Occupational Therapist - SEN Schools

Overview and Responsibilities

Occupational Therapist  – Aurora Woodlands/Brooklands/Keyes Barn School 

Location:  Darwen, Leyland , Preston

Salary: £33,612 to £40,289 pro rata (£28,874 - £34,610 actual pay) -  depending on skills, experience and qualifications 

Hours:  40 hrs per week, Term Time Only

The Aurora Group is an innovative provider of education and care for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities with an ambitious growth plan.

We are looking for an enthusiastic Occupational Therapist to work as part of a therapy team in our North West Aurora Schools.  Aurora Brooklands, Keyes Barn and Woodlands Schools provide flexible day placements for students aged 5 to 19 years with communication and associated 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. 

This is an exciting new post that has been created to develop and embed our therapy offer to young people. 

Key duties of the role include:

• Work closely with the SENCo and wider therapy team to ensure the delivery of high quality children’s healthcare and therapy at Woodlands, Brooklands & Keyes Barn
• Closely work with families and outside agencies to ensure that therapy is appropriate to children’s
• Undertake autonomous assessments of children with a wide range of additional needs, including autistic spectrum conditions, sensory and attachment difficulties within the setting of a specialist school.
• Analyse and interpret assessments to recommend and deliver the best course of intervention for each child
• Support individual development and care plans and assist individuals in accordance with their needs and wishes, particularly their activities of daily living, self-care, productivity and leisure
• Formulate, evaluate and review individualised occupational therapy treatment plans, using clinical reasoning skills and utilising a wide range of treatment options to formulate a specialised programme of
• Be responsible for the maintenance of accurate written records in line with professional code of
• To be highly competent in assessing a wide range of conditions experienced by children with complex needs based on advance theoretical knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology, often in situations where conflicting evidence is present

A full and detailed job description is available here;

Occupational Therapist - Job Description

Skills and Qualifications

Experience and Qualifications required: 

• Diploma/Degree in Occupational Therapy – Essential
• HCPC Registration – Essential
• Ability to demonstrate and commit to continual professional development
• Previous experience in an occupational therapy role
• Experience of Multi-disciplinary team and multi-agency working
• Knowledge and experience of a wide range of approaches to the management of children by advanced clinical reasoning
• Knowledge of the management of children who have autistic spectrum conditions, sensory needs and attachment difficulties, including evidence based strategies.
• Previous experience in a CAMHS or ASC occupational therapy role – Desirable
• Previous experience in a paediatric or special school occupational therapy role – Desirable

Benefits and Additional Information

🌟 What’s on Offer at Aurora?

We believe in supporting you as much as we support the children and young people in our care. Here’s a snapshot of the fantastic benefits waiting for you:

📚 Grow with Us – Training & Development

Learning never stops at Aurora! We offer a wide range of training programmes and career development opportunities to help you build your skills and reach your goals.

💸 Save Money on Everyday Essentials

With the rising cost of living, our Perkbox app helps you stretch your money further:

• Discounts on groceries, phone plans, internet, dining out, gym memberships & more
• Access to our Cycle to Work and Car Scheme

📱 Access Wagestream – a financial wellbeing app that helps you track earnings, save, get expert money advice, and even access part of your pay early when needed

💰 Competitive Pay & Reward

We regularly benchmark our pay and benefits to stay ahead of the curve. You’ll enjoy:

• Enhanced Annual Leave
• Company Sick Pay
• Enhanced Pension
• Life Assurance

🩺 24/7 GP Access – For You & Your Household

Need a doctor? No problem. Book a phone or video appointment anytime, day or night. This service covers everyone in your household.

🦷 UK Health Cash Plan

Cover everyday healthcare costs like dental and optician bills. You and your children are included in the scheme, and you can upgrade to add your partner too!

🧠 Employee Assistance Programme

Your wellbeing matters. Get confidential support on a wide range of issues, including:

• Freephone counselling (available 24/7)
• Online tools and resources

👯‍♀️ Refer a Friend – Earn £1,000!

Know someone who’d be a great fit? Refer them and get rewarded!(*Terms apply)

How to apply?

Please complete an online application form in full, remembering to include all employment and education details.  If you need any assistance or would like any more information please contact Karen in the Aurora Group Recruitment Team at [email protected]

Successful applicants will be subject to pre-employment safeguarding checks including an enhanced disclosure and barring service (DBS) check.

The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Aurora Group is therefore permitted to ask job applicants to declare all convictions and cautions (including those which are "spent" unless they are "protected" under the DBS filtering rules) in order to assess their suitability to work with children.

The Aurora Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children and young adults in our care and is a disability confident and equal opportunities employer.

This advert could be taken down at any point in time without prior notice if the position is filled. 

Please note that candidates that are shortlisted might be subject to an online search.