Straight to Teaching SEND

Straight to Teaching SEND is designed for practitioners working in specialist settings where teaching can look different from mainstream classrooms.

If you work in a special school, Alternative Provision, Pupil Referral Unit, hospital school, inclusion base or another SEND-focused setting, this programme is built around the reality of your day-to-day practice. It recognises the expertise you develop in specialist settings, whether through personalised teaching, stage-not-age approaches to learning, specialist interventions, therapeutic support or close work with pupils whose needs may be complex.

Rather than asking you to step away from that environment, Straight to Teaching SEND helps you use that experience as the foundation for your journey to QTS. You can continue working as a TA, higher level teaching assistant or unqualified teacher while you prepare for QTS assessment via the Assessment Only route.

Your course is personalised to your needs and based on your current teaching experience. It will help you work towards having two years of teaching experience in two schools, so you can develop your teaching without leaving your school and pupils.

If you do not already have experience of working in a second school, you can gain this while on the course. The minimum requirement is 30 days in a mainstream setting if you are employed in a SEND or Alternative Provision setting. Ideally, you would complete this as a block to fully immerse yourself in the teaching and life of the school, but for flexibility this can also be arranged as a minimum of one day a week.

You will be assigned a Tes Institute pathway tutor who will support you throughout your journey and help make sure you are meeting the Teachers’ Standards. When you are ready, Tes Institute will support you through to the final QTS assessment via the Assessment Only route.

Straight to Teaching SEND will help you to: 

• become a fully qualified teacher
• potentially increase your salary by up to £7,000* per year
• explore how specialist SEND expertise can be applied effectively in both specialist and mainstream educational contexts
• develop practical teaching skills, ideas and activities to use in your SEND classroom
• build confidence in adaptive teaching, specialist intervention and support approaches, and effective teaching and learning aligned with the Teachers' Standards

Straight to Teaching SEND combines high-quality teaching practice with specialist SEND expertise. Your online learning includes subject-specific and pedagogy modules, alongside SEND-focused learning sessions on Tes Learn.

These sessions use case studies, scenarios and presentations to help you develop your understanding and apply it in practice. They support you to connect your day-to-day work to the Teachers’ Standards and to the evidence needed for Assessment Only QTS.

During the course, you will explore areas including:

• evidence-informed teaching and learning
• planning and teaching for personalised curricula
• assessment and pupil progress
• inclusive classroom practice
• subject and phase-specific expectations
• reflective practice and professional development
• building and presenting evidence for Assessment Only QTS

You will also develop your understanding of how specialist and mainstream practice intersect, so you can explain and justify your practice with confidence.

Straight to Teaching SEND is delivered through a mix of in-school experience and online learning, enabling you to develop your teaching and demonstrate that you meet the English Teachers’ Standards.

You will have access to an extensive online library of subject-specific and pedagogy modules. Your pathway tutor will guide you to specific topics to close any gaps as your practice develops. You will have full access to all modules for self-study and to support research opportunities as you develop your reflective and analytical skills.

Throughout your course, you will be supported by your Straight to Teaching SEND pathway tutor and your school mentor. Your pathway tutor will visit you face-to-face, arrange virtual Keeping in Touch meetings and provide feedback online throughout the course.

The length of your Straight to Teaching SEND course will be based on your existing teaching experience and will be designed in collaboration with you and your school.

Phillipa Bild

Phillipa joined Tes Institute after a 20-year career in primary education, most recently as a head of school. Phillipa is passionate about professional development and made it a priority for all her teachers and support staff, especially in the wake of the global pandemic. After joining Tes Institute as a pathway tutor in 2022 she is delighted to be part of our mission to drive up standards in teaching. Read more.

For learners

Our course is aimed at school staff such as unqualified teachers, TAs or higher-level teaching assistants. It is designed for educators working in specialist settings such as special schools, Alternative Provision, Pupil Referral Units, hospital schools, inclusion bases in mainstream schools and other SEND-focused environments.

If you are working in a mainstream setting, we recommend applying for Straight to Teaching instead.

If you have two years’ teaching experience in two schools in the QTS specialism you are applying for, you may be eligible to go straight to the Assessment Only route, which assesses you for QTS within three months.

To be eligible for Straight to Teaching SEND you must:

• be teaching at least 50% of a full-time teaching timetable with full responsibility for a class. This must include planning, marking and assessing
• hold a Bachelor’s degree from a UK higher education institution, or equivalent qualification, or be in the final six months of your course
• have achieved at least a grade C or 4 at GCSE level, or equivalent, in English and maths, and science if you intend to teach pupils aged 3-11
• provide an ENIC showing comparability if you have an international qualification
• have the express agreement of your school to support you through the Straight to Teaching SEND programme and Assessment Only route. This includes appointing a suitable member of staff to act as a school mentor
• have the relevant experience and skills to succeed through the programme
• have the health and physical capacity to teach
• have been subject to and passed the Disclosure and Barring Service and criminal or other records check

For schools

A school leader will need to support you during the application process, including:

• Appointing an in-school mentor
• Signing your Confirmation of School Support Form (CSSF)
• Verifying your compliance documents and safeguarding checks

During the programme, your school will need to:

• Agree your personalised programme together with you and your pathway tutor
• Ensure you can teach across the full curriculum and age phase
• Provide you with a minimum 50% teaching timetable throughout your programme, rising to 80%
• Arrange a second school experience, if required

For mentors

You will need to nominate an in-school mentor approved by your school before starting the Straight to Teaching SEND programme.

Your mentor will need to:

• Have gained QTS at least two years ago
• Undertake fortnightly class observations and mentor meetings with you
• Commit to supporting you throughout the programme

Fees vary depending on the amount of preparation you need to get ready for QTS assessment. All fees include the Straight to Teaching SEND course and the cost of QTS assessment via Tes Institute’s Assessment Only route.

You can pay in full at the start of your course or pay termly or monthly to spread the payments across the length of your course.

Our Straight to Teaching SEND course costs £4,725-£7,875 plus VAT (as applicable).

A private loan company may provide you with a flexible loan with long-term repayment options to help you pay for course fees and other living expenses.

If you are an international applicant, Tes Institute will aim to find you an in-country pathway tutor and assessor to support you through blended face-to-face and virtual visits. Where pathway tutors and assessors are not available, you will be required to pay and provide costs for flights, hotel, transfers and sustenance for the in-person assessor visit. These will be discussed with you.

Courses start every half term.

You can apply for Straight to Teaching SEND by: 

• clicking the Apply button and submitting the application form
• You'll receive an email with a link to complete a Confirmation of School Support form (CSSF) which must be reviewed and signed by your school leader, evidence of your Bachelor's degree and a previous school testimonial (if required).
• Your application will be reviewed by our team.
• You will receive a conditional offer to join the programme and submit your compliance documents before enrolment.
• You'll be invited to enrol on the course.

* On average, a fully qualified teacher in England earns approximately £6,000-£7,000 more a year than their unqualified counterpart. For full details about qualified and unqualified teacher pay scales, visit education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/salary.