Occupational Therapy Assistant

Job Description

Overview and Responsibilities Occupational Therapy AssistantLocation:Quidenham, Norwich, NR16 2NZSalary: £11.45 - £12 per hour (£20,458.85 - £21,441.59 actual salary per year) Dependant on experience and qualificationsHours: 40 hours per week, Term time onlyAurora White House School and Aurora Eccles SchoolDue to the continued expansion of our school, we’re currently looking for an Occupational Therapy Assistant to join our cross site therapy team. You will be working across both schools as required, working closely with the rest of the class teams and the other therapists to create an enabling environment and supporting studentsto actively engage with their social and academic environment.Part of the Aurora Group, Aurora White House and Aurora Eccles School in Quidenham, Norwichprovides day placements for students aged 6 to 16 years primarily with communication and interaction difficulties or specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia.Some may be on the autistic spectrum or have anxieties and difficulties that create barriers to learning.With small classes, a maximum of 10 students and a minimum of 3 staff per class you can focus on the needs of each student. There is a full clinical team onsite to support at all times and you will have the support of an experienced and stable SLT.To take a virtual look around our schools please click here:Eccles Virtual TourorWhite House Virtual TourMain Purpose of the Role:To assist the Occupational Therapy team in providing Occupational Therapy services, covering all aspects of the students’ occupational, functional, and sensory development within their school environment, working in a way that puts their health, safety andwelfare first. The main focus of this role will be to support the implementation of occupational therapy support and therapy programmes with identified students within Aurora Eccles School and within Aurora White House Schools. The assistant will be partof the Occupational Therapy team, working closely with the class teams and other therapists to create an enabling environment, and supporting students to actively engage with their social and academic environment.Key Duties

• Assist the Occupational Therapist and the class teams in creating a sensory friendly and enabling environments within Aurora White House School and Aurora Eccles School.
• Work alongside the Occupational Therapist in the assessment of students within both schools
• Implementing interventions and programmes with classes and pupils as directed by the Occupational Therapy Team and wider clinical and SEN team
• Together with the class teams support students’ sensory, motor and occupational needs to be able to develop their daily living skills as well as engage with their social and academic environments
• To liaise effectively with multi-disciplinary colleagues and maintain associated records
• Research, advise on and source, or prepare and make, equipment and materials which contribute to the efficient delivery of occupational therapy services
• Under direction of senior clinical team members, prepare training materials and / or support training to staff in relevant areas as appropriate and as required
• Administrative duties as assigned by senior clinical team members and clinical lead

For the full job description please contact Liz from the recruitment teamSkills and Qualifications Qualifications

• GCSE Maths and English Language qualification minimum Grade 4 or equivalent is essential.

Essential

• Interest in developing young people’s functional skills and meeting sensory needs
• Commitment to and experience of supporting children and young people with a variety of SEN
• Confidence in own communication skills, and ability to guide and motivate other staff
• Ability to work flexibly and as part of a busy team
• Fluent in written and spoken English with the ability to communicate complex information in a clear manner to a range of audiences including young people, parents, and professionals.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to relate to others and develop good working relationships.
• Good time-management and organisation skills. Ability to organise and prioritise own workload.
• Ability to keep legible and accurate notes.
• Ability to cope with working in an environment that can be unpredictable.
• Good IT skills for administration, presentations, recording and reporting systems.
• A positive and creative approach in meeting individual needs.
• A patient, caring, encouraging, tactful and caring attitude.
• A basic understanding of the purpose and role of Occupational Therapy within a special education needs setting.
• Good observational and listening skills.

Desirable

• Previous study in related area
• Experience in managing others and organising resource materials
• Innovative and practical skills.
• Knowledge and experience of supporting children and young people with sensory differences
• Knowledge and experience of implementing motor programmes for students to support the development of fine and gross motor skills
• Experience in working with young people with autistic spectrum conditions, social and emotional difficulties and learning difficulties
• Experience of implementing clinical programmes with people with functional and / or sensory difficulties
• Knowledge of sensory support strategies

Due to the rural location of the sch