Speech And Language Therapy Assistant

The starting salary for this position is £18,512 per annum based on a 28.80 hours per week (4 days) across 42 weeks per year. The role is term time, plus an additional 12 days per year. The full time equivalent for this role is £ 24,977.

We can also consider applicants looking to work 5 days a week (36 hours), across 42 weeks of the year. The starting salary for this would be £23,140 per annum.

The North West Surrey Schools Speech and Language Therapy team is excited to be hiring a Speech and Language Therapy Assistant to join us! We are a large and supportive team and can offer you line management, peer observations, joint working and a thorough induction and in-house training programme.

Your office base will be in Woking although we promote agile and hybrid working. You will work in a patch of mainstream schools in the North West of Surrey (Woking, Runnymede & Surrey Heath) for part of the week and also within one of our specialist school settings. All therapy staff are provided with a laptop and mobile phone to allow hybridworking, and we are committed to providing a healthy work life balance, considering flexible working wherever possible.

Rewards and Benefits

• Flexible working around core school hours, with mobile and agile working solutions
• Belonging to a team of students, therapists and assistants led by a Therapies Manager who is a SLT
• Comprehensive clinical supervision programme including a buddy, 1:1 meetings with line manager, extensive in house training programme and formal external training opportunities, access to clinical effectiveness groups, case study groups, termly team study days
• The unique opportunity to work as part of a team of specialist SLTAs with a wide range of knowledge and experience working in primary, secondary and post-16 settings
• Opportunities to develop coaching skills by taking on support of other assistants. Training and support is provided
• Generous local government salary-related pension and the option to join the car lease scheme
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• Up to 5 days of carer’s leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave

About the team

The School-Aged Speech and Language Therapy Service is part of Surrey County Council’s local SEND offer, working collaboratively in the Inclusion & Additional Needs team in Surrey Children, Families and Lifelong Learning directorate, with other teams like educational psychology and specialist teachers.

We aim to deliver the right support at the right time through assessment and intervention; equipping families and professionals with the skills and resources to work together and support children with SLCN. Our service model offers universal, targeted and specialist support for children, families, and the school workforce, and work with children and young people with EHCPs (Education, Health & Care Plan) and those at SEN (Special Education Needs) support.

About the Role

As a Speech and Language Therapy Assistant you will play a pivotal role in supporting children to achieve the outcomes agreed by a Speech and Language Therapist in conjunction with the school and family, through a range of activities which will include:

• Working individually with a child/ young person within the school
• Modelling strategies to class teachers/ teaching assistants
• Working with a small group
• Creating resources for the therapy team

We will offer you:

• A strong supervision model to support you in your role and to develop you in your career
• Continuing Professional Development through in house and external training
• A dedicated and supportive team

Shortlisting criteria

To be considered for shortlisting for this position your application will clearly evidence:

• Experience of working with children and young people either within mainstream or specialist schools and centres
• Experience of working on communication and interaction targets
• Ability to adapt your approach and communication style to help children communicate
• A passion for championing children’s voices
• Ability to work flexibly and independently
• Ability and willingness to travel around the county to meet the demands of the role

Contact us

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment. For an informal discussion please contact Sarah O’Driscoll via email at sarah.odriscoll@surreycc.gov.uk

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 18.04.2024 with interviews to follow.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

An enhanced DBS ‘Disclosure and Barring Service’ check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children’s and Adults’ Barred List checks will be required for this role.

Our Values

Our values are as important as our abilities and shape who we are as an organisation. Discover more about our values.

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description. Our Life at Surrey handbook also attached provides insights of the culture at Surrey and how as a valued employee, you can help shape our Council.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applications where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role.

We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.