About Oak Activities
Oak Activities is a leading Alternative Provision education provider based across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, supporting young people through a holistic and blended learning approach. With 8 sites and over 100 staff, Oak is making a tangible difference in the lives of children and young adults in our communities.
Oak Activities is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable children. We abide by our Safer Recruitment policy strictly including right to work checks, identification checks, referencing checks and DBS checks.
Role Overview
The purpose of this role is to plan and deliver 1:1 and small group sessions to pupils who struggle to access mainstream education because of SEN, SEMH or medical needs, or are awaiting a specialist school setting.
The successful candidate will be located at The Paddocks, Ramsey reporting into the Alternative Provision Manager.
The preferred start date for this role is October 2025.
This can be a part-time/full-time, term-time only role, working between 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday.
The successful candidate will be awarded a salary commensurate with their experience.
Core Responsibilities
- Establish effective and positive relationships with students based on mutual respect, recognition of the individuality of each student and affirming their cultural identity.
- To work in close partnership with schools, parents/carers/multi agency teams
- Planning, preparing, and delivering a range of sessions, evaluating these activities to inform future learning to ensure you meet the diverse needs and interests of each child.
- Providing learning opportunities for every student commensurate to her/his needs, abilities, and stage of development, by delivering a programme that gives each student the opportunity to experience success, and which challenges all students to make progress against their goals.
- To work as part of a committed and enthusiastic Oak Activities team focused on supporting the young person to find appropriate life goals and enabling them to understand and act on a pathway to success.
- To engage with transition with young people, exploring their barriers to learning in a school setting and working collaboratively with the school and Local Authority/agencies to support this transition.
- To maintain individual records for each child based on observation and interaction, in order to monitor and track their progress and as a tool for planning and assessment.
- To behave in a warm, friendly yet professional manner towards customers, colleagues, children, and parents/carers adhering to full safeguarding practices.
- To attend and participate in meetings as required.
- To attend any training for professional development to keep up to date with personal development and regulations.
- Facilitate and support the development of key life skills in young people through Animal Assisted learning.
- To assist with developing therapeutic horsemanship sessions and programmes
- Ensure the safety and well-being of all participants and the horses involved.
- To adhere to equestrian health and safety and fire safety policies.
- To coach others in horse handling and health and safety around horses.
- To actively participate in the day-to-day upkeep of the facilities and care of the horses.
- Physical effort (with reasonable adjustments where required) - Ability to carry out physically demanding activities, such as lifting and carrying feed, water, hay, bedding and animals’ substrates and bending and reaching, using tools such as stable forks, wheelbarrows etc.
- Dexterity and in some cases the strength to carefully handle animals safely and kindly.
You may be expected to carry out other duties commensurate with the post as directed by the Alternative Provision Manager.
Person Specification
Qualifications
- 5 GCSEs including English and Maths - Essential
- Evidence of involvement in continuing professional development activities - Essential
- Higher degree or further professional qualifications - Desirable
- Degree - Desirable
- QTS - Desirable
- Qualifications in equine care and development such as BHS/UKCC/Degree or equivalent or qualified by experience - Desirable
Successful experience of:
- 1:1 tuition teaching leading to strong student progress - Desirable
- Developing and implementing inspiring teaching materials to improve student performance - Desirable
- Raising the attainment of SEND and/or alternative provision students through positive interventions - Desirable
- Forming positive relationships with young people and parents - Desirable
- Implementing the principles of Cambridge Therapeutic Thinking - Desirable
- Supporting students with ACEs through a trauma-informed approach - Desirable
- Liaising with external agencies to support a young person - Desirable
Knowledge and skills
- Excellent organisational skills - Essential
- Excellent communication skills - Essential
- Ability to form effective working relationships - Essential
- Excellent experience of working with horses and ponies - Essential
- Appreciates the human-animal bond and how this enhances mental well-being of both - Essential
- Understanding of child-safeguarding issues and successful measures that promote and ensure the safe-guarding of children - Desirable
- Excellent subject knowledge and the ability to plan and teach a Specialist Subject - Desirable
- Ability to adapt and teach core subjects including English & Maths to Grade 4 standard/Functional Skills - Desirable
- Understanding of emotional literacy - Desirable
- Understanding disease and infection control (Zoonosis) and safe ways of working with regards to infection control, including understanding the need for personal protective equipment (PPE) - Desirable
Personal attributes
- Reflective practitioner with a creative approach to problem solving - Essential
- Able to demonstrate excellent written and oral communication skills - Essential
- Honesty and integrity - Essential
- Strong team player - Essential
- Knowledge and understanding of aspects of equine care and welfare - Essential
Further Information
We offer competitive salary and benefits packages, including life insurance, pension and professional development opportunities. As a teacher at Oak Activities, you will have the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of students and contribute to their academic success. If you are passionate about education and dedicated to helping students reach their full potential, we encourage you to apply.
Please submit your resume and cover letter detailing your qualifications for this position. Only qualified candidates will be contacted for an interview.
Oak Activities does not discriminate on the grounds of age, gender, race, colour, religion, disability or sexual orientation, and we welcome applications from all sections of the community.
All applicants should be aware that they must undergo child protection screening appropriate for each job role. It’s an offence for any organisation to offer employment that involves regular contact with young people under the age of 18 to anyone who has been convicted of certain specified offences, or those who are included on lists considered unsuitable for such work held by the Department of Education.
It is also an offence for people convicted of such offences to apply for work with young people. If you are successful throughout your application, you will be subject to satisfactory completion of an Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service before the appointment is confirmed. Further information about the Disclosure and Barring Service can be found at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disclosure-and-barring-service.
Guidance about whether a conviction or caution should be disclosed can be found on the Ministry of Justice website. Oak Activities employees are expected to abide by the Company’s safeguarding policy, code of conduct, and will attend Safeguarding training.
Oak Activities reserves the right to invite successful candidates to interview prior to the closing date. Therefore, we encourage interested candidates to submit their applications without delay.
The closing date for applications is 9am, 26 August 2025.
Thank you for your interest in working at Oak Activities.
Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Permanent, Zero hours contract
Pay: From £20,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Life insurance
- On-site parking
- Referral programme
Experience:
- equine: 1 year (preferred)
Licence/Certification:
- Enhanced DBS (preferred)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
