Highly specialist speech & language therapist - mainstream schools

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust; Ealing; On-site; GBP 53,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider is seeking a Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist for mainstream schools in Ealing. This permanent position offers the chance to work with a varied caseload, develop therapy skills, and collaborate with professionals and families to support children's communication needs. Minimum commitment of 22.5 hours per week required. Salary ranges from £53,751 to £60,651 annually, reflecting the importance of inclusivity and staff well-being in the workplace.

Qualifications

• Postgraduate experience in assessments for children with communication difficulties.
• Evidence of continuing professional development in speech and language therapy.
• Ability to implement management plans for children including ASD.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist speech and language therapy service in schools.
• Train and support school staff and parents.
• Assess children with communication needs.

Skills

Excellent interpersonal skills

Analytical skills

Organizational skills

Presentation skills

Education

Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree

Registration with Health Professions Council

Job description

Job title

Highly specialist speech & language therapist - mainstream schools

The closing date is 07 October 2025

Do you want to be part of a forward thinking, innovative team?

Are you interested in applying your clinical skills to the rich and diverse community of Ealing?

Do you want to work for an SLT service that is committed to Equality Diversity and Inclusion and Staff Wellbeing?

We have an exciting opportunity for Speech and Language Therapists to join the Ealing team working in Mainstream Schools.

Please note that applicants must be able to commit to working a minimum of 22.5 hours per week (3 days/0.6 wte) within the Ealing Speech and Language Therapy team.

This permanent position would provide the potential to work with a varied caseload across primary and secondary settings. The successful applicant will further develop and consolidate their speech and language therapy knowledge in a highly supportive environment whilst learning and advancing their skills within Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy. We will consider split posts and / or flexible working opportunities.

Main duties of the job

You will work in close partnership with parents/carers and professionals to provide support at a universal, targeted and specialist level for children, young people and their families. This exciting post will provide a varied opportunity for assessment and intervention for children with a range of communication needs referred into the service. Opportunities to deliver training and workshops to parents and professionals will also be integral to this post. As part of Ealing Services for Children with Additional Needs (ESCAN) the posts will also involve regular collaborative working with other professionals.

You will be part of a forward thinking department that provides a range of services and is always striving to be innovative and put research into practice to improve patient outcomes: Developing our team members in their career path is the corner-stone of this. This will be an ideal opportunity for a therapist looking to develop their skills in paediatric speech and language therapy who also has values that align with those of our organisation and is passionate about making a difference to children and young people.

The needs of the communities we serve can change requiring the service to evolve and develop. In light of this, the duties required in this role may also change in line with the service and therefore the successful candidate needs to be flexible to accommodate this.

About us

We\'re thrilled that you are thinking of joining us. With the new Elizabeth line, our trust has never been so well-connected making it easier to further your career with us!

Ealing is a leafy green and bustling borough situated in West London. Ealing\'s vibrant multi-cultural population makes the services we offer variable and personalised with a flexible approach to our service users. Every day brings a fresh challenge to our staff and being part of our service gives you the opportunity to work as one cohesive team. We are fortunate to work in one of the most ethnically diverse boroughs in the UK, and we are striving to ensure our team reflects the communities we serve.

Keeping children and young people\'s education, health and well-being at the centre of decision making to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Ealing Speech & Language Therapy Department feel strongly that Continual Professional Development is central to the delivery of the service and the development of the staff who work within it.

Ealing Speech and Language Therapy department is a friendly team who embody the Trust values of Compassion, Respect, Empowerment and Partnership. We are committed to providing care and services which are inclusive and treat everyone with respect. The trust is committed to supporting equality, diversity and inclusion and have an Inclusive Heritage Staff Network whose focus is to improve EDI, staff voice and experience and promoting active bystander behaviour.

Job responsibilities

• To provide a highly specialist speech and language therapy service to children in mainstream schools who have an identified speech/language/communication need. This role will include primary and secondary schools.
• To be responsible for providing highly specialist assessment & therapy packages into allocated schools.
• To train and support school staff & parents, in order for them to implement therapy advice effectively.
• To support schools with the early identification of children with speech/language/communication needs.
• To meet regularly with the SENCO to ensure that the needs of the schools are being met.
• To prioritise the Safeguarding of Vulnerable Children at all times
• To support the service to achieve Key Performance Indicators and maintain Target Activity Levels
• To lead on identified audits and service improvement projects for the team/service
• To lead on identified clinical working groups for the service
• To deliver workshops for the wider speech and language therapy team
• To deliver training workshops for parents and school staff
• To offer joint consultations to other members of the team
• To jointly lead on developing the quality of the service provided to schools
• To be responsible for the performance management of identified team members
• To formally and informally support team members
• To support the team leader in the leading and development of the team
• To deputise for the team leader in the day to day management of the team as requested.

When completing the supporting information section of your application, please ensure you show how you meet each of the criteria of the person specification providing illustrative examples where possible; as this is what you will be shortlisted against.

Please note that personalisation is essential to convey individual skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively. Over reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant\'s chances of success.

The successful applicant will have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree qualification or equivalent (minimum of 2:2 or equivalent)
• Registered member of RCSLT
• Evidence of successful completion of specialist short courses up to Master\'s degree equivalent
• Registration with Health Professions Council as a speech and language therapist

Knowledge and Experience

• Postgraduate experience of assessing, diagnosing and implementing appropriate management plans for children with a wide range of speech, language and communication difficulties, including ASD
• Evidence of continuing professional development and advanced training, e.g. Makaton, SCERTS
• Highly Specialist knowledge of assessment tools relevant to the client group
• Highly Specialist knowledge of a range of appropriate educational and therapeutic interventions effective for working in schools that are relevant to the clinical specialism and an ability to compare and contrast relative benefits
• Advanced knowledge of prioritisation issues within client group
• Postgraduate experience of developing and delivering training
• In-depth knowledge of national policies and procedures relevant to the client group
• In-depth knowledge of principles of clinical governance

Skills and Knowledge

• Demonstrate ability to be a good team member and assume leadership responsibilities
• Excellent interpersonal skills including observation, listening and empathy skills
• Excellent presentation skills, both written and verbal
• Demonstrate excellent organisational, analytical and reflection skills
• Demonstrates advanced negotiation, conflict resolution and problem solving skills
• Demonstrates excellent analytical and reflection skills

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

£53,751 to £60,651 a yearper annum incl. HCAS (pro rata if P/T)