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Principal Occupational Therapist Watford, Hertfordshire Permanent Full Time — 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday £48,000 – £58,500 per annum The Opportunity We are proud to be recruiting on behalf of a highly regarded specialist educational organisation dedicated to the support and development of autistic children and young people. This is an exceptional opportunity for an experienced Occupational Therapist to step into a senior clinical leadership role within a passionate, multidisciplinary team. This is a rare chance to join a school-based therapy service at a pivotal time — the organisation is actively growing its therapy team and is committed to providing sector-leading, transdisciplinary care. If you are motivated by meaningful work and want to make a lasting impact on the lives of young people aged up to 22 years, this role is worth exploring. About the Role As Principal Occupational Therapist, you will hold senior accountability for therapy outcomes within the school and work alongside the Head of Therapy and school senior leadership team to drive quality, innovation, and continuous improvement. The role balances direct clinical delivery (up to 50% of directed time) with strategic leadership, governance, and team management responsibilities. You will supervise and line manage a small team of therapists, lead on EHCP-aligned intervention planning, and play a key role in shaping the school's therapeutic and educational provision. Key Responsibilities • Lead clinical governance, quality assurance and compliance with professional standards across the therapy team, • Oversee assessment, diagnosis and therapeutic planning in line with individual Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), • Deliver group and individual occupational therapy (up to 50% of directed time), • Provide clinical supervision and professional development support for therapy staff, • Support and advise on safeguarding matters, leading investigations and producing detailed reports, • Contribute to school improvement planning, self-evaluation and KPI reporting, • Build and manage relationships with external stakeholders including families, education professionals and university/research partners, • Lead on local recruitment, retention and career pathway development within the therapy team, • HCPC-registered Occupational Therapist with significant post-qualification experience (minimum 6 years), • Senior leadership or management experience within a school-based or specialist therapy setting — autism-specific experience highly desirable, • Proven experience delivering clinical supervision, • Strong understanding of EHCP frameworks and transdisciplinary approaches to autism education, • Track record of stakeholder engagement and partnership development, • Commitment to evidence-based practice and innovation in autism therapy, • Excellent communication, project management and strategic planning skills, • Term-time contract with full pay during school holidays — approximately 12 weeks paid leave per year, • A stable, high-retention team environment — colleagues with tenure of 25+ years, • Growing therapy team: a genuine opportunity to shape and build something significant, • Comprehensive benefits package including pension, Simply Health cash plan, 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme, retail discounts and more, • Access to specialist CPD, an online learning academy, and qualification funding, • Relocation support considered for the right candidate, • Meaningful, values-driven work with a nationally recognised organisation

Principal Therapist – Specialist Autism School Occupational Therapist £48,000 to £60,000 per annum Term-time only, 35 hours per week Watford, Hertfordshire Overview: Compass Associates are delighted to be partnering with a renowned charity provider of specialist autism education and support. With an extensive portfolio of specialist schools, residential services and community programmes, they are dedicated to providing exceptional education, care and therapeutic support for autistic children and young people with complex needs. Together, we are seeking an experienced Principal Therapist to join their specialist school in Watford, Hertfordshire, supporting children and young people with autism and complex needs. This is a senior clinical leadership role ideal for an experienced therapist looking to combine hands-on therapy with team leadership and service development within a multidisciplinary school environment. You will play a key role in ensuring therapy is fully integrated into the educational experience, supporting students to achieve meaningful outcomes both academically and developmentally. Key Responsibilities • Deliver specialist Occupational Therapy interventions to children and young people with autism and complex needs, • Provide clinical leadership and supervision to therapists and therapy assistants, • Support the implementation of evidence-based therapy approaches across the setting, • Ensure therapy services align with current SEND and Ofsted frameworks, • Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings and school leadership discussions Requirements • Qualified Occupational Therapist, • HCPC registration (essential), • Significant experience working with autism and complex needs, • Previous leadership experience (2 years minimum) or extensive experience as a senior therapist, • Strong understanding of EHCP processes and SEND frameworks, • Experience working in education, specialist schools, SEN settings, or paediatric services, • Excellent communication and leadership skills Salary and Benefits: This role offers a salary of £48,000 to £60,000 per annum, dependent on experience and qualifications, alongside a generous benefits package including: • 12 weeks paid school holidays (term-time only contract, full pay), • Auto-enrolled pension scheme, • Enhanced sick pay, • Comprehensive induction and ongoing professional development, • Healthcare Cash Plan, • Life Assurance, • Online staff discount platform (shopping discounts, cycle to work, season ticket loan and more), • Access to 24-hour employee assistance programme and Headspace App, • Flexible benefits and salary sacrifice schemes Contact Details If you’re an experienced OT looking for your next challenge in a specialist school, please contact Harriet Bradbury on 0161 527 9634, or email your CV to . Recommendations Compass Associates Ltd is acting as a Recruitment Consultancy for this permanent vacancy. We offer a £500 voucher/charity donation for successful referrals following completion of probation.

SEN Teacher Looking for a role where you can truly focus on your students? A leading specialist SEN school in Harrow is seeking a SEN Teacher to join their experienced team to work as a primary class teacher for autistic learners who have complex needs, developmental and speech language and communication delays. The successful SEN Teacher applicant will teach a small class of 8 Key Stage 2 students working at low pivot level equivalency. Applications are welcome from mainstream teachers transitioning into SEN Teacher roles. Full training and support provided. Why Apply for this SEN Teacher job? Outstanding Harrow school Experienced Teaching Assistants & therapists Strong training and career development opportunities Purpose-built facilities Supportive & collaborative SLT Excellent Harrow location & transport links Positive culture & manageable workload SEN Teacher Role Teach a small class of primary ASD/SLD students Deliver a sensory curriculum Support students to develop communication, independence, life and well-being skills Collaborate with TAs, therapists and specialist staff Track progress against EHCP outcomes & celebrate small but meaningful achievements Use specialist approaches such as Attention Autism, PECS, and Makaton (training provided) The Students Complex physical needs Sensory processing differences Medical needs Early developmental learning profiles Learning focuses on communication, en...

About this RoleSenior Occupational Therapist Salary information: Scale POB point 34-38 Location: Eden Academy Trust - Pinn River School, Pinner Work pattern: 5 days per week (39 weeks) per annum, term time only Start date: ASAP *The role has provision to move around schools in the southern hub if needed, please see link for further information Our Schools - The Eden Academy Trust. Eden Academy Trust At the Eden Academy Trust we specialise in meeting the educational needs of children and young adults with a range of learning disabilities including those who are autistic and those who have physical or sensory needs. Occupational Therapy We passionately believe that therapies, including occupational therapy, are a vital part of school life and help our pupils access their education. Our amazing team of occupational therapists help each pupil achieve as much independence as possible within their activities of daily living. The Role To support our recent growth, we are looking for therapists to join us. The team has a high level of experience and is eager to support new graduates, new therapists with different levels of experience and welcome more senior therapists with experience. You will join...

Hello and thanks for stopping by! ...This a wonderful opportunity for an experienced SEN TA to secure a full-time, long-term (and eventually permanent) role in a welcoming and forward thinking Autism School! The role: An experienced SEN TA is required to work full-time (8:30 till 3:30pm) with small groups of Post 16 aged Autistic students. Equally, you might be assigned to a student 1:1 - so being versatile is really important. All students in this school are Post-16 aged - so it essential that you've worked with Autistic students of this age before. The school is a short walk from Edgware station (Northern Line) but there's ample parking on site too. We know the headteacher personally, and find him to be student centred with high expectations while being very down to earth and approachable too. We've placed many TA's in this school who are happy, thriving and developing their SEN career. This role starts immediately, so I encourage you to apply if: 1) You've worked in an SEN School before with Post-16 ASC students 2) You're available immediately, full-time, five days per week 3) You have an Enhanced DBS on the Update System (or a certificate no more than 3 years old) Thanks for reading - please do get in touch if you fit the essential criteria and like the idea of working full-time in a rewarding and welcoming SEN School setting...

This a wonderful opportunity for an experienced SEN TA to secure a full-time, long-term (and eventually permanent) role in a welcoming and forward thinking Autism School!. The role: An experienced SEN TA is required to work full-time (8:30 till 3:30pm) with small groups of Post 16 aged Autistic stud