Speech and Language Therapy Band 6

• SL2 is a new setting being developed by the organisation with students coming onboard new to the setting. Similar range of needs.

In short it’s a specialist post-16 setting for young people aged approximately 16–25 with SEND. The caseload is therefore likely to be quite different from a mainstream school caseload, with therapy needing to be functional, age-appropriate and closely linked to independence, adulthood and preparation for life beyond education.

Therapists should expect young people with a range of communication profiles and levels of need, potentially including autism, learning disabilities, receptive and expressive language difficulties, social communication needs, speech difficulties and young people who use or benefit from AAC/visual communication approaches.

SLT input is likely to focus particularly on functional communication: understanding and expressing needs, self-advocacy, social interaction, emotional vocabulary, accessing learning, communicating in the community and workplace, and developing independence. Some learners may require individualised communication systems or environmental adaptations, while others may need higher-level language and social communication support.

Because this is a 16–25 provision, therapists should ensure resources and approaches are developmentally appropriate without appearing childish. Intervention should wherever possible relate to real-life situations such as college routines, friendships and relationships, travel, work experience, employment, community access and communicating choices.

Therapists should also expect to work collaboratively with education staff, embedding strategies into the learner’s everyday programme.

In short: this would suit a therapist who is confident working with post-16 SEND, autism/learning needs, functional communication and potentially AAC, and who enjoys a practical, collaborative and independence-focused model of therapy.