Band 6/7 Speech and Language Therapist

Location: Sutton Orchard Hill College is an Outstanding Specialist College (Ofsted, April 2025) offering life-changing learning opportunities to young people and adults with a range of special education needs and/or disabilities. We operate vibrant community-based College Centres across London and Surrey, where committed specialist teams deliver a variety of programmes designed to meet the diverse needs of our students. Students who study with us have a wide range of needs including profound and multiple learning disabilities, communication and behavioural difficulties and specific medical needs. All students are individual, and their learning programme is designed to support and empower them to achieve their aspirations and goals, whilst developing skills to become more independent members of their community.

We are looking for a Speech & Language Therapist who loves working with people with Learning Disabilities in creative, functional and person-centred ways. You will deliver a Speech & Language Therapy service at a universal and/or individual level, as clinically required.

Key Responsibilities:

• To use a person centred approach to promote choice, independence, and inclusion, reflecting the key principles of Valuing People (DOH 2002), Valuing People Now and the Human Rights Act and working towards the Preparing for Adulthood Agenda, in order to enable the student to achieve his/her academic, social and employment potential.
• To maintain and model the highest level of respect at all times for students and their families, modelling person centred, neurodiverse affirming and collaborative working, at all times promoting students' human rights, dignity and individual choices.
• To work with external agencies (e.g. Schools, work placements, social services) to ensure smooth transition of student’s communication and eating and drinking information, both into and when leaving the college.
• To assess student’s communication, eating & drinking and learning environment needs using a range of formal and informal assessments and observations and manage clinical caseload independently, including the use of AAC.
• To enable teaching and support staff to deliver the curriculum at an appropriate language and communication level through contributing to support plans, planning & delivering staff training, coaching and reflecting with staff and class observations.

Key Requirements:

• Degree in Speech and Language Therapy or equivalent.
• Eligibility for membership of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.
• Experience with young people who have moderate/severe/profound and multiple learning disabilities and Autism and ability to work autonomously and competently in the areas of communication, including Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and eating and drinking.
• Experience working within an educational setting with sound competencies in eating and drinking and communication work including Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).

Benefits:

• Pathways for progression within the trust, ensuring you can grow and thrive in a supportive and inclusive environment.
• Pension Scheme - you will be enrolled in either the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) or the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS), both offering life cover and financial protection for your family.
• Salary Sacrifice Schemes (Cycle Scheme, Employee Car Lease Scheme and Home Electronics Scheme).
• Employee Wellbeing - We support employee wellbeing with access to counselling, mental health support, generous leave, flexible working, and enhanced parental leave including Employee Assistance Programme, MyGym Discounts, Corporate Eyecare Scheme and Free Virtual GP Appointments.
• Employee Discounts (Blue Light Card, Costco Membership, Discounts for Teachers, and more).
• Other (Season Ticket Loan and Employee Referral Scheme).

Our Trust The College is an Academy sponsor and established Orchard Hill College Academy Trust in 2013 which is home to 13 special schools. Together Orchard Hill College & Academy Trust provide for over 1500 pupils and students with SEN across London, Surrey, Sussex and Berkshire. To find out more about us, and what makes us a special place to work please visit our vacancies page. Working together to transform lives is what we do and across the whole organisation we have a range of experts and practitioners who advocate for children and young people with SEND to ensure they receive the best possible opportunities to achieve their full potential. As a large specialist education provider we employ over 1500 people across our schools, college and central support team. There is a wide range of job roles available, ranging from teaching and therapy to business support roles and significant career progression opportunities. It is an exciting time to be part of OHC and we are keen to recruit talented people who can play a key role in realising our mission and who want to make a difference. In return, we offer training and development, competitive pay and benefits in a positive and inclusive working environment. We are committed to promoting and advancing equality of opportunity by attracting and retaining the most diverse range of students, staff and partners.