Occupational Therapy Assistant - Alfriston School

Overview

We are looking for a motivated Occupational Therapy Assistant to join our clinical team at Alfriston School, a special educational needs school for girls aged 11-18 with moderate learning difficulties. In this role, you will help deliver personalised interventions to improve students' daily living skills, sensory processing, and overall functional abilities. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in pursuing Occupational Therapy, offering hands-on experience and the chance to work with a multidisciplinary team in both our school and residential provision. You will contribute to developing innovative practices and gain valuable exposure to various OT techniques and approaches.

Term time only

Salary Type: Bucks pay

Salary details: Bucks Pay Range 3 ISN 16-20 Pro Rata, £27,310 - £29,925 Actual Salary £20,482 - £22,443 (Depending on Experience)

Contract type: Permanent

Hours: Full Time; 37 Hours Monday to Friday 3x Days Per Week 8.30am-4.30pm, 1x Day 2.00pm-9.00pm 1x Day 8.30am-4.00pm (with a daily 30-minute unpaid break)

Closing date: 10/02/2025 09:00

Interviews to be held: Thursday 13th February 2025

Start Date: As soon as possible

About us

Alfriston is an outstanding Special School with Academy status for girls aged 11-18 with moderate learning difficulties and speech and language and communication difficulties. We currently have 164 girls on roll. All the pupils have an Education Health Care Plan and are taught in small groups and with additional support. Our staff are specialist subject teachers and are experienced in working with a range of special needs and abilities. Pupils attend Alfriston from all over Buckinghamshire and some neighbouring counties. We also have weekly boarding provision for 20 pupils.

We consider the staff team as our most valuable resource. Training and development is a high priority in the school. There is also personal support given to staff to manage the diverse and challenging work needed to support pupils with significant special needs. At present there are 70 staff employed at the school working in the teaching, support, residential and administrative teams. We are proud of the excellent standard of education provided at Alfriston.

http://www.alfristonschool.com/

About the role

Position: Occupational Therapy Assistant
Reporting To: Head of Wellbeing

Main Purpose of Job
• To provide support to the Occupational Therapy team at Alfriston School and assist in developing the school's Occupational Therapy practices, ensuring a high-quality service is delivered to students. Your role will help maximize students' learning, independence, and overall functional abilities, contributing to their growth and well-being in a special educational needs setting.
• Provide a flexible, evidence-based service for pupils and their families, fostering collaboration with education staff, external professionals, and families to deliver outstanding, holistic support throughout their time at Alfriston School and in preparation for adulthood.
• Implement the Balanced System approach (universal, targeted, and specialist) to support secondary-aged pupils with learning disabilities and associated social, language, and communication needs.
• Manage a defined caseload, deliver therapy programmes, and contribute to Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCPs).
• Deliver and participate in specialist training to help pupils achieve their full potential.
• Embed therapeutic strategies across the curriculum through an integrated approach to support diverse social, language, and communication needs.
• Provide specialist long and short-term interventions as identified by the Occupational Therapy team to address specific functional needs in a specialist educational environment.
• Apply effective approaches to teaching and learning for children with autism spectrum conditions and/or moderate learning disabilities within an educational setting.

Clinical Responsibilities
• Adhere to clinical standards, alongside Alfriston School policies (e.g., clinical supervision, record keeping and professional practice).
• To work within relevant service, clinical, and professional guidelines in developing and delivering both group and individual therapeutic interventions, engaging students in activities that support their occupational development.
• To collaborate with students to identify specific occupational goals during therapy sessions, contributing to the overall occupational therapy care plan.
• To plan and implement individual or group interventions, working closely with students and/or their carers, using meaningful, graded activities to help achieve set occupational goals.
• To demonstrate an understanding of and apply the principles of occupational therapy to support student progress.
• To clearly articulate and promote the role of occupational therapy within the school environment, ensuring its integration into student support plans.
• To assist the Occupational Therapist in implementing and reviewing individual manual handling programmes to support students' physical needs and safety.
• To assist the Occupational Therapist in implementing and reviewing individual and group therapy programs, such as seating arrangements, upper limb exercises, and sensory diets, to support students’ functional development.
• To manage a caseload under supervision, following the guidelines and programs set out after initial assessments and implementation by the Occupational Therapist.
• To work independently when required, carrying out tasks and interventions prescribed by the Occupational Therapist to support students' needs.

About you

Residential Integration
• This role includes one afternoon/evening shift (1-9pm, with a break) in the school's boarding provision, where you will support the integrated Occupational Therapy services.
• You will ensure the OT needs of the boarders are met, including assistance with fine/gross motor skills, independent living skills, sensory integration, and more.
• You will help develop and contribute to boarding therapy support plans, providing intervention and input as needed to ensure a high-quality service that enhances students' learning, independence, and overall functional abilities, supporting their growth and wellbeing in the residential environment.

Essential Experience
Experience of working as a therapy assistant or discipline specific assistant in an educational/health setting
Experience of working with groups of people in health care, teaching or voluntary organisations.

Essential Knowledge and Skills
Ability to use a variety of methods to teach occupational skills to students/carers and staff.
Basic IT skills and ability to use standard packages.
Ability to motivate client group.
Ability to work under pressure.
Understanding of team dynamics and ability to work as part of a team.
Knowledge different learning and physical disabilities
Effective communication skills (verbal and non-verbal), written and oral.
Awareness of basic health, safety and risk issues in the workplace.

Interpersonal Skills
Approachable
Integrity
Good listening skills
Non-judgemental
Motivational skills
Enthusiasm

Please see advert for full details

Other information

Visits to the school are warmly welcome. To arrange a visit or to find out more about the role, please contact Ellie Davison on the number below. Please send completed application forms to the email address below.

Tel No: 01494 673740
Email: [email protected]

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children which will be reflected throughout recruitment. The selected candidate will be required to provide suitable references and undergo an enhanced Disclosure and Barring (DBS) check before taking up the post.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance issued by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

It is an offence to apply for the role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children. All shortlisted applicants will be required to complete self-disclosure form and return prior to interview.