Most mainstream teaching roles leave you feeling like you're working against the system, not with it. Here's a specialist primary school for children aged 5-11 with autism and communication difficulties where every single lesson is designed around what each child actually needs to learn, and where your teaching makes visible progress every single day
Picture walking into a classroom where the curriculum isn't a one-size-fits-all box: it's three flexible pathways (Puffin, Peacock, Flamingo) that let children move at their own pace and advance in ways that match how their brain works. Communication and Language runs through everything, like a golden thread. You're not managing behaviour problems; you're building confidence, self-regulation and real understanding. Every child leaves your lesson feeling they've succeeded
Reading and phonics aren't squeezed into a slot: they're woven through the day with two dedicated Reading Leaders on staff delivering high-quality intervention. Story time, rhyme time, independent catch-up. You work alongside specialists who know the NEN Framework inside out, tracking progress in ways that actually show growth. Parents partner with you too, reinforcing reading at home because the school has built that relationship
Personal Development is central here, not an add-on. You're teaching the life skills these children desperately need: social confidence, independence, how to stay safe, how to thrive beyond the school gates. The head teacher runs a school that prioritises partnership with families and celebrates every individual child's journey. This is a team that actually shows up for each other
What you will be doing
- Deliver engaging, tailored lessons using the school's flexible curriculum pathways, meeting each child where they are and building from their starting point
- Embed Communication and Language development across every aspect of your teaching, from whole-class work to one-to-one support
- Work with Reading Leaders to deliver high-quality phonics, story time and reading interventions daily, adapting to individual children's needs
- Support children's Personal Development alongside academics, teaching social skills, self-regulation and life skills that build independence
- Collaborate with the wider team to track progress using the NEN Framework, celebrating each child's advancement and adjusting teaching in response
- Partner with families, encouraging parents to reinforce learning at home and listening to their insights about their child's needs
Why you will love working here
- Join a school where the curriculum is designed for children with autism and communication needs, not squeezed into a mainstream model that doesn't fit
- Work with Reading Leaders and a whole team trained in supporting children's communication development: you're not flying solo
- See real progress tracked through the NEN Framework, knowing exactly how your teaching is moving each child forward
- Invest your energy in a school that prioritises wellbeing and partnership with families, where the head teacher and team genuinely support one another
- Be part of a learning community that celebrates difference and builds each child's confidence and independence for life after school
Is this you?
- Are you a qualified teacher who actually cares about children with additional needs, particularly autism or communication difficulties, not just in theory but in practice
- Do you have the patience and creativity to meet children where they are and tailor your approach, even when two children in the same class need completely different things
- Can you read a child's body language and adjust in the moment, understanding that progress looks different for every learner
- Are you willing to work as part of a specialist team, sharing ideas and learning from colleagues who know this work inside out
- Do you believe that every child can succeed, and do you want to be the teacher who helps them see it
Applications close on 12 October 2026. Great roles like this are filled quickly, so the sooner you apply the better.
Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All roles are subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.