Speech and Language Therapist - Mainstream Schools Team

Job Overview

Are you a recently qualified or soon-to-be-qualified Speech and Language Therapist? Or do you just want to try something new?

Do you love working in mainstream schools?

We have a part-time job for you!

We want to invite you to join the incredibly supportive Mainstream Schools Team working in the outer London Borough of Hillingdon.

Have a look at our Hillingdon Talks, Moves and Plays website to see if we would be a good fit for you.

"Starting my career as a Speech and Language Therapist in Hillingdon Mainstream Schools team has given me a brilliant platform to develop my clinical skills with a varied caseload. Everyone is really friendly and I feel very supported through regular peer support meetings, buddying, safeguarding supervision and supervision with a senior therapist." – Hannah, band 5.

• You will be responsible for the assessment and therapy for the children attending your allocated schools who have identified SLCN needs including developmental language disorder, speech sound disorders, stammering, selective mutism, learning difficulties and autism.
• You will work directly with the children in groups and individually with an LSA observing the sessions in order to run follow up intervention sessions.
• You will offer training, advice and support to school staff.
• You will support parents and keep in touch with them via phone calls or meetings, as well as sending them copies of care plans and targets and any reports.
• You will jointly plan how to use your time in schools with the SENCO; allowing you to be flexible, creative and effective.
• You will write statutory assessment and annual review reports.
• You will be part of clinical working groups to help develop the service.

• A bright and homely office space to come back to – where you will get informal support, be able to ask questions and talk about your day.
• Regular supervision sessions – starting at weekly/fortnightly and moving gradually to 6 weekly.
• Regular buddy sessions to help you settle into the team.
• Termly peer supervision meetings where you can discuss difficult cases, share your experiences with other band 5 colleagues.
• A busy but manageable caseload across a range of schools.
• Opportunities to work from home one day a week.
• Opportunities to develop your clinical skills through termly study afternoons, shadowing more experienced therapists, membership of a CEN, internal and external training.
• Opportunities to work on projects with small groups of more experienced therapists to develop your skills.

• To provide a service to children/young people in mainstream schools who have a speech, language or communication need.
• To be responsible for providing assessment, diagnosis & therapy packages into allocated schools.
• To train and support school staff & parents, in order to implement therapy advice effectively.
• To support schools with the early identification of children with speech/language/communication needs.
• To prioritise the safeguarding of vulnerable children at all times.
• To support the service to achieve key performance indicators and maintain target activity levels.
• To take part in quality governance, audits and projects for the team/service.
• To contribute to, and provide feedback about, possible developments in the team.

• Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree qualification or equivalent.
• Current Health and Care Professions Council licence to practice.
• Registered member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

• First‑class honours degree or equivalent.
• Further training courses relevant to the post.

• Knowledge of assessment tools relevant to school‑age children with SLCN.
• Knowledge of a range of appropriate therapy approaches for school‑age children with SLCN, including speech, language, stammering, social communication, selective mutism.
• Awareness of the roles of other professionals relevant to school‑age children with SLCN.
• Knowledge of standards of record keeping.

• Experience of assessing a range of school‑age children with SLCN independently.
• Experience of using a range of appropriate therapy approaches independently, with school‑age children.

• Experience of placements in mainstream schools.

• Experience of working as a speech and language therapist.
• Experience of working in a mainstream school as a therapist/teacher/learning support assistant.