Organisation: Leicestershire County Council
Work Location: Oakfield Short Stay School South - Belle Vue Rd, Earl Shilton, Leicester LE9 7PA & Oakfield North (Shepshed) Forest Street, Shepshed, Loughborough LE12 9DB
Salary: £26,832 - £28,146 per annum (pro rata for part time) (pay award pending)
Working Hours: 37hrs - 42 weeks per year
Contract Type: Permanent
Closing Date: 23rd August 2026
Interview Date(s): TBC
About the Role
Oakfield Short Stay School is Leicestershire’s provision for school aged children who have been permanently excluded or are at risk of permanent exclusion from school. We have expanded the age range of Oakfield School and as a result we are recruiting staff. Our Secondary Inclusion Partnership staff who did put provisions in place for secondary aged children and young people who have been excluded from school, or who are at risk of this, have recently joined the team. Therefore, you will be part of a vital team in an exciting period of development, working with us to meet the needs of children and young people between the ages of 5 and 16 who struggle to manage in mainstream and need a different offer of education to secure their successful next steps.
You will work collaboratively within a multi-agency advisory team under the direction of the Head of Therapeutic Inreach and Outreach to provide support to education settings to best meet the needs of children and young people referred to Oakfield. Your role will be crucial in the delivery of high-quality training to professionals and families. Delivering programmes of intervention and group work / support for children at home, in school and early years setting, you will provide advice and support under the instruction of qualified Speech and Language Therapists. Many of our young people present with challenging behaviour, and we are looking for someone who can demonstrate strong empathy and ability to intrinsically connect with pupils with complex SEMH needs and lead in delivering a service that enables pupils to receive the therapeutic interventions that they require.
A DBS enhanced check for a regulated activity is required for this post.
For information on our approach to the recruitment of ex-offenders, please see our policy statement .
About You
To apply for this post, you must be able to evidence in your application how you meet the following criteria:
- Level 3 Teaching Assistant qualification or Speech & Language related degree
- Experience supporting children with speech and language difficulties
- Familiarity with alternative communication systems
- Knowledge and understanding of how children/young people make attachments and the impact of developmental trauma on development
- Ability to engage with children, young people, their families and carers and a wide range of partners and professionals
- Excellent communication skills, including understanding the effects of nonverbal communication and the ability to communicate clearly and concisely in the most appropriate way, engage children/young people, their families and carers in situations of high stress and communicate difficult information in a manner which enables it to be heard and understood
- Experience of working in an educational setting.
In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and to delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our residents. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process.
Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability. We are a Disability Confident Employer .
Interested in Flexible Working?
We are open to discussions about flexible working, which may include part time working, job sharing, term-time working, flexible start and finish times, and hybrid working, depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below.
For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:
Vicky Edwards
Telephone: 07860 611280
Email: [email protected]
How to Apply
At Leicestershire County Council we’re looking for top talent from all walks of life. Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, and whatever your background - we care about what you bring to our organisation, not just what’s on your CV. That’s why we’ve designed a recruitment process that’s fair, accessible, and focused on potential. And with benefits that support people at every age and stage of life, we make sure you can thrive - both personally and professionally.
If you share our passion to make a difference for the people of Leicestershire, we’d love to hear from you. Click the apply button to submit your application, ensuring that you upload a supporting statement that explains how you meet the criteria listed in the ‘About You’ section above. Without this information, we won’t be able to assess your suitability for the role, and your application will be rejected. For tips on how to write your statement, see the How to Apply section on our career site.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post or you want to request an application pack in an alternative format, please contact our Employee Service Centre by telephoning 0300 3030222 (select option 2) or raising a ticket via our online portal: https://emss.org.uk/support .
By applying for this post, you agree to our Terms and Conditions .
