Special School Experience

[Oxterguff]

I’m desperate to get out of my current toxic school and I’m not having any luck due to being UPS3, wrong side of 40 etc. I am quite interested in ALN and I was wondering how the workload compares to mainstream schools? I’ve seen a few vacancies I’m interested in applying for.

Hiya. I can't speak for other folk working in special schools and I'm sure things vary. I've worked in mainstream (secondary and primary) and special schools. I do enjoy my job but I'd say it's equally heavy in different ways. The level of differentiation is insane as it should be if you have 10 in your class. Our assessment is also very labour-intensive... I'm full-time and work a 60 hour week on average so probably comparable. Behaviour management is tough too although having your own class means you really get to know what each child needs to cope/thrive. I'm sorry your current school is toxic and wish you lots of luck!