Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist - Mainstream Schools

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Information:

This job is now closed

Job summary

Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist

We have an exciting opportunity for a Band 7 Speech and Language Therapist to join the large and friendly mainstream schools team in the outer London borough of Hillingdon.

Main duties of the job

We can offer you

  • An identified buddy who will meet with you every week at first to help you settle in and who you can ask lots of questions - including colleagues at Band 7 and well being reps
  • Regular supervision meetings with the team leader every 6 weeks where you can get support and discuss any issues, along with an annual appraisal
  • Termly peer supervision meetings across the wider speech and language therapy teams where you can discuss ideas for developing the speech and language therapy service and read articles which impact across teams
  • Half termly "band 7 schools team meetings" where you can discuss difficult situations, develop ideas for the schools team, share out tasks and receive support
  • A busy but manageable caseload across a range of schools - primary and secondary
  • Opportunities for remote working in school using a laptop with Lync phone facilities
  • Frequent opportunities to come back to the newly refurbished office where you can give and receive informal support from the team - as well as opportunities to work from home
  • Opportunities to develop your clinical skills and knowledge through termly study afternoons, shadowing other experienced therapists, membership of a CEN, personal training budget, opportunities to invite fellow senior therapists for a joint consultation
  • Opportunities to develop your management skills via training, shadowing, leading projects, formal and informal support of team members, working with more experienced colleagues etc

About us

We are proud to say that the service has:

  • Excellent relationships with schools - 91% of SENCO's report that they are happy or very happy with the service
  • Good relationships with parents - 92.5% of parents report that they are happy or very happy with the service. A parent representative attends all of the mainstream schools meetings and parent feedback is sought for new developments
  • Good outcome measures with children making progress on 94% of the targets set for them each term and positive Teacher Reported Outcome Measures
  • Good partnerships with colleagues in the Local Authority
  • An annual service improvement plan in order to ensure that the service is continually evolving and developing
  • A strong track record on innovation and service development

    "I have worked for the Hillingdon Mainstream Schools team since I began as a newly qualified therapist in 2011 and have found it to be a fantastic place for developing skills and knowledge in a wide variety of clinical areas. The team is friendly, supportive and positive in nature! There is a big emphasis on supervision, peer support and CPD and we are encouraged to seek opportunities for developing our clinical and leadership skills. We have a strong presence in mainstream schools across Hillingdon and are proactive in developing and maintaining good links with other agencies in the borough. I enjoy the variation here and feel valued for both the clinical and supervisory aspects of my role." - Catherine - Band 7

Date posted

15 June 2022

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£45,024 to £50,806 a year per annum inc HCAS (pro rata if p/t)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

333-G-HC-0998-H

Job locations

Wood End Centre

Judge Heath Lane

Hillingdon

UB3 2PB


Job description

Job responsibilities

Band 7 Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

  • You will be responsible for the assessment and therapy for the children attending your allocated schools who have identified SLCN needs including: language difficulties, speech difficulties, stammering, selective mutism, learning difficulties and ASD
  • Your postmay include a mixture of primary and secondary mainstream schools
  • You will have the opportunity to work directly with the children/young people in groups and individually with an LSA observing the sessions in order to carry out follow up work
  • You will offer training, advice and support to school staff
  • You will support parents and keep in regular 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 set and review targets/ care plans with school staff /parents
  • You will jointly plan how to use your time in schools with the SENCO each term; allowing you to be flexible, creative and effective
  • You will lead on audits etc in order to provide evidence that the service being provided is being effective
  • You will lead on projects which form part of the service improvement plan
  • You will offer formal supervision and appraisals to more junior therapists in the team, as well as informal support to the wider team at the end of the day
  • You will offer joint consultations to the wider SLT team
  • You will run workshops to support the wider SLT team
  • You will run training workshops for parents and school staff
  • You will support the team leader with developing the service and contributing ideas
  • You will deputise for the team leader as requested with support from your peers

Vaccination

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Band 7 Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

  • You will be responsible for the assessment and therapy for the children attending your allocated schools who have identified SLCN needs including: language difficulties, speech difficulties, stammering, selective mutism, learning difficulties and ASD
  • Your postmay include a mixture of primary and secondary mainstream schools
  • You will have the opportunity to work directly with the children/young people in groups and individually with an LSA observing the sessions in order to carry out follow up work
  • You will offer training, advice and support to school staff
  • You will support parents and keep in regular 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 set and review targets/ care plans with school staff /parents
  • You will jointly plan how to use your time in schools with the SENCO each term; allowing you to be flexible, creative and effective
  • You will lead on audits etc in order to provide evidence that the service being provided is being effective
  • You will lead on projects which form part of the service improvement plan
  • You will offer formal supervision and appraisals to more junior therapists in the team, as well as informal support to the wider team at the end of the day
  • You will offer joint consultations to the wider SLT team
  • You will run workshops to support the wider SLT team
  • You will run training workshops for parents and school staff
  • You will support the team leader with developing the service and contributing ideas
  • You will deputise for the team leader as requested with support from your peers

Vaccination

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

Person Specification

Education and qualifications

Essential

  • Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree qualification or equivalent (minimum of 2:2 or equivalent)
  • Further training courses relevant to the post
  • Attendance at special interest group/ clinical excellence group
  • Health and Care Professions Council licence to practice.
  • Registered member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists

Desirable

  • First class honours degree or equivalent
  • Extensive training relevant to the post

Previous experience

Essential

  • Extensive experience of working in a mainstream/special school as a therapist
  • Experience of leading on a project to improve/develop the service
  • Experience of providing informal support to less experienced colleagues
  • Experience of supervising students

Desirable

  • Experience of formally supervising less experienced staff
  • Experience of leading appraisals for less experienced staff

Skills and knowledge

Essential

  • In-depth knowledge of a range of appropriate therapy approaches, and experience in using them with school age children with SLCN including: speech, language, stammering, social communication, selective mutism.
  • Knowledge of national policies and procedures relevant to school age children with SLCN.
  • Experience of contributing to an audit

Desirable

  • Experience of leading clinical audits

Attitudes, aptitudes, personal characteristics

Essential

  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with professionals, children and their families
  • Excellent empathy skills
  • Evidence of being a pro-active and supportive team member.
  • Good negotiation and problem solving skills.
  • Good analytical and reflection skills.
  • Well developed concentration skills.
  • Good presentation skills; both written and verbal.
  • Good organisational skills and ability to prioritise and meet deadlines

Others

Essential

  • Good IT skills
  • Car driver and owner

Desirable

  • Excellent IT skills
Person Specification

Education and qualifications

Essential

  • Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree qualification or equivalent (minimum of 2:2 or equivalent)
  • Further training courses relevant to the post
  • Attendance at special interest group/ clinical excellence group
  • Health and Care Professions Council licence to practice.
  • Registered member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists

Desirable

  • First class honours degree or equivalent
  • Extensive training relevant to the post

Previous experience

Essential

  • Extensive experience of working in a mainstream/special school as a therapist
  • Experience of leading on a project to improve/develop the service
  • Experience of providing informal support to less experienced colleagues
  • Experience of supervising students

Desirable

  • Experience of formally supervising less experienced staff
  • Experience of leading appraisals for less experienced staff

Skills and knowledge

Essential

  • In-depth knowledge of a range of appropriate therapy approaches, and experience in using them with school age children with SLCN including: speech, language, stammering, social communication, selective mutism.
  • Knowledge of national policies and procedures relevant to school age children with SLCN.
  • Experience of contributing to an audit

Desirable

  • Experience of leading clinical audits

Attitudes, aptitudes, personal characteristics

Essential

  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with professionals, children and their families
  • Excellent empathy skills
  • Evidence of being a pro-active and supportive team member.
  • Good negotiation and problem solving skills.
  • Good analytical and reflection skills.
  • Well developed concentration skills.
  • Good presentation skills; both written and verbal.
  • Good organisational skills and ability to prioritise and meet deadlines

Others

Essential

  • Good IT skills
  • Car driver and owner

Desirable

  • Excellent IT skills

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Wood End Centre

Judge Heath Lane

Hillingdon

UB3 2PB


Employer's website

https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/work (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Wood End Centre

Judge Heath Lane

Hillingdon

UB3 2PB


Employer's website

https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/work (Opens in a new tab)

For questions about the job, contact:

Team Leader - Mainstream Schools Team

Wendy Botten

wendy.botten@nhs.net

01895488200

Date posted

15 June 2022

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£45,024 to £50,806 a year per annum inc HCAS (pro rata if p/t)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

333-G-HC-0998-H

Job locations

Wood End Centre

Judge Heath Lane

Hillingdon

UB3 2PB


Supporting documents

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