Job summary
We are looking to appoint a qualified physiotherapist to provide an onsite physiotherapy service for our students and to work alongside the head of therapy to support and develop this provision. The ideal candidate will have 2 years of experience of working in a specialist school or college for young adults who have very complex needs including PMLD, SLD and autism. The college physiotherapist will lead on all physiotherapy onsite including writing physiotherapy programmes, delivering training to individuals and groups and supporting students. It is essential that the candidate will be experienced and confident with hydrotherapy, inclusive of writing hydrotherapy programmes, leading on hydrotherapy in the water and supporting staff to understand hydrotherapy programmes. The physiotherapist will be responsible for ordering and maintaining physio equipment.
Main duties of the job
Main purpose of the job -to provide an onsite Physiotherapy Service to students aged 19-25 in the College, providing therapy as indicated in student Education Healthcare Plans, and to work as part of an integrated, holistic therapy team.
About us
Great Oaks College is a new specialist independent college that is co-located within Oaklands School in Gresham Road, Hounslow. However, in September 2025 we are relocating to a new building in Sunbury.
The college provides further educational opportunities to post 19 students that have needs including moderate, severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties and autism.
We value our employees and offer a supportive and engaging environment, comprehensive Induction, Inset and excellent Continuous Personal Development Training Sessions, NEST Pension with this role, Employee Assistance Programme, access to Staff Discounts, and other well-being benefits:
- An employee assistance programme,
- Free on-site gym with showers,
- Daily staff breakfasts and have 5 a day fruits to keep you well,
- Online shopping discounts available,
- Cycle to work scheme,
- Leave of absence policy with paid time off (under the discretion of a College Principal)to support with nforeseeable life matters,
- Free eye test for the display screen users,
- Employee referral reward
Great Oaks College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and anyone applying to work at the college is expected to share this commitment. This position is subject to a satisfactory fully enhanced DBS check and references being received. All positions are subject to the satisfactory completion of a 26 working week probation period.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main responsibilities and tasks:
- To deliver Physiotherapy as indicated in student Education Healthcare Plans, which may involve
delivering individual and group therapy as required.
- To support teaching and support staff to embed physio programmes in lessons in line with the relevant
curriculums.
- To organise own time, including clinical supervision and competencies, in order to best meet in student
needs with the Assistant Head and pathway leads.
- To produce reports as required for annual reviews and to attend annual reviews when required
- To be an integral part of the assessment process of new students, supporting the assessment process
and liaising with the current setting to order the correct equipment to support individual students. This will
also involve visiting new students in current settings
- To ensure the upkeep and order of therapy resources and ensure that therapeutic equipment is stored
safely and managed effectively by class team
Job Description Occupational Therapist November 2022
- To work with the therapy team to act as a holistic entity alongside teachers and support staff so that
therapy is seen as a core value of Great Oaks College
- To report to the Head teacher and the Board on physiotherapy service regularly, providing expert advice
to support the strategic expansion of the service in line with student number.
- To work with the SLT to
deliver against the QUIP and college development plan and to support the development of the college by
feeding into these strategic plans.
- To deliver hydrotherapy to students one day per week, inclusive of writing and maintaining hydrotherapy
plans.
- To act as clinical lead for hydrotherapy and advise support staff on how to support students in the
water.
- To work with Deputy Principals to identify, organise and deliver training to Great Oaks College staff and
the wider community supporting our students.
- To work alongside job coaches and the transition co-ordinator to help staff outside of college working with
our students to support any specific needs.
- Any other duty as required by the head teacher commensurate with the post.
Person Specification
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Understands the needs of students with learning
- difficulties including PMLD and ASD
-
- Able to train, motivate and manage staff, securing
- their commitment to providing a high quality service
- to pupils and families.
- Able to, speak and write in grammatically correct
- English.
- Competent in using ICT both within role and in
- recordkeeping systems.
- Understands safeguarding procedures relating to the
- role
Desirable
- Ability to speak more than one language
- Able to drive a minibus
- Competent in using AAC
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree or Graduate Diploma in Physiotherapy
- Registered with the Health and Care Professions
- Council (HCPC)
- GCSE pass grades (C or above) in English, maths or equivalent.
Personal Qualities
Essential
- The candidate is willing to put our students needs at
- the centre of all they do at work.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
- Tactful, diplomatic and sensitive to the needs of
- others
- Excellence record in both attendance and
- punctuality. Not in Management of Absence process.
- Able to lead others, motivating and achieving high
- level of performance from college education staff.
- Self motivating and able to take strategic lead.
- Sensitivity to the challenges faced by students, staff
- and families.
- Approachable, polite and professional.
- Resilient. Able to meet demands of a challenging
- high pressured environment and deal with
- emergencies when required.
- Flexible. Able to manage last minute changes when
- required.
- Physically able to undertake all aspects of the role .
- High expectations of self and others.
- Well-groomed and presented in line with requirement
- of the role.
-
- Committed to equality of opportunity for all.
Experience
Essential
- At least 2 years experience working in a specialist
- school for young adults who have very complex
- needs including PMLD, SLD and autism.
- Evidence of recent training and professional
- development
- Band 7 experience
- Able to design and deliver Physiotherapy Programmes
- Ability to lead engaging CPD for College staff
- Ability to demonstrate effective management of
- clinical caseload of young people with special
- educational needs.
- Ability to provide effective physiotherapy
- assessments and interventions relevant to children
- with communication, learning difficulties and sensory
- needs.
- Working with parents to ensure they are able to
- deliver physiotherapy programmes at home
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website .
Employer details
Employer name
Great Oaks College
Address
Gresham Road
Hounslow
Middlesex
TW3 4BX