Is the work/life balance any better in SEND schools?

[IrisJoy]

I am coming to the end of my ECT period and am looking for a better work/life balance (aren’t we all!) due to my daughter needing me at home more for multiple reasons.
I have always been interested in working in an SEND school and was wondering if this would be a viable option, or whether I would need to wait until DD needs me a bit less? For reference I currently work 7-6 with at least half a day at the weekend.

Any advice is welcome.
TIA

My experience in SEN has been mainly as long term supply. I would say fewer children, less marking. However, more differentiation, more interaction with parents, TAs (a minority) telling you how to do your job/ sabotaging lessons, less resources. Depending on type of school a lot of stress inducing behaviour. Oh, and deep reservations about box ticking over meeting needs of the child....

I forgot to say Good luck. SEN teaching can be very rewarding. You do get to make a big difference. And my points above are my personal experience. I've been in some lovely SEN schools where I imagine it's possible to have a good work life balance.

I run a specialist setting within a mainstream school so I see both. I would say that there is an equal amount of work in special(ist) but more of it is work that directly benefits the children and their families so it feels less like relentless drudgery.

There is definitely an equivalent amount of workload -it's just different and often involves research and lots of laminating and cutting out 😁

I work with excluded and BD students in a PSU setting within a mainstream. There is very little marking, minimal planning, no stupid academic goals and an acceptance of what is possible within the circumstances. I have my weekends and evenings back.

It's not for everyone though. You need to be unshockable.

I would cautiously say yes.
Workload is reduced because:
There's very little marking and it can often be done with the children in the lesson (more beneficial not just lazy)

There are less children in a class so reports, resource preparation etc are easier.

My weekly planning is very simple and doesn't take long, although that's because you have to get used to adapting things on the hoof in order to really meet the children's needs.

The curriculum demands are less.

You often have more than one TA in a class and can ask them to do wall displays or admin tasks in class time (this only works if you can spare them though which isn't a foregone conclusion)

Extra work is created by the fact that:

Families can often need a high level of support. I regularly exchange messages with my families in evenings, weekends and holidays.

All the children need IEPs IBPs positive handling plans, personal learning plans, annual reviews etc.

Work is often highly individual and you need to juggle to meet all of the needs.

Working with a TA team can bring it's own set of issues and requires it's own set of skills which are generally not taught in teacher training.

The children in class can be very high needs and have challenging behaviours. This means that the working day is physically and mentally exhausting. Plus you will regularly miss breaks and lunch times if a child is in crisis and needs you.

You will be required to undertake a fair bit of extra training which may cut into your "home" time.

Depending on setting there is often a sense of pressure from juggling the needs of the children, expectations of the parents (some of whom will not yet have full understanding of their child's needs and will need a lot of support) and the requirements of management who don't always have a clear understanding of the situation in your class.

Basically, SEND teaching is wonderful in many ways and very rewarding but it should never be viewed as an "easy option" or a way of reducing workload.

At only ECT2, I think it would be much harder apart from the few who have it as a vocation.

I've moved from mainstream to SEND. I'd say it's similar workload, more family involvement, more intense relationships with children and individual needs, less marking but wider differentiation. Also much more physical and mental draining and be prepared for the physical restraint/ attacks. I prefer it but sometimes the day is much harder/longer.

Sorry I should add directed time is the same, still have subject leadership tasks, class meetings once a week, teacher meetings once a week and a morning briefing once a week.

Thank you so much all of you for your insight.
I think it’s something that I’d still like to explore, but maybe in a couple of years.

Not in my experience but it may depend on the school. I've been qualified for years and still do a 60 hour week... we're shockingly short-staffed which doesn't help! Good luck!

If you have a supportive class team it can be the best experience in the world.

I work as a TA via an agency and I specifically work in special schools. I have about 4 or 5 in the city that I live in that I regularly return too and I’ve had many conversation with teachers about this matter. Overall yes they do have a better work life balance and the large majority of them say they’ll never return to mainstream to teach ever again.

What I have found though in special schools quite often there is a weird power balance dynamic within certain classes. Usually there are more TAs in the room than teachers, and they’re often quite disparaging against the teacher for one reason or another. You have to have a thick skin against some TAs but when you have a good team it can work very well.

I finish my degree this May and I have enquired about teacher training specifically in a special school but my local SCITT told me I have to train in mainstream first which is hugely off putting for me. Sometimes on the odd occasion I do agree to work in mainstream and then I quickly run back to the special schools 🤦‍♀️.

Good luck.

Absolutely not. I love working with the pupils but regularly work a 60 hour week. And you have to be on high alert all day.