Clervaux Garden School bridges Clow Beck on a 100-acre site near Darlington, farmed for over 800 years. Clervaux Garden School is on a part of the site originally designed as an eco centre, closely connected to the land. Our pupils have opportunities to apply themselves to practical land and craft activities that support the curriculum areas identified in the Independent National School Standards.
Clervaux Garden School is part of Ruskin Mill Trust.
Established in 1984, Ruskin Mill Trust is an educational charity that operates in England, Scotland and Wales. We offer exciting outdoor learning environments, utilising practical land and craft activities to support the development of work and life skills in young people with autistic spectrum conditions and other learning differences. Our research-led method, Practical Skills Therapeutic Education, is inspired by the work of Rudolf Steiner, John Ruskin and William Morris. Working with hand, head, heart and place, Ruskin Mill Trust helps individuals to re-imagine their potential.
The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Successful applicants will be required to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service Enhanced Level Disclosure as well as a medical check, references, evidence of qualifications, plus verification of the right to work in the UK.
Working collaboratively with the whole school, you will deliver bespoke assessment and intervention plans for our students with a range of learning and communication needs, including developmental trauma, autism, ADHD, PDA, ASD, Anxiety and complex SEMH needs. You may be newly qualified and looking for your first role, or an experienced Speech and Language Therapist who is keen to embrace a new challenge working within a therapeutic educational setting. The purpose of the role is to work therapeutically with specific or small groups of students based on assessments of the students support and developmental needs. Our staff pride ourselves on putting the needs of our students at the forefront of all we do and maintain a strong safeguarding culture. We are looking for a Speech and Language Therapist who will embrace, articulate and work with the Trust’s ethos, Visions and Values, which are implemented and integrated within the therapeutic provision, encouraging our students to reimagine their own potential.
As a Speech and Language Therapist with the Trust, you would have the opportunity to:
• Work collaboratively with the school to promote, and further embed, the Total Communication initiative, supporting our students in accessing a range of communication methods. To include high and low tech AAC (Augmentative and Alternative communication)
• Embrace the opportunity to work flexibly and creatively with our students at a universal, targeted and specialist level
• Provide a holistic approach to the management of your own caseload, ensuring coverage of EHCP targets and student need, nurturing solid working relationships with staff and students.
• Work with students across a variety of settings, including classroom and workshop settings at Clervaux Garden School.
• Deliver appropriate interventions, including informal and formal assessment through observation and staff/parent/carers liaison.
• Deliver weekly direct (1:1), small group and class-based interventions, including therapy in the craft and outdoor space
• Support and encourage the use of Zones of Regulation across our educational setting
• To facilitate meaningful change with hands-on intervention and practice.
• Have protected time for reflection and MDT liaison with the therapies team, staff and wider trust as well the opportunities to upskill staff to embed practices across the curriculum.
• Provide evidence from assessment for educational tribunals
• Carry out relevant training for teachers and assistants to embed identified SaLT strategies.
To undertake this position successfully you will have:
• Membership of the Health Professional Council and be a Fully Certified member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT)
• BA or BSc in Speech and Language Therapy or equivalent
• Experience of working with autism, learners with learning difficulties and/ or learning disabilities and social-emotional behaviour.
• Knowledge of specialist education • Excellent communication and organisational skills, with a flexible and professional approach to work.
In return, we offer significant personal development opportunities including opportunities to study at Master’s Level and contribute to the Trust’s research. In addition, staff receive:
A full list of our staff benefits can be found here:
• A comprehensive and interactive induction, extensive training and development plan to include Practical Skills Therapeutic Education (PSTE), Safety Intervention training and much more.
• A beautiful location
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Free employee assistance programme with BHSF
• Medicash - Health cash plan
• Lunch provided during term time when engaging with students