Relief Passenger Assistant


Company:	Portsmouth City Council
Salary:	£15.07 to £15.07 an hour
Hours:	Part-time
Location:	Portsmouth, PO1 2BG
Job type:	Contract
Posting date:	20 Oct 2026
Closing date:	19 Nov 2026

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Summary

DBS Disclosure at Enhanced level will be required prior to any offer of employment and this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

The Service

The Integrated Transport Unit (ITU) transports approximately 650 pupils daily aged 2-25 years old to schools, colleges and contact centres. Some pupils have Special Educational Needs and some pupils are Looked After Children in the care of Portsmouth City Council. We use several different forms of transport - minibuses, wheelchair accessible minibuses and taxis. The majority of the pupils go to school in Portsmouth but some go further afield for instance Fareham, Stubbington, Waterlooville, and Southampton. We currently employ around 120 passenger assistants to help is deliver this service.

What is the job?

We maintain a register of Relief Passenger Assistants to cover for permanent members of staff who are absent either short or long term. We are looking for people to join our relief list who can work as and when required. You will be responsible for the child/children's behaviour, safety and general wellbeing during their journeys to and from schools, colleges and contact centres. You must ensure pupils are suitably strapped into vehicles and you will need to become familiar with the operation of specialist equipment, for example car seats, vehicle passenger lifts, ramps and wheelchair restraints in case of emergency. This is a job where you work mainly on your own as a representative of Portsmouth City Council. You will be working with a driver employed by one of our transport providers. The hours are primarily around school opening and closing times typically 08:00 - 09:30 and 14:30 - 16:15 term-time only. Occasionally some hours may be available at other times. Vacancies for permanent posts are generally filled from the register.

How to apply

To make sure your application is above the rest, please download the Job Profile below to ensure your application matches the requirements of the roleusing examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience, which clearly illustrates what you did and the effect it had.

When completing your application you will be required to complete a personal statement, please give examples of your experience and any transferrable skills. Please align your answers with the points on the job profile. This is your opportunity to showcase yourself and your achievements.

We look forward to speaking with you soon.

About Portsmouth City Council

Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act.

We are committed to our values of respect, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity and being people-focussed. These values set out how we can contribute to the success of the council and our own success as individuals. 

Learn more about our values and behaviours.

Our recruitment process

Full information about our recruitment process can be found on our support for applicants' page:

Support for applicants - Careers portal

DBS Disclosure at Enhanced level will be required prior to any offer of employment and this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Please read the relevant DBS

privacy notice before submitting any information.

Every post is subject to PCC and Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Partnership safer recruitment procedures.

You will need to explain any gaps in your career history within the last 5 years - this is essential for all safeguarding roles.

Should you require any support in completing the application form please contact

recruit@portsmouthcc.gov.uk. or call the recruitment team on 023 92 616800

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