Job summary
- Main area
- Speech & Language Therapy
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 5
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 220-WHT-3801
- Employer
- Whittington Health NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- The Bridge School
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £37,259 - £45,356 Per Annum Including HCAS
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 13/04/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Speech and Language Therapist SEN Schools
NHS AfC: Band 5
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Job overview
We have an exciting opportunity for a Speech and Language working within Specialist School Settings in Islington. Islington Additional Needs Service (IANDS) is a multi-agency Team that supports children with complex needs across the borough.
The speech and language therapy service for children with complex needs is recognised for its excellence and attracts a significant number of clients from other London boroughs. We have strong working relationships with our partner agencies and are co-located within the special schools
The post would be suitable for newly qualified speech and language therapist or an experienced Band 5 looking to develop their clinical experience working in a special schools environment.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will work in the multidisciplinary and multi-agency environment to provide a clinical Speech and Language Therapy service for school-aged children who have special educational needs (SEN) related to autism spectrum condition, learning disability, physical disability, sensory impairment and social and emotional behaviour difficulties. They will be responsible for managing and prioritising a defined caseload, independently accessing planned supervision to support the process. The post holder will have opportunities to develop both assessment and intervention skills.
With the support of more experienced colleagues, the postholder will provide a universal and targeted speech and language therapy service which includes the advising, training and upskilling of parents, carers, and school staff to support children with complex communication needs. They will also provide direct interventions including assessment, liaison, and episodes of face-to-face therapy for individual/groups of children and young people as well as work within the MDT.
The postholder will liaise with educational colleagues in order to undertake joint planning and reviewing of targets, production of reports, and contributing to EHCP processes.
Working for our organisation
Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
CLINICAL
To provide assessment, treatment, and management of speech, language and communication difficulties in children and young people with SEN attending Islington Special Schools.
To develop clinical knowledge and skills in appropriate specialist assessment, intervention, and management of speech, language, and communication difficulties in children and young people with SEN, seeking support and supervision from clinical supervisor as appropriate.
To develop knowledge in special educational needs including learning disability, autism, sensory and physical disabilities, underpinned by current evidence based practice and outcome measures.
To develop the ability to reflect on auditory, visual, and kinaesthetic aspects of clients’ communication and to identify appropriate strategies to facilitate and enhance communicative effectiveness.
To develop and demonstrate specialist knowledge in Augmentative and Alternative Communication assessment and interventions.
To make appropriate clinical decisions on evidence from assessment of complex cases, seeking advice as appropriate.
To develop clear care plans based on best practice.
To demonstrate clinical effectiveness reflecting on evidence-based practice and outcome measures.
To provide advice to others regarding the management and care of children with communication difficulties.
To communicate complex condition related information to carers, families and members of the multi-disciplinary team/other professions, demonstrating empathy and ensuring that effective communication is achieved, particularly where barriers to understanding exist.
To work closely with children/young people carers, MDT and families, in order to agree plan of management.
To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible, and seek guidance from clinical supervisor or team lead as required.
To form productive relationships with others who may be under stress and/or have challenging communication difficulties.
To demonstrate excellent communication skills.
To demonstrate skills in motivating clients and /or parents/carers to engage in the therapeutic process.
To maintain sensitivity at all times to the emotional needs of children with special and complex needs and their carers, in particular when imparting potentially distressing information regarding the nature of the client’s difficulties and implications of the same.
To develop and demonstrate the ability to manage children with behaviours of concern including being aware of behaviour management plans, liaising with the MDT, and seeking appropriate consultation as appropriate.
To monitor and review the progress of children and young people against the targets set and agreed, and to modify targets as appropriate.
To adapt practice to meet individual client circumstances.
To reflect on clinical practice both individually and with peers identifying strengths and needs and providing evidence of sound clinical judgements based on research and the evidence based practice.
To be aware of legal requirements relating to the provision of a speech and language therapy service.
To maintain up to date and accurate case notes and write reports reflecting highly specialist knowledge, ensuring that they meet departmental standards and are in line with local Trust Policy, and RCSLT professional standards.
To demonstrate knowledge of current policies and practice in education and incorporate these into the model of working as appropriate.
To manage and prioritise a defined caseload independently, independently accessing planned supervision to support the process and inform service lead/team lead on issues of service delivery including shortfall, service pressures etc.
To develop and demonstrate skills in dealing with complex issues to generate appropriate strategies for caseload management.
To contribute to multi-agency assessment procedures as required.
To demonstrate good negotiation skills across a range of issues and situations, recognising and resolving potential breakdown and conflict when it occurs.
To ensure that children and young people are referred to other services as appropriate.
To monitor and evaluate specialist service delivery and provide progress reports as required.
To demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the issues associated with clinical governance and their application to professional practice. This will include compliance with / adherence to, and implementation of service and service area and Trust policies, National and Local guidelines and RCSLT Professional and Clinical and Guidelines.
To develop a working knowledge of relevant procedures including: Safeguarding Children, SEN procedures, Mental Capacity Act, working with Vulnerable Adults and other legal frameworks.
To be accountable for professional action and recognising professional boundaries, and working within defined departmental and national protocols/policies and professional code of conduct.
To work independently accessing appraisal within an Personal Development Review at pre-determined intervals.
Person specification
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Experience of working with children with special education needs
Desirable criteria
- Experience in working in a special schools setting
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team
Desirable criteria
- Experience of developing and implementing clinically based projects.
Skills
Essential criteria
- Select and plan out basic assessment and intervention approaches accurately, demonstrating good clinical rationale
Desirable criteria
- Ability to make reasonable adjustments to meet the diverse needs of clients with complex communication difficulties and their families
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Kirsty Hammond
- Job title
- Team Lead, Bridge Schools
- Email address
- [email protected]
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