Scale 6 point 18-21

Full Time, Fixed Term

Autumn term 2024/Spring Term 2025

4 November 2024

Scale 6 point 18-21 £27,096 - £28,385
32.5 hours per week 8.30am-3.30pm Monday to Friday
Appointment within these scales will be dependent on experience. Flexibility around these hours would be considered.
Please apply using the TES jobs portal.
Fixed Term 1 year contract with a view to become permanent for the right candidate


Hawkswood Secondary is a specialist provision for young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs. We offer a short-term therapeutic and educational intervention (typically two terms) for children aged 11-16 who are struggling with tier 2/3 mental health needs.


As a team we work hard to build resilience, social skills and mental wellbeing to enable pupils to return to mainstream school. We are seeking committed and highly motivated staff to work as part of our team. Our curriculum is engaging, exciting and focuses on the development of the whole child including personal, social, cognitive, creative, health and wellbeing; as a result pupils’ achieve outstanding results both academically and in their personal development.


Our pupils are bright, conscientious and awesome. They require encouraging and enabling adult support to re-build their confidence. Some of our pupils have an EHCP for additional needs such as SEMH, eating disorders, anxiety related disorders and or ASD etc.
As a team we work hard to build resilience, social skills and mental wellbeing to enable pupils to return to mainstream school.


Our pupils feel that the best 5 things about our school are:
1. We have animals (2 dogs, 2 guinea pigs and 6 fish).
2. The way that staff support us, they understand that we can be shy and nervous, they help to bring out the best in us.
3. Pupils are kind and we help each other.
4. We feel safe at Hawkswood, nobody shouts and the school is small and very welcoming.
5. Daily enrichment, we have lessons in the morning and in the afternoon we enjoy sessions which help to develop our social, emotional and mental health, including cooking, walking, sports activities etc.


What are our pupils looking for?
1. People who like animals and are caring.
2. People who bring their personality and special interests to share in after school club and our extended curriculum – this year we have learnt to: ride bikes, enjoy sport, use digital animation, grow fruits and vegetables and cook! What could you help us learn?
3. People who get that we are all different, and some of us have autism. Staff who are willing to learn about autism.
4. Staff who genuinely care.
5. Staff who explain things in interesting ways that engage us at our individual levels.


Don’t worry if you don’t have special school experience, very few of us did before we came here, the drive and desire to learn is however absolutely essential, and some knowledge of Autism, ADHD and mental health.
Our support team includes Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapist, CAHMS therapists, student social workers, student therapists and a Lead Therapist. The work of the team is to support children holistically, which includes daily interventions such as precision teaching, 1:1 reading, spellings, timetables, social skills groups, lego therapy, zones of regulation, sensory circuits, circle of friends, speech and language (as guided by the Sa L Therapist). This may also include home visits and working with parents and families.
The day-to-day role will involve a range of duties including the delivery of interventions, class based cover for absence, support for pupils in class and lunch duty daily (school lunch will be provided).
What we can offer you:

• Small class sizes (8-9 per class) and only 4 classes in the school.
• Staff supervision and access to the school counsellor, plus our excellent staff support package.
• Peloton membership and access to our gym with Peloton bikes and virtual personal trainer.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Free eye tests and £50 towards lenses and frames.
• Childcare vouchers.
• Employee Assistance programme.
• 20% discount on Better gym and leisure centre membership.
• We are exploring access to Vitality Health private medical insurance for staff as part of our wellbeing programme.
• A supportive team who work together and support each other.
• Superb curriculum with academic lessons taught between 9am -1.00pm, afternoon sessions include enrichment activities and therapeutic sessions.
• Great CPD opportunities and commitment to developing professional practice relating promoting mental and emotional fitness. A commitment from Leadership to promote and support innovation. Funded pathways into teaching available for graduates as part of the on-going CPD program.
• Apprenticeship routes for staff wishing to undertake professional qualifications.
• Behaviour is exemplary, pupils want to learn and enjoy coming to school.
• An idyllic school environment, nestled in Epping Forest.
• An Ofsted Good school.

Please see the JD and person specification. For further information call the Headteacher, Nathalie Fitzgerald on 020 8289 4641 or 07810 393 769 for an informal discussion about the position. Visits are welcomed (please note that our half term is 21st-25th October 2024).
As part of KCSIE 2024 all applicants will be subject on on-line searches. Applicants must be able to form and maintain appropriate professional relationships and boundaries with children, young people and other vulnerable adults. Applicants should have the ability to understand the difficulties and pressures associated with caring for children/vulnerable adults and demonstrate appropriate coping mechanisms.
As a thriving and diverse school, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where all belong.


We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in The Hawkswood Group’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled people and LGBTQI+ people.
The Hawkswood Group is committed to promoting the safeguarding of children. Please note that this position requires as enhanced DBS and safeguarding checks will be carried out prior to appointment.