Occupational Therapy Students

Are you in your final year of an Occupational Therapy degree, or recently qualified and looking to gain meaningful experience before taking the next step in your career?

A specialist SEND school in Gateshead is seeking passionate, caring, and proactive individuals to join their team from May 2026 onwards. This full-time, Monday to Friday role offers the opportunity to make a genuine difference to the lives of children and young people with additional needs.

The Role

Working within a supportive educational environment, you will help pupils overcome barriers to learning, build independence, and develop essential life skills.

Your responsibilities may include:

• Supporting pupils with autism, ADHD, sensory processing needs, and complex learning difficulties
• Working with children on a 1:1 basis and in small groups
• Encouraging the development of fine and gross motor skills throughout the school day
• Supporting emotional regulation and sensory integration strategies
• Working closely with teachers, SENCOs, therapists, and families to provide the best outcomes for pupils
• Creating positive, engaging, and inclusive learning experiences

Why Occupational Therapy Graduates Excel in SEND Settings

Your training provides valuable skills that have an immediate impact in education:

• Understanding the whole child and their individual needs
• Knowledge of sensory processing and self-regulation
• Experience adapting environments and activities for participation
• Strong communication and problem-solving skills
• A patient, empathetic, and person-centred approach

What You'll Gain

• Valuable experience supporting children with a range of additional needs
• Exposure to multidisciplinary working within education
• Opportunities to develop practical intervention skills
• A stronger CV for future Occupational Therapy positions
• Daily opportunities to see the positive impact of your support

If you're looking for a rewarding role where every day brings new challenges and achievements, we'd love to hear from you

All applicants will require the appropriate qualifications and training for this role. Please see the FAQs on the Protocol Education website for further details.

All pay rates quoted will be inclusive of 12.07% statutory holiday pay. This advert is for a temporary position. In some cases, the option to make this role permanent may become available at a later date.

Protocol Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We undertake safeguarding checks on all workers in accordance with the DfE statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’, this may also include an online search as part of our due diligence on shortlisted applicants.
We offer FREE online safeguarding and Prevent Duty training to all our workers. All candidates must undertake or have undertaken a valid enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and subscribe to the DBS Update Service.

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