How to get a job in a special school
How many jobs are there in special schools?
Special schools are those that solely provide education for children with special educational needs and / or disabilities (SEN or SEND). There are around 1,600 in the UK employing around 28,000 teachers. Around 2% of children attend them – but due to the high ratio of support they employ over 4% of teachers.
As well as SEN teachers, there are many thousands of other professionals working in special schools, including SEN teaching assistants, care assistants, pastoral support, medical and nursing specialists plus other positions such as administrative and support services staff.
What are the challenges of working in special schools?
While working in special schools can be highly rewarding, those thinking of working in the sector need to be aware that there are challenges in addition to those faced in other schools – dealing with a wider range of student needs, handling difficult emotional situations, and working with a broader range of other professionals.
Recruiters that use Senploy to post vacancies suggested the following skills and attributes would be most important for those working in special schools
- ‘Empathy, reliability & resilience’ David Robson, Inspire EHC
- ‘Willingness, patience, commitment’ Daniel Dunn-Stuart, Smart Teachers
- ‘A capacity to listen without judgement’ Ben Palmer, Shortlandpalmer
Given these requirements, it is highly recommended that you spend time in a special school before applying to see if it would suit you. Many special schools welcome volunteers or offer work experience placements either directly or through colleges, although these may need time to set up as DBS checks will be needed. You can find a list of special schools to approach through Special Needs UK’s website.
How do I get a job as a teacher in a special school?
There are a small number of postgraduate teacher training courses that specialise in SEND which you can find via Get Into Teaching . Following this you can apply directly to special schools.
A more common alternative route is to take a non-specialist teaching qualification (either undergraduate or postgraduate), develop your experience and skills in special needs education in a mainstream school and then move into a special school. Many special school teaching roles don’t require further training but specialist qualifications for teaching children with hearing, vision or multi-sensory impairment are mandatory - details can be found here .
A third route is to start as a teaching assistant or other member of support staff in a special school and then train as a teacher. Teachers must have degrees but if you already have one and significant experience in a support role you may be able to qualify via an assessment-only route .
How do I get a non-teaching role in a special school?
Some roles require specific qualifications, for example nursing, where you can choose to specialise after qualification. However, other roles, such as teaching assistants or pastoral support, may not have specific entry qualifications and are open to a wider range of people who have the right experience and personal characteristics.
To improve your chances of securing these roles you should gain experience working with children with SEND – either in schools or in the wider community. You could explore childcare qualifications such as a Diploma in Childcare (offered by many Further Education colleges) which will offer work experience as part of the course.
How do I find job opportunities in special schools?
One of the challenges of finding work in the sector is finding the right school for you – some focus on a particular age range or special need such as autism or hearing impairment while others are more general. Senploy hosts thousands of current jobs [AA1] [SH2] for both teaching and non-teaching roles across all areas of SEN(D) and all parts of the country, to give you the widest opportunities. ousands of current jobs for both teaching and non-teaching roles across all areas of SEN(D) and all parts of the country, to give you the widest opportunities.
Where can I find out more?
- nasen - the National Association for Special Educational Needs supports all those working with children with special needs. They also offer a range of training resources.
· National Careers Service – offers advice for those looking for teaching and teaching assistant roles
- Get into Teaching – this is the portal for postgraduate teaching courses
- Special Needs UK – hosts a directory of special needs schools
Updated: Feb 24