Job Title: SEN Teacher
Location: Options Higford School, Shifnal, Shropshire, TF11 9ET
Hours: 37.5 hours per week | Monday to Friday | 8:30am–4:00pm
Salary: Up to £44,310 per annum (depending on experience, not pro rata)
Contract: Permanent | Term Time Only
Start: January 2026
UK applicants only – no sponsorship available
About the role
At our specialist school, you'll do far more than teach a curriculum. You'll help young people overcome barriers, celebrate achievements that others thought impossible, and build the confidence they need to succeed both in school and beyond.
We are looking for an enthusiastic and dedicated SEN Teacher to join our team. Whether your background is in primary, secondary or specialist education, we would like to hear from you if you are passionate about adapting teaching, building positive relationships and helping every student achieve their potential.
Our curriculum is organised across four pathways Engage, Explore, Apply and Future so that learning reflects each student’s developmental level, communication needs, EHCP outcomes and aspirations for life.
Every day is different. Every success is worth celebrating. Every child deserves someone who believes in them.
What you will be doing
Plan and deliver creative, engaging and appropriately challenging learning.
Teach within the most appropriate curriculum pathway for your students.
Adapt teaching to students’ communication, sensory, emotional and learning needs.
Build positive relationships that help students feel safe, confident and ready to learn.
Lead and support the classroom team, ensuring staff are deployed effectively.
Develop and review personalised plans and targets linked to students’ EHCP outcomes.
Monitor progress through Evidence for Learning and the school’s assessment systems.
Work closely with teaching assistants, therapists, families and external professionals.
Promote positive behaviour through consistency, understanding and high expectations.
Support students to develop communication, independence and preparation-for-adulthood skills.
Safeguard students and contribute to a calm, structured and nurturing environment.
What you will bring
Qualified Teacher Status or an equivalent recognised teaching qualification.
Experience of supporting students with SEND.
A commitment to inclusive, personalised education.
The creativity and flexibility to adapt teaching for a wide range of learning needs.
Strong classroom leadership and the ability to guide a multidisciplinary class team.
Excellent communication and collaborative-working skills.
A commitment to ongoing professional development and high-quality teaching.
A full UK driving licence.
About the School
Options Higford is an independent specialist day school for autistic children and young people aged 5–19 who may also have other associated behavioural needs.
Set within 28 acres of Shropshire countryside, the school provides a calm, structured and nurturing environment. Students learn within small class groups of up to five, supported by high levels of skilled staff.
Our curriculum is personalised through four pathways:
Engage – sensory engagement, interaction, communication, regulation and early cognition.
Explore – early communication, literacy, numeracy and wider-world learning through structured exploration.
Apply – applying and generalising knowledge and skills through a more structured subject learning and community access.
Future – preparation for life, independence, employability, life skills and community participation.
Learning is linked closely to students’ EHCP outcomes and supported by an in-house clinical team.
Ofsted judged the school to be Good in 2025 and recognised its calm and purposeful environment, positive relationships, high aspirations and commitment to developing students’ communication and independence.
For over 19 years, Options Autism has provided specialist education and care for children, young people and adults with autism, complex needs and learning difficulties. As part of Outcomes First Group, we use innovative and evidence-based approaches to achieve meaningful outcomes for everyone in our care.
We are proud that Outcomes First Group was officially certified as a Great Place to Work in 2025 for the sixth consecutive year.
Why join us?
We place students and vulnerable young adults at the heart of everything we do, so every day brings the satisfaction of making a meaningful difference.
Life Assurance.
Pension scheme with options to increase contributions.
“Your Wellbeing Matters” mental-health support and physical-health checks.
Flexible Benefits Platform, including:
Health, wellbeing and insurance benefits.
UK and international discounts.
Cycle to Work Scheme.
Electric Car Purchase Scheme.
Critical illness cover.
Family Growth Support, including enhanced maternity and paternity leave and paid fertility-treatment support.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of students and young people. All applicants will be subject to social-media checks, and successful applicants will require a fully enhanced DBS check.
We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.
Outcomes First Group is committed to carrying out a fair, thorough and efficient recruitment process in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education. All stages of the compliance process are subject to the necessary safeguarding checks and statutory requirements, which may affect timescales
Salary description
£44310.00 - £44310.00 per year