SEN English Teacher (KS3/4)
The Harbour School, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO2 8RA26 days remaining to apply
Start date details
After Feb 2027 half term
Closing date
4 November 2026 at 9am
Date listed
9 October 2026
Job details
Job role
- Teacher or lecturer
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Key stage
- Key stage 3, Key stage 4
Subject
- English
Working pattern
- Full time: Full time, Monday-Friday
Contract type
- Permanent
Pay scale
- MPS 1-6
Additional allowances
SEN allowance £2,885 per annum
What skills and experience we're looking for
ACTUAL LOCATION: The Bridge Campus, Sundridge Close, Cosham, PO6 3LP
Do you want to be the teacher who helps a young person find their voice, build their confidence, and realise their potential through the power of English?
At The Bridge Campus, part of The Harbour School, we know that success looks different for every pupil. For some, it’s completing a piece of writing they never thought possible. For others, it’s sharing an idea in class, tackling a challenging text, or finding the confidence to believe in themselves again. Every achievement matters, and every step forward is worth celebrating.
We’re looking for an exceptional English Teacher who can bring literature and language to life, while creating a calm, supportive environment where pupils feel safe to take risks, make mistakes, and grow. Someone who understands that meaningful progress is built through trust, patience and high expectations, and who can help pupils see that their story is still being written.
Because here, your impact goes far beyond exam results. You’ll help young people develop the confidence, communication skills and resilience they need for life beyond the classroom.
You’ll be:
- Creating a safe, nurturing and engaging learning environment where pupils feel valued, respected and ready to learn.
- Planning and delivering inspiring English lessons that meet the diverse needs of pupils, including those with SEND and SEMH needs.
- Developing pupils’ literacy, communication and critical thinking skills through creative and accessible teaching.
- Using assessment effectively to understand individual progress, remove barriers to learning and celebrate success.
- Supporting pupils’ social, emotional and academic development, recognising that confidence and learning go hand in hand.
- Using trauma-informed, relational and restorative approaches to help pupils feel safe, understood and able to succeed.
- Working closely with colleagues, families and external professionals to ensure every pupil receives the support they need to thrive.
We’re looking for someone who:
- Holds QTS and has a passion for teaching English to secondary-aged pupils.
- Believes in the transformational power of literacy and education.
- Has strong subject knowledge and can adapt teaching to meet a wide range of learning needs.
- Brings both high expectations and genuine compassion to their practice.
- Understands the challenges faced by pupils with SEMH needs and remains patient, reflective and resilient.
- Builds positive relationships quickly and believes that every young person can succeed with the right support.
- Brings creativity, enthusiasm and optimism to the classroom, helping pupils discover confidence in their own voice and abilities.
What the school offers its staff
About us:
The Harbour School is a multi-site organisation, with campuses at Bay Campus (including Primary at The Bay), The Bridge Campus, The Lighthouse Campus, and the Vista Campus (including The Horizon Service), all based within the city of Portsmouth. We also have an Outreach Support Team and a Hospital tuition service at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth.
The Bridge campus delivers full‑time, highly personalised Alternative Provision for pupils who cannot attend mainstream school for a range of reasons. Students are taught in small groups, supported by experienced practitioners, and offered a curriculum that balances core learning, social and emotional development, and a choice of option subjects that help them prepare for the future.
What we can offer
- A skilled, compassionate, genuinely supportive team who reflect together, and understand the emotional weight of the work.
- Strong induction and ongoing training
- A school that celebrates progress, not just academic data
- A role where the impact is real, human and lasting
- Free access to the Employee Assistance Programme and our Cycle to Work Scheme.
- The opportunity to develop your career in a School, and within the Southern Education Trust – a growing Trust where our mission is “making lives better” and our values are kindness, collaboration and creativity.
Further information about the job
Join us at The Bridge Campus and be part of a team that changes futures every day. Here, the words you teach can become the confidence, ambition and self-belief that help a young person take their next step forward.
Closing date: 4th November 2026
Interview date: 11th November 2026
Please note: Applications may be viewed on receipt and interviews arranged sooner than the above date.
Become part of our journey by completing our Teacher & Leadership Application Form and returning it to recruitment@southern.education if you would like to apply (please see our Teacher Job Description and THS – Child Protection-and-Safeguarding-Policy-2025-2026 for further information).
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Kate at the recruitment address, who will be happy to assist you.
The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, this role involves directly working with children and significant contact with children, and therefore we expect all staff and volunteers to share the same commitment. Please ensure a full work history is completed in your application form including any gaps of employment. Applicants will be required to complete satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check for this post prior to commencement. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974. The Trust is an equal opportunities employer.
If successfully shortlisted the HR Department will also be conducting an individual online search of your ‘name, education and employment’, to demonstrate due diligence following ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ guidance. The search will not form part of the actual shortlisting process and any concerns arising from the search will be discussed directly with you.
Commitment to safeguarding
The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share the same commitment. Please ensure a full work history is completed in your application form including any gaps of employment. Applicants will be required to complete satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly CRB) check is required for this post prior to commencement. The Trust is an equal opportunities employer.
Applying for the job
Apply for the job by following the link below.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
View advert on school website (opens in new tab)About The Harbour School
- Organisation type
- Academy, ages 5 to 19
- Size
- 169 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 5 to 19
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- Website
- The Harbour School website
- Email address
- recruitment@southern.education
The Harbour School is a special school for learners with Social, Emotional and/or Mental Health (SEMH) Needs and/or Medical Needs. The school operates from multiple sites situated across Portsmouth with provision extending beyond these physical locations.
As a trust, our ethos is encompassed in our vision “Learning together in pursuit of happiness”.
Arranging a visit to The Harbour School
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email recruitment@southern.education.
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