Job Description

English Teacher - SEMH & Complex Needs

Full-time, Permanent

Bagshot, Surrey

September Start

£30,000 - £45,000 per annum (dependent on experience)

This is one of those schools where English means more than grades, assessments, or exam outcomes.

When you walk through the doors, you notice something different. Relationships come first. Trust is built carefully. Staff understand that before a young person can engage with literature, language, or learning, they need to feel safe, understood, and valued.

The students here are bright, capable young people who have often faced significant challenges in education. Many have experienced disrupted learning, social, emotional and mental health needs, or difficulties that have made traditional school environments feel overwhelming.

They do not need someone to lower expectations.

They need someone who can help them believe in themselves again.

What teaching looks like here

You are not standing at the front of a classroom delivering endless content to disengaged students.

You are building relationships. Creating opportunities for success. Finding ways to make learning relevant, accessible, and meaningful.

Some lessons will be outstanding discussions about a text. Others will be about helping a student regulate enough to remain in the classroom. Both are equally important.

Teaching here requires patience, consistency, creativity, and a genuine belief that every young person deserves the chance to succeed.

You will teach English across Key Stages 3 and 4, adapting learning to meet a wide range of needs and abilities. You will be supported by experienced colleagues who understand the students, the challenges they face, and the importance of working together.

Progress does not always happen in straight lines.

But when it happens, it is significant.

This role is not for everyone

If your measure of success is purely test scores, this may not be the right environment for you.

If you need every lesson to go exactly to plan, you may find this role challenging.

If you take dysregulation, resistance, or difficult days personally, this work can feel demanding.

But if you understand that behaviour is communication, if you can remain calm during difficult moments, and if you find satisfaction in the small breakthroughs that others might miss, you could thrive here.

The student who contributes for the first time.

The reluctant reader who begins to engage with a novel.

The young person who starts to believe they can achieve qualifications after years of thinking they could not.

These are the moments that matter.

The kind of teacher who thrives here

You may already be an English teacher within a specialist setting.

You may be working in mainstream education and finding yourself increasingly drawn to supporting students with additional needs.

You may have experience working with young people with SEMH needs, autism, anxiety, ADHD, or trauma-informed approaches.

What matters most is not having all the answers.

It is resilience, empathy, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and a commitment to helping young people succeed.

If this English Teacher position interests you, apply today or contact us for a confidential discussion.