SEN Teacher - Primary Adapted Curriculum
South West London / Surrey
£35,000 - £45,000 per annum, depending on experience
Permanent, ASAP start
Monday to Friday (term time only), 8:30am - 5pm
*** Interviews ASAP ***
You have probably spent years developing your teaching skills. You understand how children learn, how to build trust, and how to adapt on your feet. But if you have ever sat in a staffroom thinking that what you do every day could have a deeper impact somewhere else, it might be time to pay attention to this one.
This is a specialist school in South West London for children with complex speech, language and communication needs. The majority of the children here are on the Autism spectrum, many of whom use alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) to express themselves and access learning. This is not a mainstream school with a SEND unit. Every part of this school, its environment, its staffing, its curriculum, has been built around the children who need it most.
The role sits within a dedicated Adapted Curriculum provision for children aged KS1 and KS2. Class sizes are capped at six. That is not a policy on paper. It is the reality of every working day. You will plan and deliver a functional, hands-on curriculum following the Equals framework, supported by the SCERTS model, in a low-arousal, therapeutic environment where communication is at the centre of everything.
What makes this setting genuinely different is the team around you. Speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, specialist behaviour assistants and teaching assistants work alongside you, not separately from you. This is a real transdisciplinary model, and the collaboration is built into the school's culture from the ground up.
What the children need from you
These children come to school with complex communication profiles. Some are non-verbal or minimally verbal. Some present with significant sensory differences that affect how they engage with their environment. Some have experienced high levels of dysregulation in other settings. What they need is a teacher who understands that behaviour is communication, that a calm and consistent environment is not a compromise but a necessity, and that functional life skills matter just as much as literacy and maths.
You will be creating schemes of work that help children build real independence, not just academic targets, but the skills that will shape how they live and connect with the world around them.
What the role involves day to day
Planning and delivering an adapted functional curriculum within a small, specialist class, writing Individual Education Plans, end-of-term reports and Annual Review contributions, implementing therapy advice from the SLT and OT directly into your lessons and circle time routines, managing and supporting teaching staff within your class, and maintaining regular communication with parents and carers.
Who genuinely thrives here
You are a qualified teacher with at least two years of post-qualifying experience. You may come from a specialist school background, or you may be in mainstream and ready to make the move into a setting where you can go deeper into genuinely complex SEND. Experience with the Equals Curriculum, SCERTS, Makaton, or AAC systems would be an advantage, but what matters most is that you understand the principles behind them and have the patience and creativity to make them work.
This role asks for emotional resilience. There will be hard days and slow progress. If you are someone who finds meaning in that kind of challenge, who stays curious when things are difficult, and who genuinely wants to understand each child rather than manage them, this is the kind of setting where you will do some of the best work of your career.
What the school offers
Small classes, a properly resourced and well-equipped environment, a strong MDT around you, regular CPD and training, a termly wellbeing allowance, a healthcare cash plan, free on-site parking, and good transport links nearby.
Interested?
If this position interests you, apply now or contact Heeji Moon at Parker Smith Inclusion.