Description

Job summary
Band 5 Speech and Language Therapist
We are looking for an enthusiastic Speech and Language Therapist to join our team working within mainstream schools within Warwickshire.

This is an exciting opportunity for a committed individual to join the children's Speech and Language Therapy team working in Warwickshire. As a department we have a great reputation for both the support we offer staff and for the high-quality services we deliver. This includes national recognition for a number of initiatives. South Warwickshire University Foundation Trust has also been awarded an 'outstanding' rating by CQC.

You will be part of a supportive team and benefit from a mentorship programme, clinical supervision and on-going CPD opportunities. We are a large team, so there is always a great depth of expertise to support staff development.

Main duties of the job
To provide Speech & Language Therapy, including assessment, treatment and management, for a caseload of school age children within a designated geographical area

About us
Come and join a Trust rated Outstanding by the CQC. South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust have been rated as outstanding following our latest inspection by the CQC and we are recruiting new staff to come and help us improve even further.

We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston-on Stour to Community Services across the county. We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity.

Our values can be summed up in one sentence. We are 'Trusted to provide safe, effective and compassionate care'. Throughout the recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you demonstrate these values and how they impact on your work. It doesn't matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.

Details
Date posted: 14 August 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 5
Salary: £32,073 to £39,043 a year per annum
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 12 months
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 203-FH1216
Job locations: Speech and Language Therapy, The Orchard Centre, Rugby/Nuneaton, CV21 3SR, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
Clinical Responsibilities

To exercise responsibility for a designated caseload of children.
To use highly developed interpersonal skills to:
Facilitate communication so that the needs of the child and family are central to the clinical process.
Play a pivotal role in ensuring effective joint working for children with communication difficulties and their families.
To prioritise own caseload and manage own workload effectively and efficiently.
To assess and analyse childrens speech, language and communication using specialist knowledge to select appropriate formal and informal assessments including standardised psychometric tests.
To formulate a diagnosis based upon assessment and case history information and information from family and other professionals.
To evaluate and make decisions about therapy options taking into account the childs educational attainments, learning style and curriculum requirements.
To formulate a detailed individual management plan based upon relevant research and best practice.
To agree options in collaboration with all those involved in order to implement the individual management plan, which may include any combination of the following:
Therapeutic intervention with children individually or in groups (in school or clinic).
Programmes jointly planned and implemented with teaching staff.
Supporting others to implement programmes according to individual needs.
Providing advice on curriculum differentiation.
Providing advice on specific strategies to employ in the classroom and / or at home.
Advising referral to other professionals where indicated.
To provide demonstration / training on how to maximise communication opportunities for the individual.
To manage childrens behaviour and motivate them to achieve positive therapy outcomes including those who have severe/complex difficulties or who may be challenging.
To recognise potential conflict or breakdown in the above process and use negotiation and problem solving skills to reach agreement.
To communicate complex and specialist information to others by way of written reports and face-to-face discussions, adapting own communication style and content to the needs of the situation.
To form productive relationships with families, recognising the need for and ensuring sensitivity and care where:
There may be emotional stress.
Difficult or potentially distressing news to be given.
There are potential barriers to communication.
To contribute Assessment advice for and reviews of a childs Education, Health & Care Plan under the provisions of the Children & Families Act and SEN Code of Practice (2014).
To attend Annual Reviews and termly reviews as required.
To liaise with other professionals and teams in a consultative capacity in relation to management of individual children and attend and contribute to meetings involving parents and other professionals (e.g. case conferences, Annual Review of Statement, etc.
To undertake workshop sessions for parents (including evening sessions) as required.
When sufficiently developed within the Band 5 post, to supervise and support SLTAs in undertaking programmes for individual children on caseload.
To work with other members of the team and members of other teams to achieve seamless, co-ordinated service provision.
To support the lead SLT in the development and provision of training / teaching packages for LA staff.
To work collaboratively with a range of multi-disciplinary and multi-agency professionals to provide high quality SLT services for children with speech, language and communication difficulties.
To act as named therapist for designated schools, providing an information and advisory service both in relation to individual children and more generally in relation to communication issues related to children with special needs.
To liaise with SLT colleagues holding specialist caseloads.
To request advice / support and second opinions from more experienced / specialist colleagues when required.
To contribute to the teams development and provision of training packages for parents, teachers and teaching assistants.
To collaborate with LA support service teachers in the provision of training / teaching packages, as required.
To promote the role of SLTs to visitors, students and volunteers.
After 2 years in post, post qualification, to assist in the support of students from other professional groups as appropriate by providing discussion and observation experience.
To provide observation sessions for prospective SLT students.
To contribute to the development evaluation and monitoring of the teams operational policies including caseload prioritising decisions.
To utilise theory, evidence based literature and research to support evidence based practice.
To provide statistical information on own caseload, including activity and clinical effectiveness measures.
To participate in audit activities in the team and participate in audit in the wider speech and language therapy service, and within multi-disciplinary teams.
To participate in research in SLT team, SLT department or multidisciplinary teams, if required.

Professional

To maintain clinical and non-clinical standards and work within the policy frameworks laid down (e.g. N.H.S., Trust, Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, Health Professionals Council) through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes.
To demonstrate ability to reflect on own practice, identify strengths and development needs and achieve goals set for personal and professional development.
To participate in the development of innovative clinical practice through member ship of working teams.
To keep abreast of national and local Education policies in order to contribute to team service development planning.
To disseminate newly acquired information to other team members.
To undertake specialised relevant training and extend postgraduate experience and knowledge in order to maintain and develop the skills and knowledge required of SLT working with school age children.
To be accountable for own professional action and recognise own professional boundaries, seeking advice as appropriate.
To participate in clinical supervision in line with Department and Trust policy.
To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible.
To be flexible to the demands of environments including unpredictable work patterns, deadlines and frequent interruptions.
To be aware of and adhere to multi-disciplinary / multi-agency strategic planning and policy.
To contribute to SLT Department strategic planning and implement department policies, strategy and guidelines.
To advise managers on any aspects of service organisation that needs addressing.
To maintain highest standards of clinical records including up to date and accurate case notes, electronic data entry, recording and report writing in line with professional and Trust guidelines.
To monitor stock levels in own service area and request new equipment as appropriate.
To be responsible for the security, care and transporting of equipment ensuring standards of infection control and safety are maintained including equipment loaned to clients.
To organise suitable accommodation in clinics / schools.
To organise and transport the assessment and treatment equipment required to work in locations. These may be unwieldy / heavy / bulky.
To work within a wide range of locations requiring careful calculation of driving time according to traffic and weather conditions in planning efficient work schedules.
To work within a wide range of environments with differing demands and expectation requiring the ability to modify personal and social approaches as required by environment.
To maintain the intense concentration required despite distractions.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree or equivalent
Registered member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
Health Professionals Council Registration

Desirable

Evidence of successful completion of Specialist postgraduate short courses related to young children with communication difficulties, for example: Parent-Child Interaction/ Hanen Therapy; Derbyshire Language Scheme; Makaton signing

Experience
Desirable

Experience of working as a paediatric Speech & Language therapist
Experience of working in Education settings
Experience of training staff working in Education settings
Experience of using parent-based intervention
Experience in running groups for children
Experience of work with specialised clinical groups e.g. cleft palate, stammering

Skills
Essential

Demonstrate well established knowledge of assessment tools relevant to the client group(s) including: Linguistic transcription and analysis; Phonetic transcription and analysis; Pragmatic assessment and analysis; Language processing and verbal reasoning
Demonstrate an ability to analyse and interpret the complex information from assessment in the light of the child's other strengths and weaknesses, home environment and educational setting in order to devise a management plan
Demonstrate knowledge of a range of therapeutic interventions related to the client group e.g. parent based intervention, sign and symbol systems, Derbyshire Language Scheme
Demonstrate knowledge of developmental and medical conditions which may occur in the client group and the effect on SLC (e.g. Cleft Palate, Autism)
Demonstrate good presentation skills, verbal and written, including computer generated materials e.g. Power Point
Demonstrate well-developed communication skills and an ability to match communication style and content to the needs of the situation
Demonstrate an awareness of the attributes needed for team and collaborative working

Desirable

Demonstrate knowledge of education legislation, frameworks and curriculum relating to Education settings

Personal Qualities
Essential

Demonstrate excellent interpersonal abilities - observation, listening, diplomacy, sensitivity
Demonstrate good time management and organisation abilities
Demonstrate problem solving and negotiation abilities, taking account of others perspectives and expectations
Demonstrate an ability to work independently
Demonstrates a realistic sense of own limitations and professional development needs
Able to motivate young children
Demonstrate flexibility / adaptability

Other
Essential

Car driver
Able to move and carry equipment and adapt to a range of physical demands, e.g. working on the floor, dealing with very active young children, traveling from school to school

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details
Employer name: South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Speech and Language Therapy, The Orchard Centre, Rugby/Nuneaton, CV21 3SR, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.swft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: School Age Team Lead, Hannah Cassidy, hannah.cassidy@swft.nhs.uk, 01788555107

Supporting documents
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Speech and Language Therapist

Speech and Language Therapist

Speech and Language Therapist

Speech and Language Therapist

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