DT Teacher (Resistant Materials and Food Technology) - Permanent Contract
Mole Valley, Surrey
Full-time (term time only), September 2026
£35,000 - £45,000 per annum
*** Interviews are arranged ASAP ***
Most DT teachers will tell you the same two things. The classes are too big to run a practical lesson properly. And the subject is always the first to lose time, lose budget, or lose its place on the timetable when something else takes priority. If you have been teaching DT in a mainstream school for any length of time, neither of those will surprise you. You will have found ways to work around them. But working around something is not the same as not noticing it.
This role does not ask you to work around either.
The school is a specialist setting in Mole Valley, Surrey, for pupils aged 7 to 16 with Autism, ADHD, and Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs. All pupils hold an Education, Health and Care Plan. Classes are small, adult-to-pupil ratios are high, and the curriculum is personalised to each individual. Resistant Materials and Food Technology are not squeezed into the margins here. They are part of how the school builds confidence, independence, and practical capability in young people who need all three.
The headteacher leads from the front. He works directly alongside his staff, knows what is happening in classrooms, and takes his responsibilities seriously to ensure teachers have what they need to do their best work. This is not a school where you will feel like a function in a system. Staff are known, supported, and invested in. If you have worked somewhere that talked about staff wellbeing without acting on it, the difference here will be clear within the first few weeks.
The school's approach to pupil wellbeing sets the tone for everything else. Confidence, independence, and self-esteem are not assumed to follow from academic progress. They work towards them deliberately, as goals in their own right. For a DT teacher, that means the work you do in the workshop and the kitchen has a purpose that goes beyond the specification. A pupil learning to plan, make, evaluate, and try again is also learning something about themselves. In a specialist setting, with the right support around them, that process can be genuinely significant.
Teaching and therapy do not happen in parallel here. They happen together. The teams plan around each pupil as a unit, which means you will understand the young people in your room more fully, and the wider team will understand what your lessons are asking of them. That level of communication changes what a teacher can do, and it changes how the job feels.
What the role includes:
- Full-time, permanent contract with a September 2026 start
- Salary of £35,000 to £45,000 per annum, dependent on experience
- Small classes with high adult-to-pupil ratios
- Practical facilities covering Resistant Materials and Food Technology
- Integrated therapy and teaching teams plan together around each pupil
- Structured SEND training and ongoing professional development from day one
- Visible, hands-on leadership that invests in its staff
The school will consider candidates from mainstream backgrounds who are ready to move into specialist education, with full SEND training provided from day one. Applications are also welcome from candidates working towards QTS through the Assessment-Only route, or from those who have come to teaching through industry or a vocational background. What matters is that you have chosen to work with young people with complex needs, and that your teaching reflects that choice.
The school is in Mole Valley and is accessible from across Surrey and West Sussex. Guildford, Leatherhead, Reigate, Redhill, Godalming, and Horsham are all within comfortable travelling distance.
To find out more, apply now or contact Heeji Moon at Parker Smith Inclusion on 0203 011 4848.
Parker Smith Inclusion is a SEND-specialist recruitment consultancy working exclusively across London and Surrey. They place teachers, teaching assistants, and therapists in settings that align with their experience and goals. All placements are PAYE only, with no umbrella arrangements and no hidden costs. With over 400 five-star Google reviews, they are known among educators for being straightforward, knowledgeable, and worth the call.