Occupational Therapist – SEND School – Wandsworth

SENDhelp is recruiting a qualified Occupational Therapist for an all-ages specialist SEND school in Wandsworth, London.

The school supports children and young people aged 5-19 with a broad range of special educational needs. It is looking for an Occupational Therapist who can help pupils overcome barriers to learning, develop practical skills and participate more independently in school life.

Applicants must hold a recognised occupational therapy qualification and be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. Experience supporting children or young people with SEND is strongly preferred, particularly within a school, specialist education or paediatric setting.

Key details

• Role: Occupational Therapist

• Location: Wandsworth, London

• Setting: Specialist all-ages SEND school

• Age range: 5-19

• Working pattern: Full-time

• Essential: Recognised occupational therapy qualification

• Essential: Current HCPC registration

• Preferred: Paediatric, SEND or school-based occupational therapy experience

About the role

As the school’s Occupational Therapist, you will work with pupils across primary, secondary and post-16 age groups.

The school supports learners with varied and sometimes complex needs, which may include autism, moderate or severe learning difficulties, profound and multiple learning difficulties, sensory processing differences, physical needs, communication difficulties and behaviours that may challenge.

You will assess how pupils’ physical, sensory, developmental and environmental needs affect their ability to access education and daily school activities. You will then develop practical strategies and interventions to support participation, independence and wellbeing.

Experience with any school-age group will be considered. The ability to adapt your approach for pupils aged between 5 and 19 will be important.

What you will be doing

Your responsibilities may include:

• Completing occupational therapy assessments

• Identifying barriers affecting pupils’ participation in learning and daily activities

• Developing individual intervention plans and measurable therapy goals

• Delivering individual and small-group occupational therapy sessions

• Supporting pupils with sensory regulation, fine motor skills and functional independence

• Advising on classroom positioning, equipment and environmental adaptations

• Contributing to EHCP outcomes, annual reviews and multidisciplinary assessments

• Producing clear reports and maintaining accurate clinical records

• Monitoring progress and adapting interventions when required

• Working closely with teachers, Teaching Assistants, families and other therapists

• Training and advising school staff on appropriate occupational therapy strategies

• Supporting consistent approaches across classrooms and the wider school environment

• Following professional, safeguarding and confidentiality requirements

Essential requirements

To be considered for this Occupational Therapist vacancy, you must:

• Hold a recognised degree or equivalent qualification in occupational therapy

• Have current registration with the Health and Care Professions Council

• Be able to assess needs and plan appropriate occupational therapy interventions

• Understand professional record-keeping, confidentiality and safeguarding

• Communicate effectively with pupils, families, school staff and other professionals

• Be able to work independently while contributing to a multidisciplinary team

• Be organised, adaptable and confident managing competing priorities

• Be able to travel reliably to Wandsworth

Desirable experience

The school would particularly welcome applicants with experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Working as an Occupational Therapist with children or young people

• Supporting pupils within a specialist SEND school

• Working in mainstream schools with specialist SEND provisions

• Autism and sensory processing needs

• MLD, SLD or PMLD

• Physical disabilities or complex needs

• Fine and gross motor development

• Sensory regulation programmes

• Developing functional and independence skills

• Contributing to EHCPs and annual reviews

• Training education staff to implement therapy strategies

School-based experience is preferred but is not mandatory. Qualified Occupational Therapists from paediatric health, community, clinical or specialist care settings are also encouraged to apply where their experience is relevant to children and young people with SEND.

Why consider this opportunity?

• Work across an all-ages specialist provision

• Support pupils with a broad range of needs

• Deliver occupational therapy within pupils’ everyday learning environment

• Work alongside teachers, support staff and other professionals

• Influence classroom practice as well as individual pupil support

• Help children and young people develop meaningful independence

• Build specialist experience within SEND education

• Join a consistent, full-time school-based setting in Wandsworth

What SENDhelp offers

• Competitive PAYE pay

• No umbrella-company deductions

• A dedicated consultant throughout your placement

• Interview preparation and ongoing support

• Support with registration, compliance and onboarding

• Access to relevant professional development

• Opportunities with specialist schools across London

This position would suit a qualified and HCPC-registered Occupational Therapist who wants to support children and young people in a specialist educational environment.

As a specialist SEND recruiter, child safety and welfare is our number one priority. That is why we conduct thorough checks on all our candidates, and ensure that they abide by our Candidate Code of Conduct.

All Candidates will be required to provide an Enhanced DBS that is actively registered on the Update Service, or apply for one as part of the onboarding process. This is in addition to other mandatory compliance checks in line with the DfE guidelines. For further information please see our Safer Recruitment Policy.

SENDhelp is an equal opportunities employer.