SEND Sensory Teacher

For every journey, let’s take first steps together.

At First Steps Together, we believe every child and young person deserves to feel safe, understood, included and able to succeed.

We are a growing group of specialist independent schools providing nurturing, inclusive and aspirational education for children and young people with a range of additional needs, including SEND, SEMH and complex presentations. Across our schools, strong relationships, personalised learning and high expectations are central to helping pupils overcome barriers, develop confidence and independence, and achieve positive outcomes.

As our Education provision continues to grow, we are looking for an exceptional SEND Sensory Teacher to join our team.

This is an opportunity for a passionate specialist teacher to provide high-quality, personalised teaching for pupils whose learning is best supported through a sensory-led curriculum, creating purposeful learning experiences that develop engagement, communication, regulation, cognition, physical development and independence.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll plan, deliver and develop a personalised Sensory Curriculum, ensuring learning is purposeful, progressive and closely aligned to pupils’ individual starting points, developmental needs and EHCP outcomes.

You’ll design meaningful sensory learning experiences that support engagement, communication, cognition, physical development, emotional regulation and independence, adapting your teaching, resources, environment and pace in response to each pupil’s individual sensory profile and level of engagement.

Your classroom will be calm, structured, predictable and sensory-aware. You’ll use approaches including structured routines, repetition, anticipation, sensory cues and responsive interaction to help pupils access learning, while ensuring sensory activities have clear learning intentions and demonstrate progression over time.

Assessment will be central to your practice. You’ll observe, assess and evidence progress from pupils’ individual starting points, recognising meaningful changes in engagement, communication, regulation, cognition and independence and using this information to continually refine teaching and identify appropriate next steps. You’ll also develop personalised learning plans and contribute high-quality evidence to Annual Reviews and wider EHCP processes.

Communication and regulation will be embedded throughout the school day. You’ll use appropriate communication approaches, including visual communication and AAC where required, alongside proactive regulation, co-regulation and positive behaviour support strategies.

You’ll work closely with Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy and other specialist professionals, ensuring agreed strategies become part of everyday teaching rather than something delivered in isolation.

You’ll also lead and deploy classroom support staff effectively, modelling strong sensory teaching practice and helping colleagues develop the confidence and consistency needed to provide pupils with a joined-up approach to learning and support.

Bring your difference

We’re looking for a teacher who understands that learning and progress can look very different for every pupil and who can recognise, celebrate and build upon those individual achievements.

You’ll hold Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or an equivalent recognised teaching qualification and have experience teaching pupils with SEND and complex or profound learning needs.

Importantly, you’ll bring knowledge and practical experience of delivering a Sensory Curriculum, alongside a strong understanding of personalised teaching, curriculum adaptation and sensory-informed practice. Sensory Classroom training, equivalent specialist sensory curriculum training, or a willingness to undertake the relevant training to deliver the programme is also required.

You’ll understand how communication, sensory processing and emotional regulation can affect a pupil’s readiness and ability to learn, and you’ll be confident adapting your practice to meet those needs.

Experience or training in AAC and specialist communication approaches, working alongside Occupational Therapy or Speech and Language Therapy, or additional specialist training relating to complex SEND, PMLD, ASD or sensory processing would be particularly valuable.

We’re looking for someone who is nurturing, creative, patient, resilient and reflective; someone who remains calm, notices the small things and is curious about finding different ways to help a pupil engage, communicate and learn.

Above all, you’ll be a teacher who combines high expectations with a highly responsive, pupil-centred approach and shares our commitment to safeguarding, inclusion and achieving positive outcomes for every child and young person.

Why First Steps Together?

This is an opportunity to take on a specialist teaching role within a growing education organisation and play an important part in developing high-quality sensory curriculum practice.

You’ll join a supportive and collaborative school team, with access to ongoing professional development and specialist training, alongside opportunities to develop and progress as First Steps Together continues to grow.

Most importantly, you’ll have the opportunity to make a meaningful difference for pupils with complex needs by creating learning experiences that are accessible, purposeful and genuinely responsive to the way they experience and interact with the world.

If you’re a committed SEND teacher with a passion for sensory learning and want to help pupils develop their engagement, communication, regulation, independence and readiness to learn, we’d love to hear from you.

Bring your difference. Take your next step with First Steps Together.

Safeguarding

First Steps Together is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Appointment to this role will be subject to appropriate safer recruitment and pre-employment checks, including an Enhanced DBS, satisfactory references, online checks and overseas police checks where required.

Application

If you would like to arrange an informal discussion about the role with the Headteacher or a member of our People Services Team, please contact us by emailing, recruitment@fstmanagement.uk.

Completed application forms (attached below) must be sent to recruitment@fstmanagement.uk prior to the application closing date.

We reserve the right to close applications earlier should be receive a number of suitable applications which meet the essential criteria. We will not accept CVs in place of completed application forms.