Aspiring Speech and Language Therapist – Learning Support Assistant

Title:
Aspiring Speech and Language Therapist – Learning Support Assistant Maidenhead

Location:
Maidenhead |

Start Date:

September 2026

Pay: £108 per day |

Hours:

8:30 am – 3:30 pm (Term Time Only)

Aspiring Speech and Language Therapist – Learning Support Assistant Maidenhead

Aspiring Speech and Language Therapist? This is your clinical classroom. If you are a Linguistics, Psychology, or Speech and Language Therapy graduate looking to build real-world experience before your MSc or NHS placement, this role offers something unique. You will be working with children who have speech and language challenges, global developmental delay, and complex communication needs—gaining hands‑on exposure to the very challenges you will treat as a qualified speech and language therapist.

Aspiring Speech and Language Therapist – Learning Support Assistant Maidenhead – Education and Training – Aspiring Speech and Language Therapist – Learning Support Assistant Maidenhead

• Understand Communication in All Its Forms: Many of the students we support are non-verbal or have significant speech and language delays. You will learn to recognise and interpret alternative forms of communication—from gestures and facial expressions to behaviour and vocalisations—building the foundational skills every SLT needs to assess and support children with complex needs.
• Support the Development of Functional Communication: You will work alongside speech and language therapists to implement communication programmes, using tools such as Makaton, PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System), and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. This hands‑on experience gives you a significant advantage when you begin your SLT placements.
• Understand the Link Between Communication and Behaviour: Many of the students we support experience frustration, anxiety, and challenging behaviour because they cannot express their needs, wants, or emotions verbally. You will learn how to identify communication breakdowns and support children to find alternative ways to make themselves understood—a crucial skill for any speech and language therapist.
• Develop Your Clinical Observation
  
  Skills:
  
  You will learn to assess a child’s receptive and expressive language, attention and listening skills, and social communication abilities in real-world settings. You will see how environmental factors, sensory needs, and physical positioning impact a child’s ability to communicate effectively.
• Build Therapeutic Rapport with Non‑Verbal Children: Communication is about more than words. You will learn to build trust through consistency, active listening, and patience—skills that are essential when working with children who have speech and language challenges or cognitive impairments.

Aspiring Speech and Language Therapist – Learning Support Assistant Maidenhead – Education and Training – Aspiring Speech and Language Therapist – Learning Support Assistant Maidenhead

This specialist provision in Maidenhead supports young people with:

• Speech and language difficulties
• Global developmental delay
• Physical disabilities and mobility challenges
• Complex health needs and sensory processing differences
• Social communication difficulties

Your role will focus on supporting students to access their education, building their communication confidence, and helping them develop the functional language and social skills they need for daily life.

Aspiring Speech and Language Therapist – Learning Support Assistant Maidenhead – Education and Training – Aspiring Speech and Language Therapist – Learning Support Assistant Maidenhead

• Speech and Language Therapists (Paediatric or Dysphagia specialisms)
• Occupational Therapists
• Educational or Clinical Psychologists
• Special Educational Needs (SEN) Professionals
• Mental Health Practitioners

• Supporting pupils 1:1 and in small groups…