to service can make a real difference, we would love to hear from you.
Application details
Our people are incredibly important to us, and we value and respect diversity in all its forms (seen and unseen). We particularly welcome applications from those from Black and Asian backgrounds, as well as candidates with disabilities and from the communities in which we work. We would like to increase representation of these groups among our staff as we know greater diversity will lead to an even greater impact for our work.
To be considered for the role, please complete an online application. CVs will NOT be considered, therefore, please do not send them. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. Please note that you will need to be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this position. You must provide proof of Right to Work in the UK. We reserve the right to remove the vacancy before closing date.
Equal Opportunities & Living Wage Statement:
The Diocese of Westminster is an Equal Opportunities and accredited Living Wage employer. To be successful, we aspire to be person centered at all times and place human dignity at our centre. We aim at all times to recruit the person who is best suited to the job, and we welcome applications from all communities and underrepresented groups, regardless of race, sexual orientation, disability, faith, age and gender. We guarantee an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria. We strive to take a holistic approach to the development of our people so that we may better serve and empower the mission of our Church as ministered by the parishes, deaneries, schools and communities that we support. Our ambition is to work together to promote a more inclusive environment, which attracts all candidates and signals our commitment to celebrating and promoting diversity.
We want people from all walks of life to feel valued for their individuality, thrive in our organisation, share a sense of belonging and demonstrate our values. With this in mind, we positively celebrate Diversity & Inclusion at the Diocese of Westminster and place it at the heart of our aim which is to reflect and connect with the diverse communities that we serve.
Actions we take to provide equality of opportunity for all candidates include:
- We anonymise application forms during our shortlisting process to ensure that candidates are assessed without any consideration of their name, gender or background.
- As part of this anonymisation, we don’t take into consideration where candidates studied, or the method of that study e.g. full-time, part-time or distance learning.
- We apply a consistent approach to our question setting across our applications and interviews to ensure that everyone is assessed against the identified values, competencies and job requirements.
- Our values are important to us and as such we use a scoring framework that marks candidates based on values, behaviours and competencies.
- We provide guidance and brief all our interviewers throughout the selection processes in recruitment best-practice to mitigate against any potential for conscious or unconscious bias or discrimination.
- Whenever possible we will have multiple interviewers when assessing each candidate to ensure marking is accurate and fair.
- We ensure all our assessment venues are accessible. We offer alternative formats of our application forms to encourage applicants with disabilities or who require reasonable adjustments to perform at their best.
- We will work together with candidates with a disability or health condition to implement reasonable adjustments to enable them to feel comfortable and strive during the assessment process.