The Role

Could you work in a lively school environment with children & young people who sometimes have unidentified speech and communication difficulty?

Do you have experience of assessing and diagnosing speech, language and communication needs?

If yes, this could be the role for you!

Wandsworth Pupil Referral Units are looking to recruit a part time (3.5 days a week) Speech and Language Therapist on a permanent basis to join our amazing team and help play a central role in achieving positive outcomes for children.

This role is employed under the Shared Staffing Arrangement between Richmond and Wandsworth Councils. Staff are expected to deliver high quality and responsive services wherever they are based, as well as having the ability to adapt to sometimes differing processes and expectations.

About the service

Wandsworth’s Pupil Referral Units provide support to primary and secondary aged children and is set over three sites - Victoria Drive, Francis Barber: Franciscan and Westdean.

Victoria Drive Primary Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) works with all Wandsworth primary schools to provide support for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Victoria Drive PRU values a multidisciplinary approach and has a CAMHS team, play therapists, sports mentor, learning mentor, attendance mentor and a social worker.

Francis Barber works with groups of pupils who have found it challenging in mainstream schools or who have complex special needs. There is a large and experienced staff team working together to maximise pupil progress and achievement.

We were inspected by OFSTED in December 2017 and received a Good report. Behaviour and Safety were identified as outstanding features of the school. Our Pupil Referral Units is a friendly place to work and there are a variety of lessons and activities taking place. These along with good key working help young people make changes which enable them to be successful in their education.

About the Team

The role sits within the Pupil Referral Units but the post holder would be supervised by an experienced highly specialist Speech and Language Therapist based within Wandsworth’s Youth Offending Team. This would provide the advantage of access to a multidisciplinary team.

Francis Barber and Victoria Drive Pupil Referral Unit deliver educational provisions for disaffected children and young people and those for whom mainstream education has proved difficult. There is provision also for pupils with complex special needs. The PRU aims to be a place where pupils are supported to prepare for reintegration back into learning. The role of speech and language would therefore have a major contribution towards achieving this.

Our Pupil Referral Units is a friendly place to work and there are a variety of lessons and activities taking place. These along with good key working help young people make changes which enable them to be successful in their education.

About the role

The main purpose of the job is to support children with identified SaLT needs; EHCPs and be responsible for the management of a general caseload of children/young people with speech, language and communication disorders who attend Wandsworth Pupil Referral Units. The role requires an ability to prioritise workload, assess, diagnose and treat/manage interventions ensuring that programmes are integral to children’s education and development.

As the Speech and Language Therapist in the PRU your work will be spread across a 3.5 day week, 2.5 days will be spent working with children in the Secondary PRU, O.5 days will be spent working with children in the Primary PRU and 0.5 days will be spent completing administrative tasks and attending supervision.

To be shortlisted your CV and personal statement will cover the following:

• To operate as practitioner with a knowledge of learning disability and/or autism and associated mental health difficulties.
• Knowledge of the clinical evidence base, assessment and intervention approaches relevant to speech, language, and communication difficulties.
• Experience of providing universal training for staff and parents.
• Some experience of practice placement or working as a Speech and Language Therapist within an educational setting
• Experience of managing, organising and prioritising workload and caseload need and associated report writing.
• Registration with professional and governing bodies HCPC & RCSLT.

If you enjoy working with young people, have initiative and are a good team player we would welcome your application.

Contact details

For an informal discussion, please contact Paulette Edwards on Paulette.Edwards@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk

Benefits

We recognise the importance of a good balance between work and home life so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working including, working from home, compressed or part-time hours, term time only, job shares and other arrangements. Please just let us know in your application or at any stage throughout the process (and beyond) if these are options you’d like to explore.

We also offer a generous holiday allowance of 39 paid days (pro rata) including bank holidays and a wide range of learning and development opportunities. In addition, we offer a comprehensive range of staff benefits such as membership of the Local Government pension scheme, childcare vouchers, new technology scheme, interest-free loans on annual travel cards, discounts with many leisure activities, restaurants, shops and other establishments.

Indicative Recruitment Timeline

• Closing Date: 11:59pm Sunday 24^th October 2021
• Shortlisting Date: Week commencing 25^th October 2021
• Interview Date: Week commencing 1^st November 2021

Useful Information: The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. We strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Please note that the advertised dates for interviews may change due to the current Covid-19 situation. If they do, we will let you know as soon as possible. Your health and wellbeing is our top priority. Should you become unwell due to Covid-19 during the recruitment process we would very much appreciate receiving an update from you as soon as possible.

Equality Statement

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.

Important Information

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

How to apply?

To be considered for interview your application must highlight your knowledge, skills and experience listed in the Job Profile located at the bottom

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils