English Teacher

For every journey, let’s take first steps together.

At First Steps Together, we believe every child and young person deserves to feel safe, understood, included and able to succeed.

We are a growing group of specialist independent schools providing nurturing, inclusive and aspirational education for children and young people with a range of additional needs, including SEND, SEMH and complex presentations. Across our schools, strong relationships, personalised teaching and high expectations are central to helping pupils overcome barriers to learning, develop confidence and independence, and achieve positive outcomes.

As our Education provision continues to grow, we are looking for an exceptional English Teacher to join our team.

This is an opportunity for a passionate teacher to deliver high-quality, personalised education for pupils with SEND, creating meaningful learning opportunities that recognise individual starting points while maintaining ambitious expectations for every pupil.

You’ll deliver a broad and balanced curriculum, including accredited learning pathways where appropriate, while helping pupils develop the communication, regulation, life and independence skills they need for their future.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll plan and deliver engaging, personalised learning for whole classes, small groups and individual pupils, adapting your teaching, resources, classroom environment and pace to meet a wide range of SEND profiles.

Working from pupils’ individual starting points, you’ll ensure learning is closely connected to EHCP outcomes and developmental priorities, developing and reviewing individual learning plans and using assessment effectively to understand progress and identify appropriate next steps.

You’ll create a calm, structured and nurturing classroom environment, using clear routines, visual supports and trauma-aware approaches to help pupils feel safe, regulated and ready to learn. Communication development will be embedded throughout the school day, including the use of visual communication systems and AAC where appropriate.

You’ll have high expectations for both academic and personal development, supporting pupils to develop their confidence, communication, emotional and social development, behaviour and independence alongside their subject learning.

Positive behaviour support will be an important part of your practice. You’ll use proactive regulation, co-regulation and personalised strategies, working with individual behaviour support plans to help pupils overcome barriers and participate successfully in learning.

You won’t do this alone. You’ll lead and deploy classroom support staff effectively and work closely with families, therapists and other professionals, including Speech and Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy, to ensure strategies are integrated consistently into pupils’ everyday learning.

Bring your difference

We’re looking for a teacher who understands that progress looks different for every pupil.

You’ll hold Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and bring a strong understanding of teaching and learning alongside the ability to adapt your practice for pupils with a wide range of additional needs.

You’ll understand SEND and personalised, highly differentiated teaching, and be able to create a classroom that is structured, predictable and emotionally supportive. You’ll be confident assessing and evidencing progress, developing purposeful individual targets and contributing to EHCP processes and Annual Reviews.

Experience within specialist education or alternative provision would be particularly valuable, as would experience delivering functional English and maths or supporting accredited learning pathways. Training in trauma-informed practice, nurture, behaviour and regulation approaches, or specialist SEND and communication approaches would also be advantageous.

We’re looking for someone who is nurturing, patient, resilient and reflective; someone who can remain calm when situations are challenging, build positive relationships and work collaboratively with colleagues, families and professionals.

Above all, you’ll be a teacher who combines high expectations with a genuinely pupil-centred approach and shares our commitment to safeguarding, inclusion and achieving positive outcomes for every child and young person.

Why First Steps Together?

This is an opportunity to develop your teaching career within a growing specialist education organisation, where personalised education and the individual needs of pupils sit at the heart of what we do.

You’ll join a supportive and collaborative school team, with access to ongoing professional development and specialist training, as well as opportunities to progress as First Steps Together continues to grow.

Most importantly, you’ll have the opportunity to make a meaningful difference to children and young people who need teachers prepared to understand how they learn, adapt to what they need and recognise what they can achieve.

If you’re an ambitious and committed SEND teacher who wants to create engaging learning experiences, raise aspirations and help pupils develop the skills and confidence they need for their future, we’d love to hear from you.

Bring your difference. Take your next step with First Steps Together.

Safeguarding

First Steps Together is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Appointment to this role will be subject to appropriate safer recruitment and pre-employment checks, including an Enhanced DBS, satisfactory references, online checks and overseas police checks where required.

Application

If you would like to arrange an informal discussion about the role with the Headteacher or a member of our People Services Team, please contact us by emailing, recruitment@fstmanagement.uk.

Completed application forms (attached below) must be sent to recruitment@fstmanagement.uk prior to the application closing date.

We reserve the right to close applications earlier should be receive a number of suitable applications which meet the essential criteria. We will not accept CVs in place of completed application forms.