Occupational Therapist Quest Academy, Rugby, Warwickshire

Recruitment Pack

Recruitment Advertisement Occupational Therapist

Job Title: Occupational Therapist Reference No(s): ACFI200174 Salary: £24,745- £30,805 FTE per annum (Pt 29-36)* Location: Rugby, Warwickshire Closing Date: 15th June 2017, 5pm Interviews: 20th June 2017 Start Date: September 2017 Hours of Work: 38 hours p/w 42 weeks p/yr Be part of a team that is passionate and committed to making a positive difference to the lives of the pupils and their families; in an innovative new school in Rugby, for children and young people with autism and/or social, emotional and mental health needs.

About Us In September 2018, MacIntyre Academies Trust will be opening a new and exciting Academy in a purpose built state of the art building in Rugby, Warwickshire for children and young people with social, emotional and mental health needs and /or autism, aged between 9 years and 19 years. Whilst the new building is being constructed the academy will be located in a temporary modern school building on the outskirts of Nuneaton and will open to 30 pupils in September 2017. MacIntyre Academies is delighted to have been chosen to set up this new Academy which will join the existing ‘Endeavour Academy’ in Oxford which opened in 2014 and ‘Discovery Academy’ which opened in September 2015. MacIntyre Academies is sponsored by MacIntyre Charity, which over the last 50 years, has developed a strong reputation nationally, as a high quality, person centred organisation. The Role You will be responsible for developing and providing a high quality specialised pediatric occupational therapy service to children and young people aged 9 to 19 who have autism and / or social & emotional difficulties. This will include carrying out student assessments to include sensory integration. You will support and enhance the young person’s ability to perform every day activities and participate in multiple environments. You will work with the leadership and staff teams in the academy. You will contribute to the creation of an ethos, supporting a vision and direction which enables effective support, and achievement by students, and, a sustained improvement in the young people’s spiritual, moral, social, cultural, mental and physical well-being. Your role will support young people in preparation for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life. This is an exciting yet challenging time to join this academy and really make your mark whilst developing your career. If this challenge inspires you then we are waiting to hear from you. About You You will have the relevant degree or diploma to practice and hold the knowledge and experience of working with young people with autism and associated learning difficulties. You will have demonstrable experience of undertaking the assessment and implementation of sensory integration. You will be need to have knowledge and experience of developing working practices in line with regulatory organisations and the Academy’s policies. You will also need to be a facilitative and effective communicator both written and verbal to enable you to build strong links with all internal and external stakeholders. Benefits In return, we can offer you a competitive salary, generous annual leave entitlement and local government pension scheme, an Employee Assistance Programme to support your health and wellbeing as well as full induction, training and career opportunities.

MacIntyre Academies Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All positions will require an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and registration with the DBS Update Service together with all other relevant recruitment checks including obtaining references. Referees will be asked to assess suitability of candidates to work with vulnerable adults, children or young people and will be verbally verified. MacIntyre Academies’ Safeguarding Policy can be found on our website and candidates will be asked about this as part of the recruitment process. *Salaries are FTE and dependent on experience and qualifications

Letter from Principal

Dear Applicant, I am delighted that you have shown an interest in applying for the position of Occupational Therapist at Quest Academy and hope that the information in this pack encourages you to apply for this position. MacIntyre Academies Trust is working in partnership with Warwickshire County Council to support the setup of the school and we are looking for committed staff who can contribute to the development and ethos of the school and provide the very best opportunities for learning. We know that children and young people with autism, social and emotional or mental health needs have to be presented with learning that is motivating and reinforcing and we want to recruit flexible and creative staff who understand how learning can impact on the overall wellbeing of children and young people and enable them to succeed. We will work very closely with parents/carers and families to ensure that they also feel supported and are confident that their child is getting the best that a school can offer. We know families want their children to feel safe and happy at school, respected and celebrated by all staff. I was appointed as Principal (Designate) of the Quest Academy in September 2016 and took up my role in January 2017. Having previously been a member of a Senior Leadership Team, who set up a new secondary school in 2004, I have a good understanding of the challenges and opportunities that setting up a new school from scratch brings. I have worked in both mainstream and special school settings and throughout my career have worked with SEN pupils with a range of needs, including Autism and Social/ Emotional and Mental Health needs. Although this is my first headship I have extensive senior leadership experience and am excited about having the opportunity to use my lifelong experiences to empower and support staff at the Quest to be the best that they can be. I passionately believe that every child deserves the best education possible and that key to achieving this, is to employ like- minded people, who are prepared to go the extra mile for the benefit of the pupils and their families. ‘Every child deserves a champion – an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and

insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.’ Rita Pierson

I look forward to hearing from applicants who feel that they can make a positive difference to the lives of our future students. In return we will inspire, challenge and support you to be the best that you can be. Yours sincerely Nicola Wells Principal (Designate) Quest Academy, Rugby

Information for Candidates

In September 2018, MacIntyre Academies Trust will be opening in Rugby, Warwickshire for children and young

people with Autism and/or social, emotional and mental health needs aged between 9 years and 19 years.

MacIntyre Academies is delighted to have been chosen to set up this new Academy which will join the existing

‘Endeavour Academy’ in Oxford and ‘Discovery Academy’ in Nuneaton. The Trust is building on the experience of

MacIntyre Charity which has over 45 years of experience in providing specialist provision for over 1,000 children and

adults across the UK and has developed a strong reputation nationally, as a high quality, person centred

organisation.

Currently, in Warwickshire, there is a significant gap in provision for children and young people with autism and

social, emotional and mental health needs, sometimes requiring children to be placed in out of county provision or

transported a long distance to school. Many parents and carers have told us that they would prefer their child to be

as close to home as possible. The new school will enable young people to remain close to their families and friends,

and MacIntyre Academies will be able to use its wider expertise to develop a more integrated approach to delivering

support, enabling children where possible to be supported back into mainstream education. .

The school will be located in Rugby and will ultimately have capacity for up to 80 children and young people.

MacIntyre Academies does not subscribe to any one particular pedagogical approach to teaching children and young

people with autism or social and emotional needs. Personalised leaning is at the heart of our delivery style enabling

teachers and other educators to adopt individual strategies that work for each child or young person. We advocate

an approach that encourages children to learn in and outside the classroom in real and practical environments that

support socialisation, independent thinking and learning for the future.

As a priority, the Academy will welcome children and young people from Warwickshire who have an Education,

Health and Care plan or Statement of special educational need that details the provision required to help the child

to overcome the barriers to learning caused by their social, emotional and mental health needs or an autistic

spectrum condition. Referrals will be through the local authorities who have named the school in individual children’s

statements.

Our Vision and Ethos

We believe all children and young people, regardless of disability or difficulty, deserve the best education possible. We want our pupils to be ambitious for themselves and we need to be ambitious on their behalf. Therefore our aim is to deliver an ‘outstanding’ school with outstanding outcomes. Our school will welcome the involvement of families, keeping education individualised to each child/young person. The new Academy will provide a healthy, safe and enjoyable environment, with excellent teaching and learning with a focus on high quality personalised education and positive behaviour support. It will evolve according to local needs. This new school project is being delivered in close partnership with Warwickshire County Council and MacIntyre Academies is keen to establish solid partnerships with all local stakeholders to ensure we provide innovative and child centred education to local children/young people and their families. Many of the children and families may have struggled to access facilities and services successfully due to the complex needs of their children or other factors and it is anticipated that the new school will extend the breadth of appropriate local services. By understanding and responding to the current and future requirements of local young people, our aim is that the academy will be a centre of excellence within Warwickshire, with a national reputation. The main aims of the School will be to:

Improve outcomes and life chances for children and young people;

raise aspirations of both students and staff aspirations for their students;

support children back into mainstream schools where appropriate;

ensure better transitions, destinations and opportunities after school;

Accelerate progress in literacy, numeracy and ICT as well as a broad and balanced curriculum;

Operate a school which is environmentally sustainable and financially secure;

strengthen community cohesion by being a keystone within the local community; With a curriculum that focuses on developing academic potential, social, vocational and life skills, we want every child to achieve his or her full potential. The school curriculum will be motivational and will make connections. Learning will be practical, will feel ‘real’ and relevant and will build on young people’s strengths. To achieve this, learning will happen in a wide variety of spaces including the local community, the school grounds and in specialist technology spaces. Through engaging projects young people will access a broad and balanced curriculum including developing the literacy and numeracy and ICT skills which will help them to succeed in their adult life. Supporting young people to improve their own well-being, particularly their communication, social, emotional and mental health needs, will be central to the school curriculum. This will include learning to build positive relationships, being active, contributing positively to their school and local community, broadening experiences and learning to understand and shape their own emotions. We have a holistic and non-judgemental approach to supporting behaviour that empowers the child or young person to engage in education. We believe that a student that is motivated, encouraged and made to feel worthwhile will choose to learn, and as a consequence behave well. The school will support students to become socially responsible, polite and caring young adults, who value the lives of others and the environment in which they live. All staff, not just teachers, will be trained to support children to develop positive behaviours and develop strategies to manage their own behaviour positively. Good behaviour and attendance are a direct outcome of positive attitudes to learning - importantly, our vision is for all children and young people to enjoy attending the Academy. Key to the school’s success will be the recruitment and development of a highly skilled, flexible workforce that delivers outstanding education and support, and benefits from MacIntyre Academies’ in-depth understanding and experience of how to design bespoke education solutions to children who requires specialist support strategies to achieve excellent outcomes.

Reporting to The Principal Purpose: The Position of Occupational Therapist to be one of considerable responsibility and confidentiality.

The post holder will be expected to show judgement and initiative at a level which is commensurate with this expectation of MacIntyre Academies Trust.

You will provide a specialised paediatric occupational therapy service to children and young people aged 9 to19 years of age who may have autism and/or associated complex needs.

Key Responsibilities: 1. To assess and evaluate the young person’s functional performance and impairments.

2. To deliver individual and group OT sessions.

3. To develop and provide a specialised paediatric occupational therapy service undertaking assessment,

interpretation of assessment results, evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, advice and review.

4. To work alongside other specialist and support staff to support pupils in class so that they can access their

lessons

5. To develop, plan and implement specialist OT treatment programmes and strategies to enhance the

young person’s ability to perform everyday activities and participate in multiple environments. 6. To establish realistic goals and meaningful outcomes with the young person, parent/carer and classroom

staff. 7. To ensure that young people and their parents/carers are involved in the planning and prioritisation of

their care plans wherever possible. 8. To monitor and review the progress of the young person against set targets and to modify targets as

appropriate. 9. To monitor, evaluate and modify treatment(s) in order to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of

intervention. 10. To evaluate outcomes of specialist interventions. 11. To ensure that children and young people within the school are referred to other services as appropriate. 12. To assess the young person’s need for small aids and specialist equipment, advise and recommend

appropriate items for use at home and school. 13. To check size and suitability of equipment as required including the adjustment of equipment to

suit the young person’s changing needs in a range of performance contexts. 14. To work closely with young people and their parents/carers agreeing decision making relevant to

individual care management. 15. To demonstrate appropriate physical management of young people with disabilities. 16. To appropriately manage programmes for young people who have challenging behaviour. 17. To attend relevant multidisciplinary meetings where relevant. 18. To produce high quality, functional reports for annual review meetings etc. 19. To undertake any other duties as required by your line manager.

Occupational Therapist Job Description

Strategic Direction and Development of the Academy: 1. To contribute to the creation of an ethos, provide the vision and direction which enables effective

support, and achievement by students providing sustained improvement in their spiritual, moral,

social, cultural, mental and physical well-being in preparation for the opportunities, responsibilities

and experiences of adult life.

2. To support the Principal in securing the commitment of parents, carers, stakeholders and the wider

community to the vision and direction of the academy.

3. To ensure high standards of quality in the delivery of Occupational Therapy requirements. Leading and Developing People: 1. To lead, exemplify and evaluate excellent practice. 2. To provide high quality support and mentoring to all staff and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that

they are able to support the daily delivery of occupational therapy programmes.

3. To ensure that all staff are working in accordance with relevant Codes of Practice relating to OT requirements.

4. To promote the health and safety of employees at work and of people supported through the

implementation of MacIntyre Academies Trust Policy for Health, Safety and Welfare at Work in

accordance with all relevant statutory requirements. Accountability: 1. To demonstrate clinical effectiveness by use of evidence based practice and outcomes measures. 2. To produce reports and care plans reflecting specialist knowledge. 3. To ensure that people we support are treated with respect, dignity and equality. 4. To be aware and observe legal requirements, policies and procedures relating to occupational therapy. 5. To be personally responsible for the standard and quality of your practice. 6. To safeguard and promote the welfare of the people we support. 7. To develop risk assessments and ensure that each person is supported through a positive

approach to risk management.

8. To maintain the confidentiality of information. 9. To adhere to the academies policies and procedures. 10. To liaise with and manage the relationship with Ofsted, Local Authorities and other stakeholders and

partners. 11. To be responsible for your own personal and professional development and undertaking learning and

development activities as required. 12. To participate in regular supervision sessions and annual appraisals. 13. To work in accordance with relevant codes of practice and governing legislation.

Strengthening Community: 1. To work in partnership with parents, carers and other agencies in the provision of spiritual, moral,

social, emotional and cultural well-being of students and their families.

2. To promote a culturally inclusive ethos which actively values and promotes diversity, unity and community

cohesion, and support students to become successful citizens.

3. To work in liaison with all relevant agencies in order to adequately safeguard and protect the students. 4. To be part of a team that provides outreach to other providers. A

Additional Duties:

1. To safeguard and promote the welfare of all children and young people in the school by being familiar

with and aware of the School’s Safeguarding and protection issues, procedures and guidelines and to

adhere to them at all times.

2. To bring to the attention of a senior colleague any matter of concern over the wellbeing, safety or

safeguarding of a person we support.

3. To be aware of your responsibilities in accordance with the current Health and Safety at Work Act.

MacIntyre Academies

Person Specification

ESSENTIAL DESIRABLE

Knowledge and experience of working Professional Membership of COT

with Children and young people with social and emotional difficulties and/or

autism.

Experience of carrying out Sensory Knowledge of Ofsted standards

Integration assessments and proving

direct one-to-one therapy.

Diploma or Degree in Occupational

Therapy.

Education, Registered with the Health Professions

knowledge and Council.

experience Experience of developing working

practices.

Knowledge of statutory legislation

concerning social care work, including

Health and Safety and Protection of

Children and Young People.

Demonstrative written and verbal

communication skills.

Experience of building successful

relationships with internal and external

stakeholders

Ability to effectively manage change

Emotional resilience in working with behaviour that challenge

Commitment to a high quality transparent service to children and their families

Personal attributes

Balance prospective

Drive to see things through

A commitment to professional and personal development

Capable of performing a wide variety of tasks

The Candidate must be able to demonstrate:

Special knowledge Understanding of the principles and practice of special schools.

Demonstrative knowledge of and current evidence to support your work with young

and skills people who have social and emotional mental health needs.

It is desirable to have a full, manual driving licence with access to car and ability to travel for work including overnight stays if necessary.

Competencies

Professional Qualities: Respecting and Understanding Others

Reacts sensitively to other people and recognises different viewpoints, beliefs, values

and opinions.

Treats children and young people we support and colleagues with respect, dignity,

honesty and equality.

Adapts their working style and level of support to an individual’s needs or wishes.

Work cooperatively with colleagues and assist when they need support.

Value the different contributions that people can make within a team.

Professional Qualities: Influential Communication

Ensures Great Interactions are achieved by using a variety of communication techniques

including language, tone and non-verbal behaviour.

Listens actively and display enthusiasm in their communication.

Uses and presents information in a manner which is persuasive, logical and

understandable to the receiver.

Professional Qualities: Facilitating Success and Improvement in others

Use encouragement, praise and appropriate direction as necessary.

Support, motivate and inspire others to try new tasks or activities.

Seek assistance appropriately and receive feedback from others.

Professional Qualities: Supporting Learning and Teaching or Care in an Educational Setting

Is ambitious, has consistent and high expectations of staff and pupils

Demonstrates personal enthusiasm for and commitment to the learning process

Demonstrates the principles and practice of effective learning and teaching

Initiates and supports research and debate about effective learning and teaching

Provides appropriate support intervention based upon a detailed knowledge of individual

pupils

Professional Qualities: Results and Quality Focus

Completes work to a high standard, focussing on the needs of the children and young people we support.

Takes personal responsibility for the quality of their work and be willing to ‘go the extra mile’.

Looks for continual improvement in own performance and in the performance of others. Work to agreed policies and procedures.

Professional Qualities: Problem solving and Decision Making

Is able to collect, interpret and evaluate information

Can develop a deep understanding of a problems, exploring alternative ways of resolving problems including new possibilities.

Makes timely and well considered decisions, is aware the impact their decisions may have and willing to make difficult but necessary decisions to improve the practice.

Professional Qualities: Resilience to Change and Challenges

Is open to change and embracing new developments / initiatives

Adapts well in new and unfamiliar situations responding to changing plans quickly

Works independently without direction

Is resilient and copes well in emergency situations

Professional Qualities: Personal Development

Is committed to achieving high standards for their own self-development

Is able to reflect on self-development needs and address them.

Meets agreed development action plans as agreed with line manager.

Achieves positive feedback from peers, senior colleagues and external stakeholders.

MacIntyre Academies Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All positions will require an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and registration with the DBS Update Service together with all other relevant recruitment checks including obtaining references. Referees will be asked to assess suitability of candidates to work with vulnerable adults, children or young people and will be verbally verified. MacIntyre Academies’ Safeguarding Policy can be found on our website and candidates will be asked about this as part of the recruitment process.

MacIntyre Academies is an equal opportunities employer. Our policy on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders is available to applicants on request and is also available on our website under ‘Work for Us.’

MacIntyre Academies Trust

602 South Seventh Street

Milton Keynes

MK9 2JA

Tel: 01908 230100

Twitter: @MacIntyre_ac

Email: info@macintyreacademies.org

Website: www.macintyreacademies.org

LinkedIn: company/macintyre-academies