Learning Assistant – Woodlands, Ruskin Mill Trust, Nailsworth, Glos

Ruskin Mill College is the founding college of Ruskin Mill Trust. Located in the Cotswolds, the 140-acre site includes a wooded valley, a trout farm, market gardens, sustainably managed woodlands and a biodynamic farm. Nestled in the landscape are craft workshops including pottery, forge, textiles and woodwork.  Ruskin Mill College is part of Ruskin Mill Trust.

Established in 1984, Ruskin Mill Trust is an educational charity that operates in England, Scotland and Wales. We offer exciting outdoor learning environments, utilising practical land and craft activities to support the development of work and life skills in young people with autistic spectrum conditions and other learning differences. Our research-led method, Practical Skills Therapeutic Education, is inspired by the work of Rudolf Steiner, John Ruskin and William Morris. Working with hand, head, heart and place, Ruskin Mill Trust helps individuals to re-imagine their potential.

The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Successful applicants will be required to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service Enhanced Level Disclosure as well as a medical check, references, evidence of qualifications, plus verification of the right to work in the UK.

Learning Assistant – Woodlands Term Time Only
Actual salary £23,284 – £24,335 (FTE £26,538 – £27,736)
Subject to qualifications and experience  40 hours per week 40 weeks per year

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join Ruskin Mill College, Ruskin Mill Trust, as part of the Woodlands team focusing on the holistic needs of the students, in conjunction with the daily management of our 30-acre woodlands, in a bio-dynamic setting. Ruskin Mill engages the students in Practical Skills Therapeutic Education (PSTE) and provides social enterprise opportunities for students working in the woods, learning woodland management skills and provide resources for other sessions. Depending on the needs, the role will include supporting in sessions that focus on outdoor living skills, learning primitive technology skills and community orientated skills such as outdoor cooking, woodworking and fire crafts.

Park Wood is a 30-acre woodland with mixed broadleaf trees, and we strive toward a continuous cover forestry approach. You will be working alongside Woodlands tutor(s) with a small group of students, to assist in the delivery of land-based qualifications, developing woodland management skills and carrying out land- and craft-based activities throughout the seasons. You will be an active member of the Woodlands team, be comfortable and have the resilience to work on challenging terrain in all-weathers (in-house training/guidance and PPE will be given), and be willing to work with machinery, e.g. brush-cutter, woodchipper, chainsaw (external training and in-house guidance provided).

You will be expected to attend training sessions as required by the Trust, which may be outside of your usual working hours.

Main Duties Include:

· You must be able to instil enthusiasm and enjoyment into the learning process in such a way that can lead to increased self-esteem and enhanced engagement in learning.

· Applicants for this post should have experience of working with young people and vulnerable adults with special needs, challenging behaviours and mental health difficulties.

· You must have an aptitude for all-weather hands-on working, experience of practical land-based work would be an advantage, as would an experience or interest in bio-dynamic methods.

· You will be expected to assist the tutor/s in planning and preparing sessions that differentiate for the range of students under that tutor’s remit, in order to progress each student educationally.

· To collaborate closely with the tutor/s and student support worker/s, in session, to progress students towards their short, medium and long term outcomes.

· With guidance, be able to deliver teaching sessions in the absence of the tutor.

Working at Ruskin Mill Trust is incredibly rewarding; we offer competitive salaries and holiday allowances, an auto-enrolment pension scheme with a salary sacrifice option, a health cash plan and employee assistance programme via Medicash.

In addition, staff receive valuable training opportunities including an in-depth interactive induction to enable our new team members to experience our Practical Skills Therapeutic Education (PSTE) curriculum and opportunities for further training and academic research including our own MSc in Practical Skills Therapeutic Education.

Full details of our benefits can be viewed on www.rmt.org/careers

For further information or to apply, please visit rmt.org/jobs or email the recruitment team at [email protected]

Closing date is Thursday 10th September 2026

Location: Nailsworth, UK