Occupational Therapist - Sensory

Job Description

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

Work Location: Oakfield Short Stay School LE9 7PA and other locations across the county

Salary: £39,939 - £42,699 per annum (pro rata for part time) (pay award pending)

Working Hours: 37 hrs per week, term time (39 weeks per year)

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 23rd August 2026

Interview Date(s): TBC

Are you looking for a rewarding career where you can make a difference?

Do you want a job where no two days are the same?

About the Role

Oakfield Short Stay School is Leicestershire’s provision for primary and secondary school aged children who are at risk, or who have been permanently excluded from school. 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 in both the Primary and Secondary phase who struggle to manage in mainstream and need a different offer of education to secure their successful next steps.

Working as part of the multi-disciplinary therapy team, to support pupils/students who need help to overcome barriers both inside and outside the school, in order to achieve their full potential. Our students have a variety of learning needs and learn in small groups. We are looking for a person who is creative, flexible, holistic, and has trauma-informed approach, and possesses specialist knowledge to raise engagement, support independence and inspire our children to achieve remarkable outcomes. You will be at the heart of our mission, supporting us to engage our pupils and achieve high rates of attendance. The role would suit someone with excellent communication and interpersonal skills who can inspire others. 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.

An enhanced with barred list DBS check 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:

• Post graduate or undergraduate Degree in Occupational Therapy and current HCPC registration.
• Postgraduate training, certification or demonstrated expertise in Sensory Integration.
• Commitment and ability to undertake Educator/Best Interests Assessor or other relevant specialist training.
• Evidence of effective assessment and risk management delivery
• Experience of partnership working with children to identify and meet need with creative and pragmatic solutions
• Knowledge of Occupational Therapy, methodologies and models of practice and ability to use them
• Evidence of practice in line with the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (College of Occupational Therapists)

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:

Mel Carte - Head of Therapeutic Inreach and Outreach

Email:melanie.Carte@leics.gov.uk

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.

About us

About Leicestershire County Council

At Leicestershire County Council, we're committed to making a real difference in people's lives. Our aim is to work with communities and partners to deliver public services that make Leicestershire the best possible place to live and work for everyone.

Our employees play a key role in supporting this goal and helping us deliver the vital services we provide to the people of Leicestershire. Whether you're starting your career or looking for your next challenge, you'll find a place with us where your ideas are valued, and your work has purpose.

For further information on what it’s like to work for us and the benefits we offer, please refer to the following:

Our Recruitment Process
Our Organisational Values
Our Employee Benefits
Working for Us