Application Form – Professional or Support Post

Post Teacher assistant School/Service Southfield School

Please ensure you return this form on or before the date and time stated in the advertisement.

Please note that to minimise the impact of unconscious bias in the recruitment process, in some cases personal details may
only be viewed after the screening and/or first stage relevant to the school or setting’s recruitment process.

Personal Details
First Name(s) Muzhda

Last Name(s) Istanikzai

Home Address 119 Garden Avenue

Town/City Hatfield County Hertfordshire Postcode AL10 8LH

Telephone 07868369856 Mobile 07507652634

Email [email protected]

Permission to work in the United Kingdom (UK)

Do you have permission to work in the UK?

Yes ☒ No ☐

If there are any restrictions on your right to work in the UK, please provide details here:

Please note: permission to work with a previous employer or in a previous post is not transferable

Qualifications, Training and Statutory Induction Period

Secondary school(s) or equivalent

Name of school/college, location Examinations passed

Date Subject (with grade)

© 2021 Herts for 1

Learning Ltd
Details of degrees/diplomas and any other qualification obtained or in progress
Name of college, Inclusive dates, Type of degree Grade / class Main subject
university or other month & year / course title (or state if still
institution, location in progress)

From To

Barnet Southgate Sep. July Introduction to NCFE

College 2018 2019 Early Years CACHE Level
Education and 2 certificate
Care

Barnet Southgate Sept. July Caring for NCFE

College 2017 2018 Children CACHE Level
1 Diploma

Details of any relevant short courses attended in the past five years
Date Course Title Provider

© 2021 Herts for 2

Learning Ltd
 Employment History
Details of current or most recent employment
Name and address of employer Position held Full/part time Inclusive dates, month Reason for leaving (if
& year applicable)

From To

Teach Now Company Teacher assistant Full time November Present

2020

Current salary Any allowance(s) awarded

£110 per day

Previous employment, voluntary work or other activities

Please complete with most recent employment/other activities first, detailing gaps between employment / other activities e.g., bringing up family, travelling,
periods of unemployment etc. Please include any voluntary work or school based work experience. Please account for any periods since leaving school/university
to ensure a chronological order of employment/other activity.
Employer/ Nature of Position held Full/ Inclusive dates, month & Reason(s) for
organisation business part year leaving
time
From To

Early years Early years educator Part July 2018 August COVID
educator time 2020
Busy bee nursery

Volunteer Volunteer interpreter Part March 2016 Present

interpreter and and advocate time
Barnet refugee
advocate
service

© 2021 Herts for 3

Learning Ltd
© 2021 Herts for 4

Learning Ltd
Previous employment, voluntary work or other activities (cont.)
Please complete with most recent employment/other activities first, detailing gaps between employment / other activities e.g., bringing up family, travelling,
periods of unemployment etc. Please include any voluntary work or school based work experience. Please account for any periods since leaving school/university
to ensure a chronological order of employment/other activity.
Employer/ Nature of Position held Full/ part Inclusive dates, month & Reason(s) for
organisation business time year leaving

Clothes shop Shop manager and Full time January August Moved countries
sales assistant 2007 2011
FZ mode clothes
shop

School Primary school teacher Full time 1999 2003 Moved countries

Fatima tul Zahra

school

Leisure activities
Please state briefly what your main leisure interests are, particularly where these are relevant to the work for which you are
applying.

Cooking, Gardening, Sewing

© 2021 Herts for 5

Learning Ltd
Personal Statement in support of application
In this section, you are asked to detail how your knowledge, skills and experience, or any other factors, relate to the criteria listed
on the person specification and job description.

To avoid unconscious bias within recruitment processes, we encourage you not to include information such as your name, age, name of
academic institutions, etc. within your supporting statement.

I have been working as a teacher assistant for 5 years now and have worked in
an SEN setting for almost 3 years now. During this time, I have worked both one
to one, as well as in a class setting. I have worked with children who have
development disorders such as children with autism, as well as physical
disabilities such as children who have difficulty walking independently. Overall
my experiences and education have led to me to develop skills and abilities that
make me fit to work in an SEN environment. My goal as a teacher assistant is to
provide a safe and nurturing environment for students, that promotes
independence and helps them achieve their potential in all aspects of life. These
include academic development, social and emotional wellbeing, life skills and
more.

Promoting independence is a crucial aspect in a child’s development. With my

experience I have developed the skills and certain methods that help do this.
One way in which I try to do this is by implementing self-directed learning. Over
the years, I've witnessed remarkable growth in students' abilities to choose and
make decisions for themselves through this method. One thing that we as a
team have done in the past, was to give students the choice as to what activities
they would want to do. In more able students we would promote verbal
communication and ask them to choose between activities, whilst in others we
utilise symbols and pointing.

Another skill I was able to develop from experience was adaptability. Children
vary greatly in ability so its important that teacher assistants can take the

© 2021 Herts for 6

Learning Ltd
initiative to adapt an activity so that it strikes a balance between the student’s
skill level and task difficulty. For advance learners I try to give clear instructions
and occasionally use symbols, and then let them carry out an activity
themselves. If I sense that they are having difficulty I would assist them by
providing step by step instructions or breaking things down for them one by one.
When working with less able children we often work together on things one at a
time. I may provide examples for them, use a lot more gestures and symbols and
hand over hand if needed.

Navigating challenges is important when working with SEN children as they

present unique challenges, including instances of aggressive behaviour towards
peers, teachers, or even themselves, and emotional meltdowns involving crying
and violence. Some students struggle with transitioning, refusing and dropping
to the floor. Through experience, I've developed skills to handle these situations,
by understanding triggers and prevention. For example, with students who have
difficulties in transitioning I have used symbols to communicate transitions in
advance, and let the student walk alongside me and let them sort of guide me as
to give them all the time they need, whilst promoting that sense of
independence. However, at the end of the day, all students are different and
what works with one student may not work with another which is why flexibility
and patience is vital as a teacher assistant.

Throughout my years I developed the ability to communicate effectively to other

members of the education team such as teachers, SENCO, parents, and
physiotherapists. This is needed so that staff members can align on lesson plans,
individual student goals, and specific needs. In weekly team meetings, Teachers
and TAs discuss the progress of individual students, address challenges and
triggers. From this we strategize solutions going forward. This effective
communication so that teachers can provide a holistic environment that can
promote the progress of a student.

In terms of qualifications, I have studied numerous courses in college that look at

the advanced educational needs of children and general health and wellbeing of
© 2021 Herts for 7

Learning Ltd
a child. This is the most important quality that any member of the educational
team must have. Pairing this alongside my experience has given me the ability to
identify risk factors and the necessary course of actions.

Overall, I love working as a teacher assistant. Seeing children progress and

develop themselves is very fulfilling and something that I always aim to do. I
believe that I have the necessary skills and abilities that I have obtained from my
education and experience.

Referees

© 2021 Herts for 8

Learning Ltd
Please list referees who can comment on your skills and abilities to carry out the duties of the post for
which you are applying. One of these must be your current line manager/ last employer. If your
employer is/was a school, the referee provided must be the Headteacher. Our normal practice is to
take up references prior to interview.

Referee 1 – Current or most recent employer

Name Teach now Name of employer Leah Hope

Position Recruitment consultant Telephone 02083715905

Email [email protected]

Address London N14 7NP

Emplyer

May we contact this referee prior to Yes ☒ No ☐

interview?

Referee 2
Name Northway primary school Name of employer Danielle Barker

Position Head Teacher Telephone 02083595450

Email [email protected]

Address The fairway Mill Hill NW7 3HS

How is the above known to you? Current employer

May we contact this referee prior to Yes ☒ No ☐

interview?

© 2021 Herts for 9

Learning Ltd
Declaration of criminal offences
The school is required to give you the opportunity to voluntarily declare convictions, cautions, reprimands or
final warnings that are not ‘protected’ as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order
1975 (as amended in 2013 and 2020). You will be provided with a criminal self-declaration form by the school if
you are shortlisted for the post. All posts in schools are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

If you are appointed you will be required to have an up to date Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Certificate.
The existence of a criminal background does not automatically mean that you cannot be appointed but it may do
so.

The DBS now offers an update service, which keeps DBS certificates up to date and allows employers to make an
online check with an applicant’s consent. This applies where the type and level of check are identical and in the
same workforce area (e.g. schools).

Please confirm if you currently subscribe to the update service Yes ☒ No ☐

Declaration
Do you have a close relationship with, and/or are you related to, anyone in school or a school governor?

Yes ☐ No ☒ If yes, state details below.

I confirm that I am not barred, either totally or to a limited extent, from work involving regular contact with
children, young persons or other vulnerable people, nor subject to any prohibitions, sanctions, conditions,
restrictions or disqualifications in relation to my employment/work imposed by the Secretary of State or a
regulatory body.

In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998, I agree that information I have provided may be held and
used for personnel reasons.

I understand that an offer of appointment will be subject to satisfactory references, DBS clearance, proof of
identity and right to live and work in UK, medical checks and relevant qualifications.

I understand that failure to disclose any relevant information, or the provision of false information, could
result in the withdrawal of any offer of appointment, or my dismissal without notice at any time in the
future, and possible criminal prosecution.

I hereby declare that information given on this form is complete and accurate.

Name Muzhda Istanikzai Signature

Date 08/07/2024

© 2021 Herts for 10

Learning Ltd
Childcare (Disqualification) Regulations 2009
The Department for Education (DfE) has revised its Statutory Guidance "Keeping Children Safe in
Education".

This update requires schools which provide care for pupils under the age of 8, to ensure that staff and
volunteers working in these settings are not disqualified from doing so under the Childcare
(Disqualification) Regulations 2009.

A person may be disqualified through

1. having certain orders or other restrictions placed upon them

2. having committed certain offences

Upon appointment an education setting may, therefore, require you to sign a declaration confirming
that you are not disqualified under those Regulations from working in schools.

How did you find out about this job?

Advertisement on Teach in Herts website ☐
Advertisement on the TES website ☐
Advertisement on Guardian online ☐
Advertisement on Twitter ☐
Advertisement on Facebook ☐
Advertisement on LinkedIn ☐
If other, please specify: Searched them up on google and found a potential vacancy

Additional information

© 2021 Herts for 11

Learning Ltd