Play Practitioner

Play Practitioner

Location: Aurora Eccles and White House Schools, Quidenham, Norwich, NR16 2NZ

Salary: £12.99 - £13.49 per hour (£23,210.52 - £24,103.92 actual salary per year) Dependant on experience and qualifications
Hours: 40 hours per week, Term time only  

Aurora White House School and Aurora Eccles School 

We're seeking to recruit a dedicated Play Practitioner to join our multidisciplinary team in a Special Educational Needs (SEN) school. In this role, you'll use play-based approaches to support children with additional needs enhancing their learning, social development, and emotional well-being.  Working collaboratively with teachers, therapists, and support staff, you'll help create an inclusive environment where children can develop through both structured and free play activities. You'll play a key role in implementing targeted interventions under the direction of our Play Therapist, supporting individual students, small groups, and classes as needed. This position offers the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to children's development while working within a supportive, multidisciplinary team. You'll help create positive learning experiences that build on each child's strengths and interests.

Part of the Aurora Group, Aurora Eccles and White House Schools in Quidenham, Norwich provides day placements for students aged 6 to 16 years primarily with communication and interaction difficulties or specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia.  Some may be on the autistic spectrum or have anxieties and difficulties that create barriers to learning. 

With small classes, typically 7 children and a minimum of 3 staff per class you can focus on the needs of each student. There is a full clinical team onsite to support at all times and you will have the support of an experienced and stable SLT.

If you're passionate about supporting children with additional needs through play-based learning, we'd welcome your application.

To take a virtual look around the schools please click here: Eccles Virtual Tour  Or: White House Virtual Tour

Key Accountabilities:

Caseload Management & Service Delivery

• Work under supervision of the Play Therapist to manage an assigned caseload of students within Aurora Eccles and Aurora White House Schools
• Collaborate with Play Therapist(s), Therapy Leads, Clinical Lead and Senior Leadership Team to ensure efficient workload management and effective service delivery
• Liaise with Therapy Assistants, Therapists and Emotional Literacy Practitioners (ELSAs) to ensure appropriate caseload management and skills sharing
• Prioritise caseload under direction of Play Therapist to ensure equitable service delivery

Assessment & Intervention

• Support the Play Therapist with student assessments and interventions as directed
• Provide direct and indirect play therapy interventions for individuals and groups
• Plan and facilitate engaging play sessions that support learning, social interaction, and sensory needs
• Adapt play activities to suit children with diverse needs, including Autism, ADHD, SEMH, speech language and communication needs, and sensory needs
• Measure intervention outcomes against EHCP and Annual Review targets
• Record progress and outcomes using school systems (e.g. Earwig)
• Maintain detailed records in line with professional codes of conduct and Aurora policies
• Observe and document children's progress, sharing insights with staff and families

Please note that duties will vary and you will be expected to contribute to the overall aims of the schools when required. Please see the link below for our full job description:

Job Description – Play Practitioner

Qualifications - Essential

• Level 3 qualification in play work, early years, or related field
• Certificate or diploma in play therapy/therapeutic play e.g. Certificate in Therapeutic Play Skills; PTUK / BAPT Practitioner of Play Skills Qualification or similar
• Evidence of supervision received from approved and accredited Play Therapist

Knowledge - Essential

• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development
• Understanding of attachment theory and trauma-informed practice
• Knowledge of SEN and working within SEN education settings
• Knowledge of Autism Spectrum Conditions, ADHD, and SEMH difficulties
• Commitment to safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk and to upholding safe working practices, working in a way that promotes the safety and wellbeing of all
• Understanding of play-based learning and child development.

Experience - Essential

• Experience of working as a play practitioner or similar
• Experience of exercising clinical responsibility for clients’ emotional care and treatment including maintaining confidentiality
• Experience of multi-disciplinary team and multi-agency working
• Experience working with children with SEN in an educational, therapeutic, or childcare setting.

Skills - Essential

• Ability to build constructive relationships with warmth, empathy, patience and tact using good communication skills
• Fluent in written and spoken English with the ability to communicate complex information in a clear manner to a range of audiences including students, parents, and professionals
• Ability to keep legible and accurate notes in line with professional record keeping requirements under the direction and supervision of the Play Therapist and in line with local policy and procedures
• Good time management and organisation skills.
• Ability to implement integrated intervention plans, based on identified needs and outcomes under the direction and supervision of the Play Therapist
• Good IT skills for administration, presentations, recording and reporting systems
• Ability to support the Play Therapist, or other members from the MDT team, in training staff
• Commitment to always treating service users with respect and dignity, adopting a culturally sensitive approach which considers the needs of the whole person
• Ability to identify difficulties in practice and to seek and use supervision constructively

Due to the rural location of the school, candidates are strongly advised to hold a full UK driving licence and have access to their own vehicle.

Be part of our successful team and also benefit from a generous package that includes:

• Life assurance
• Enhanced pension scheme
• Free lunch when working
• Perkbox - offering high street discounts
• Employee assistance programme
• Car lease scheme and Bike to work scheme
• Fully funded training and qualifications
• Free membership to our Health cash back plan - Claim back money on services such as dental, optical, physio and many more.
• Family Swim

How to apply:

Please complete an online application form in full, remembering to include all employment and education details.  If you need any assistance or would like any more information, please contact Liz in the Aurora Group Recruitment Team at Liz.hudson@theauroragroup.co.uk

Successful applicants will be subject to pre-employment safeguarding checks including an enhanced disclosure and barring service (DBS) check.

The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Aurora Group is therefore permitted to ask job applicants to declare all convictions and cautions (including those which are "spent" unless they are "protected" under the DBS filtering rules) in order to assess their suitability to work with children.

The Aurora Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children and young adults in our care and is a disability confident and equal opportunities employer.

This advert could be taken down at any point in time without prior notice if the position is filled. 

Please note that candidates that are shortlisted might be subject to an online search.