Special educational needs (SEN) teacher
Special educational needs (SEN) teachers work with children and young people who have special educational needs or disabilities.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
In this role you could:
- plan and teach lessons, work with small groups and individual students
- prepare teaching materials, take registers and write reports
- help students develop confidence, independence and encourage them to learn
- manage behaviour, mark work and talk to parents and carers about their children's progress
- work with specialist teaching services, medical staff, counsellors and psychologists
- organise trips, attend workshops and run training for other teaching staff on special educational needs issues
Working environment
You could work at a school, at a special needs school or at a pupil referral unit.
Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding.
Career path and progression
With experience you could:
- become a special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) and manage the special educational needs strategy at a school
- move into management roles like head of department, key stage co-ordinator, deputy head or headteacher
- use your specialist skills and knowledge and become a special needs assessment officer at a local council
- become a higher education lecturer
- move into teacher training, private training or tutoring
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
- sensitivity and understanding
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- the ability to work well with others
- the ability to create the best conditions for learning or teaching new things
- knowledge of English language
- to be flexible and open to change
- the ability to understand people’s reactions
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
Restrictions and Requirements
You'll need to:
- pass enhanced background checks as you may work with children and vulnerable adults
You'll need further specialist qualifications to teach students with hearing impairment, vision impairment or multi-sensory impairment.
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
- applying directly
Most teaching courses include options on teaching children with special educational needs.
Undergraduate degree
You can do an undergraduate degree that leads to qualified teacher status (QTS), for example:
- Bachelor of Education (BEd)
- Bachelor of Arts (BA) with QTS
- Bachelor of Science (BSc) with QTS
Postgraduate certificate
If you already have a bachelor's degree without qualified teacher status, you can complete a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE). This is a common choice and can be done at university or through a training programme based in a school.
More teacher training options
There are more training options if you want to change career or specialise in teaching certain subjects.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths
- GCSE science at grade 9 to 4 (A* to C) for primary school teaching
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
- a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course
More Information
You can apply to do a Teacher Level 6 Apprenticeship, if you already have a degree.
You could take training to complete a Teacher for the Sensory Impaired Level 7 Apprenticeship. This is equivalent to postgraduate study.
These can take between 1 and 2 years to complete.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in English and maths
- GCSE science at grade 9 to 4 (A* to C) for primary school teaching
- a degree for a teaching apprenticeship
More Information
You could start as a teaching assistant and do a part time degree. You could then move onto a postgraduate teaching course to qualify as a teacher.
You'll find it helpful to get some experience of working with young people with special educational needs or disabilities.
You could volunteer at a school or work at a youth club or on a holiday scheme.
You can also find volunteering opportunities through Do IT.
If you're a qualified teacher, you can get extra training to teach students with special educational needs. You can find a course through your local education authority.
Many local education authorities offer courses for teachers who want to do this.
Registration
- you'll usually need qualified teacher status (QTS) to teach in a state school in England
Career tips
You can attend a Get Into Teaching event before you apply to get advice about teaching, funding and the different training routes available. You can attend events in person and online.
Professional and industry bodies
You could become a member of the National Association for Special Educational Needs to help with professional development.
Further information
You can find out more about teaching students with special educational needs from Get Into Teaching and the National Association for Special Educational Needs.
You can also search for jobs through the Teaching Vacancies service.
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External links
This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.