Occupational Therapist (Band 6) - SEND School
Central London, Permanent Contract
Full-time (term time only)
September 2026
£38,000 - £45,000 per annum, depending on experience
*** Interviews are arranged ASAP ***
The role
Most paediatric OTs working in education will recognise this feeling. You finish a session, write it up, share your recommendations, and then watch the school day carry on as if you were not there. The strategies you spent time developing get nodded at in a meeting and quietly forgotten by the following week. Your input is valued in theory. In practice, it sits at the edges.
That gap between what good OT practice looks like and what most school environments actually allow is real. It is also why this role is worth your attention.
This well-established independent specialist school in central London has built its entire model around integrated therapy. Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, and Physiotherapists are not visiting professionals. They are part of the school day. They plan with teachers, work in classrooms, observe students at lunch and during breaks, and contribute to every layer of a student's support. The strategies you develop are used consistently by every adult in the building. The consistency you have always wanted to see actually exists here.
The students
The school supports young people aged 11 to 19. The majority hold an EHCP. The student profile includes Autism and ASC, ADHD, dyspraxia and DCD, SpLD including dyslexia and dyscalculia, SLCN, sensory processing difficulties, executive functioning difficulties, and anxiety. The student group is largely higher-functioning. Significant challenging behaviour is not a feature of daily life here. What you will encounter every day is anxiety, communication differences, and sensory needs that require consistent, informed, and genuinely personalised support.
The environment reflects that. Visual timetables, sensory diets, and movement breaks are built into the school day as standard. The building is calm and structured. Staff apply therapeutic approaches consistently across all areas of the school, not just during designated sessions.
What the role involves
As the Band 6 Occupational Therapist, you will hold a caseload of up to four classes. For each class, you will be responsible for individual and group OT interventions, joint planning with teachers each half term, formal and observational assessments, IEP and annual review contributions, and parental contact. You will deliver interventions during the school's designated slot and, where needed, plan and monitor TA-led therapy activities.
You will contribute to staff training and parent workshops within your discipline each term. Break and lunch duties form part of your timetable, giving you direct observation of how strategies are being used across the school in real time rather than in a clinic room.
You will attend whole-staff meetings, training days, and weekly therapist meetings. Clinical notes are expected within 24 hours of each session and should reflect session goals, activities completed, student progress, and the implications for future sessions.
Support and development
You will receive clinical supervision every four to six weeks, focused on your practice at this school. Monthly internal line management sits alongside that. This is not a setting where you are expected to work in isolation. There is a clear structure, a genuinely collaborative therapy team, and strong investment in the people who work there.
Who this role suits
You are HCPC registered with solid paediatric experience, ideally gained in a school-based or specialist SEND setting. You are confident working with young people whose needs include sensory processing difficulties, motor coordination challenges, dyspraxia, ADHD, and Autism. You understand your role within a multidisciplinary team, you communicate clearly with teachers and families, and you write clinical notes that are accurate, timely, and useful.
Band 6 is the minimum for this role. No Band 5 applications will be considered.
Working with Parker Smith Inclusion
Working with Parker Smith Inclusion, you will be supported by a team that understands this sector properly. We take the time to find out what matters to you, not just which roles are available. We are PAYE only, which means transparent pay and no hidden costs from day one. You will not be passed around. You will speak to a consultant who knows the school, knows the role, and can answer your questions directly.
To find out more or to apply, contact Heeji Moon at Parker Smith Inclusion.
Parker Smith Inclusion: Specialist SEND recruitment. PAYE only. 400+ five-star Google reviews.