Special educational needs teacher

Job description

A special educational needs (SEN) teacher is specifically employed to work with children and young adults who need extra support, or require an advanced programme of education, in order to complete their learning successfully. For example, SEN teachers may work with individuals who are physically disabled, sensory impaired (i.e. deaf/blind), have speech and language difficulties such as dyslexia, have a mental disability such as autism, are emotionally vulnerable, have behavioural difficulties or have a combination of these disabilities. However, an SEN teacher may also work with gifted and talented individuals.

A key aspect of working in this field is identifying individual needs and being responsible for creating a safe, stimulating and supportive learning environment.

Typical work activities

The work of an SEN teacher is often challenging and varied and may involve:

• teaching either individuals or small groups of pupils within or outside the class;
• preparing lessons and resources;
• marking and assessing work;
• developing and adapting conventional teaching methods to meet the individual needs of pupils;
• using special equipment and facilities, such as audiovisual materials and computers to stimulate interest in learning;
• using specialist skills, such as teaching Braille to pupils with visual impairments or sign language and lip reading to students who have hearing impairments;
• collaborating with the classroom teacher to define appropriate activities for the pupils in relation to the curriculum;
• assessing children who have long or short-term learning difficulties and working with colleagues to identify individual pupils' special needs;
• liaising with other professionals, such as social workers, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists and educational psychologists;
• liaising closely with parents and guardians;
• organising learning outside the classroom in activities such as community visits, school outings or sporting events;
• assisting in severely disabled pupils' personal care/medical needs;
• administration, including updating and maintaining records on pupils' progress;
• attending statutory annual reviews or other related meetings such as Looked After Child (LAC) reviews, regarding students with an SEN, which may involve reviewing statements of special educational needs;
• receiving in-service training;
• behaviour management.

Salary and conditions

• New entrants to teaching in England, Wales and Northern Ireland begin on the main salary scale, which starts from £21,588, rising incrementally to £31,552. Teachers working within the inner and outer London areas, as well as the South East of England receive additional allowances.
• A special educational needs (SEN) teacher's starting point depends on the employer, qualifications and level of responsibility. Consideration may be given to pre-entry experience.
• An additional allowance, ranging from £2,001 to £3,954, is awarded for those working in the SEN field.
• After gaining experience and expertise, teachers who reach the top of the main scale can apply to be assessed to progress up onto the upper pay scale. This ranges from £34,181 to £36,756.
• In Scotland, the pay scale ranges from £21,438 to £34,200.
• After gaining experience and expertise, Scottish teachers who reach the top of the Scottish main scale can apply to receive chartered teacher status. Chartered teachers earn up to £41,925.
• This is open to SEN teachers as well as mainstream teachers. For full details of the Scottish teachers’ pay scale, see the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) .
• SEN teachers generally work a usual school day: from 9am to 3.30pm Monday to Friday during term time. This may vary depending on the school and part of the country. In state schools in England and Wales, you would work 39 weeks a year in school. Half a day per week is given to teachers for planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time. However, often many teachers need to work outside school hours to cover responsibilities such as preparing lessons, creating individual education plans, marking, attending meetings and preparing for parents evenings. Some teachers may also be involved in out-of-school activities, such as trips and sporting activities.
• In Scotland, working hours for SEN teachers are the same as for mainstream teachers. The standard working week is 35 hours. The maximum of 22.5 hours' classroom contact time was phased-in in 2006 for all teachers in Scotland, with the rest accounted for by collaborative working and continuing professional development (CPD).
• Self-employment or freelance work is sometimes possible. Teachers who are well qualified may be able to supplement income through private home tuition work.
• Part-time or supply work is usually available for teachers registered with the local education authority (LEA) or a supply agency.
• Career break opportunities may be available, depending on the teacher's post and the employer.
• SEN teachers are employed in all areas of the UK.
• SEN teachers based in one school have little occasion to travel, but may attend meetings, training and conferences. Occasional residential trips may occur, but overnight absence from home is not generally required.
• SEN teachers based in teams outside schools travel weekly to a variety of schools.

Entry requirements

To become a special educational needs (SEN) teacher, qualified teacher status (QTS) is required in England and Wales or the teaching qualification (TQ) in Scotland. QTS status is generally achieved by completing one of the following qualifications:

• Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE);
• school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT);
• Bachelor of Education (BEd);
• BA or BSc with QTS.

In Scotland, the TQ is usually achieved by completion of the Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE).

SEN teachers should also be registered with the General Teaching Council (GTC). There is a GTC for each area of the UK. For more information, go to the General Teaching Council for England (GTC) , the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) , the General Teaching Council for Wales (GTCW)  or The General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (GTCNI) .

There is a special educational needs element to all initial teacher training (ITT) courses. Qualified teachers can also undertake additional training to teach pupils with special educational needs.

Entry is not possible with an HND only. In England and Wales, candidates who have successfully completed two years of higher education - someone with an HND would qualify - may opt to take a shortened two-year degree with QTS. You can apply for this route via Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) .

Specific qualifications are required to teach pupils with hearing, visual or multi-sensory impairments. To find out which universities offer qualifications in these specialised areas, as well as further details on entry requirements and routes to becoming a qualified teacher, please refer to the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) .

For any person working with children/young adults in the United Kingdom, an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check is required. Without a CRB, an individual is not allowed to work with children unsupervised. An application for a CRB will need to be completed before beginning a course that leads to QTS. In the first instance, this will be through the training body. This check will be repeated by any subsequent employer once training is complete. See the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB)  for more information.

Candidates need to show evidence of the following:

• commitment to working with pupils with special educational needs;
• excellent interpersonal skills;
• initiative and problem-solving skills;
• ability to manage confrontation and challenging behaviour;
• teamwork skills;
• an observant and responsive approach;
• flexibility - it is important to be able to respond to the needs of the children and adapt or change plans accordingly;
• a positive, energetic and enthusiastic outlook;
• patience, understanding and empathy with pupils;
• a sense of humour.

Mature entry into SEN teaching is common as teachers generally have several years' experience before entering the profession. However, some schools do recruit newly qualified teachers. There is currently a shortage of special educational needs teachers.

For more information, see work experience and internships and search courses and research.

Training

There is a one-year statutory induction for all newly qualified teachers (NQTs), including those who start teaching in special educational needs (SEN) as their first position after qualifying.

Further postgraduate professional development is possible. Options include certificates as well as a diploma or Masters in special educational needs. Course content and titles vary according to the type of special education or disability being covered. Full and part-time courses are offered. In-service training is also available. Many local authorities provide special needs courses for teachers working in the field.

There are additional mandatory requirements for SEN teachers who specialise in teaching pupils with visual, hearing or multi-sensory impairment. These qualifications are available only from specific Department for Education  approved institutions and can be completed full time or part time. Full details of the requirements and course providers can be obtained from the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) . The ability to use sign language is essential if you wish to work with hearing impaired pupils, as is Braille for teachers of pupils with visual impairments.

Courses are also available for qualified teachers to teach pupils with other special educational needs. Some of these focus generally on special educational needs, while other courses are more specific, focusing on a particular learning difficulty, such as dyslexia or autism. These courses are generally part time, lasting several months.

All teachers in Scotland have a contractual commitment to undertake 35 hours of continuing professional development per year. More information can be obtained from the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) .

It may be possible to find work as a special needs teaching assistant first and then progress to the position of special educational needs teacher.

Career development

A special educational needs (SEN) teacher working in a mainstream school can become a special educational needs coordinator (SENCO). It is required that applicants have at least two years of qualified teaching experience and a good understanding of the stages of special educational needs. The stages are: School Action, School Action Plus, Formal Assessment and Statement of Special Educational Needs. In order to achieve national consistency, new SENCOs must complete The National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination. The course is one year in duration, with a further two years to complete all requirements, and is equivalent to 60 points at Masters level.

The SENCO is usually the head of the special needs department and is responsible for day-to-day provision for pupils with special educational needs. This involves coordinating work with a range of agencies and parents, gathering appropriate information on children with special needs and ensuring individual education plans (IEPs) are in place. A SENCO will appoint support assistants (LSA) or teaching assistants (TA) to help individual students in the classroom and may hold the budget for these resources. A SENCO can also be the deputy head teacher or head teacher.

SEN teachers may also progress to become advanced skills teachers. These are teachers who have reached levels of excellence within the profession. They spend approximately 80% of their time as classroom teachers and the remaining 20% improving standards and teaching elsewhere by sharing their skills through outreach work. Alternatively, progression may be possible to inspector status with The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) . Others may progress to lecturing posts in further or higher education. Some SEN teachers may choose a sideways career move and apply to become special needs officers/special needs assessment officers. These posts are based in offices within local authority (LA) departments. Officers assess the provision required to meet children's special needs. They manage the process and ensure that recommendations are made on possible support.

Employers and vacancy sources

Employers are mainly local authority (LA) departments. Many special educational needs (SEN) teachers work in mainstream schools, either in the classes or within specialist units, depending on the inclusion policy of the school. The specialist units provide support for pupils with autism or physical and sensory impairment. SEN teachers can also find employment in special schools throughout the UK, helping students with learning needs arising from physical difficulties, learning difficulties or behavioural problems.

There are also opportunities to work in:

• learning support teams - these work from a base and travel to a cluster of schools;
• further education colleges with special education units;
• independent schools;
• pupil referral units (PRUs);
• community homes;
• hospital schools;
• youth custody centres.

SEN teachers can also take on supply work or arrange direct supply work through the schools themselves.

Some SEN teachers may find work as private tutors. There are opportunities to work abroad as well. SEN teachers often undertake voluntary work abroad, and there are opportunities to go on exchange programmes.

Sources of vacancies

• Search graduate jobs on this site.
• Times Educational Supplement (TES)   
• Guardian Jobs  
• The Daily Telegraph Jobs   
• Independent Jobs  
• Local press.
• Vacancy lists from some local authorities/LEAs.
• Online recruitment agencies.

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AGCAS

Written by AGCAS editors

Date: 

February 2011

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