SEN Class Teacher


Company:	senploy
Salary:	£28,000 to £39,520 a year
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	SP10 1NN
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	16 Sept 2026
Closing date:	14 Oct 2026

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Summary

Location: Andover, Hampshire

Salary: £28,000-£39,520 per annum

Contract: Full-Time | Term-Time Only

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Benefits include: Company Pension • Life Assurance • Employee Discount Scheme

Some children arrive in specialist education having already experienced more difficulty with school than most young people will ever encounter.

They may have struggled to remain in mainstream education.

They might associate learning with frustration, failure or conflict.

Some will have significant Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, alongside other complex barriers that affect how they learn, communicate, regulate their emotions and build relationships.

They don't need lower expectations.

They need education delivered differently.

Polaris is looking for a passionate and resilient SEN Class Teacher to join a new specialist school in Andover, supporting children and young people aged 5-18 with complex needs, including SEMH.

With capacity for just 60 pupils, the school will provide a smaller, highly personalised environment where staff have the opportunity to really understand the young people they teach.

And because this is a new school, you'll have the opportunity to help shape what that environment becomes.

There's something different about joining a new school.

You're not simply inheriting established routines and ways of working.

You'll become part of a team developing the culture, expectations and learning environment from the outset.

You'll have the opportunity to contribute ideas, establish positive classroom routines and help create an approach where pupils feel safe, understood and capable of succeeding.

You'll also have the security of joining an organisation with more than 30 years' experience supporting children and young people, with 100% of its education services rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted.

It's the opportunity to help build something new, backed by established specialist expertise.

You'll deliver the National Curriculum, but successful teaching here requires much more than following a scheme of work.

You'll need to understand the individual learner.

Why are they struggling to engage?

What happens when something becomes difficult?

What helps them regulate?

Where are the gaps in their learning?

And what will help them experience success again?

Your responsibilities will include:

- Planning and delivering engaging, differentiated lessons.

- Adapting the National Curriculum around individual starting points and needs.

- Supporting pupils with SEMH and other complex additional needs.

- Creating structured, predictable classroom routines.

- Identifying barriers to learning and adapting your teaching accordingly.

- Monitoring attainment and recognising meaningful individual progress.

- Supporting pupils' emotional regulation and positive behaviour.

- Helping young people develop confidence, resilience and independence.

- Working closely with Teaching Assistants to provide consistent classroom support.

- Contributing to individual education and support planning.

- Building positive relationships with pupils and families.

- Collaborating with education, care and other specialist professionals.

- Supporting pupils during educational visits, activities and wider aspects of school life.

Some pupils may initially find it difficult to trust adults within education.

Building that relationship takes patience and consistency.

But specialist education isn't about removing challenge.

It's about creating the right conditions for a pupil to meet it.

You'll need to maintain clear expectations while understanding that behaviour can communicate anxiety, frustration, sensory overload or an unmet need.

There may be difficult days.

A carefully planned lesson might need changing completely.

A pupil who made significant progress yesterday may struggle today.

You'll need the confidence to adapt without losing sight of where you're trying to help that young person get to.

Success might be academic.

A pupil could close a gap in maths, discover an interest in reading or achieve a qualification they previously believed was beyond them.

But progress can also mean:

A young person remaining in a lesson they would previously have left.

Managing frustration without escalating.

Asking for help appropriately.

Developing a positive relationship with another pupil.

Attempting work without assuming they'll fail.

Beginning to see themselves as somebody who can learn.

You'll be a teacher who recognises the significance of those milestones while continuing to encourage academic ambition.

We're looking for a teacher who combines strong classroom practice with the adaptability required within specialist education.

You'll need:

- Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

- Degree-level education.

- Previous successful teaching experience.

- Experience supporting pupils with SEMH within an educational environment.

- Strong classroom and behaviour-management skills.

- The ability to build positive relationships while maintaining appropriate boundaries.

- Confidence adapting teaching around individual needs.

- Patience, resilience and emotional consistency.

- The ability to work collaboratively with Teaching Assistants and wider professionals.

- A commitment to safeguarding and continuous professional development.

Most importantly, you'll need to believe that a young person's previous experience of education doesn't have to determine what happens next.

Joining Polaris also gives you the opportunity to deepen your expertise within SEND, SEMH and specialist education.

You'll be working alongside professionals who understand complex needs, giving you opportunities to strengthen your knowledge of personalised teaching, behaviour, emotional regulation and multidisciplinary working.

You'll benefit from:

- £28,000-£39,520 per annum.

- Full-time, term-time only working.

- A 37.5-hour working week.

- Company Pension.

- Life Assurance.

- Employee Discount Scheme.

- A strong focus on staff wellbeing and work-life balance.

- Ongoing training and professional development.

- Experience within a new specialist school.

- The opportunity to help shape the school's culture from the beginning.

- Support from an established organisation with more than 30 years' experience.

For some pupils, arriving at this school will represent a fresh start.

Your classroom could be where they discover that education doesn't always have to feel difficult.

Where they begin trusting adults again.

Where they experience success.

And where somebody finally finds a way of teaching that works for them.

If you're an experienced SEN/SEMH Teacher looking for a specialist teaching opportunity in Andover, and you'd like the chance to help shape a new school from its earliest stages, Polaris would love to hear from you.

Apply today with your CV to find out more.

Polaris is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. The successful applicant will be required to complete an Enhanced DBS check, funded by Polaris, alongside the relevant safer recruitment checks.

Polaris is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from suitably qualified candidates from all backgrounds.

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