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Teacher (special educational needs)

Special educational needs teachers provide a general education to children who have behavioural, emotional and/or learning difficulties or who are considered to be 'gifted'.

If you wish to teach in the state-maintained sector as a special needs teacher you will need Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

Teacher (special educational needs) job descriptions: Typical employers | Qualifications and training | Key skills | Useful links | Find jobs and courses

Typical job responsibilities include:

developing programmes of learning activities
planning, preparing and researching lessons
preparing and adapting teaching materials
making use of special facilities and/or equipment
contact/teaching time with students on an individual, class or small group basis
checking and assessing students' work and giving feedback
encouraging personal development via tutorial/pastoral work
attending meetings and reviews
liaison with parents, professionals and external agencies
writing reports
co-ordinating the work of support staff.

Typical employers of special educational needs teachers

Special educational needs teachers work in state-maintained, voluntary controlled (eg religious aided) and independent schools. Schools may or may not be exclusively for children with special needs.

Teaching vacancies are advertised in TARGETjobs Teaching, online, in local education authority (LEA) jobs lists, local and national newspapers, The Times Educational Supplement and in religious and ethnic publications. Specialist recruitment agencies occasionally advertise vacancies. Directories such as The Education Authorities Directory and The Special Education Directory may be useful for job searching.

Qualifications and training required

Anyone wishing to teach in the state-maintained sector must gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) either by taking a teaching degree, an undergraduate degree followed by a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education), School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT), or employment-based Graduate/Registered Teacher Training programmes.

All candidates must possess GCSEs (grades A-C) in English language, maths, and science. There are also health and criminal record restrictions. Early applications for PGCE places to the GTTR are advisable during the first term of your final year.

It is normally essential to possess more than two years' post-qualification mainstream teaching experience prior to taking up a special educational needs teaching post. The exception to this is for newly qualified teachers (NQTs) who can demonstrate substantial previous work experience with children with special needs.