Specialist Teacher Opportunities — Creative Mill, Leicester (City Centre)
Start: Spring 2026
Contract: Fulltime and part time (permanent)
Salary: MPS/UPS, aligned to national Teachers’ Pay & Conditions, with SEN allowances reflecting role and experience

Indie Education is a community built on connection, compassion and high aspirations. We exist for young people who have often felt unseen, misunderstood or unable to succeed in traditional settings. Following a strong pre registration inspection, we are now formalising our status as an Independent Specialist School right in the heart of Leicester.

Here, every member of staff contributes to a culture where trust is earned, relationships are central, and every learner is treated with dignity and belief. If you are a teacher drawn to purposeful work — someone who leads with humanity, hope and professional ambition — you will thrive here.
Why Indie — and why this moment matters

At Indie, we are intentionally building something special:
• A carefully designed specialist environment for up to 40 learners aged 14–19, allowing us to grow slowly, protect quality, and make every relationship count.
• A curriculum shaped around big goals and real life progress, blending core academic skills with therapeutic approaches, vocational learning, life skills, RARPA, accreditation, and preparing for adulthood pathways.
• A team with serious depth of expertise, bringing more than 100 years’ combined SEMH, SEND and leadership experience — a team committed to coaching, mentoring and walking alongside you as you grow.
• A place where your career evolves with us — with opportunities to lead curriculum areas, pastoral/therapeutic strands, safeguarding, enrichment pathways, or cross site development as we scale.
We welcome applications from all subject specialisms, and we value primary t rained teachers who bring creativity, relational expertise and versatility to a 14–19 specialist setting.

Our Safeguarding Commitment
Safeguarding is the foundation of everything we do.
We are committed to providing a safe, supportive and inclusive environment where every student can flourish. Safeguarding is not simply compliance — it is a shared moral responsibility rooted in openness, professional curiosity, and the unwavering belief that every young person deserves protection, respect and a voice.

The Role: Specialist Teacher
As a Specialist Teacher at Indie, you will design and deliver personalised, strength based learning for young people with complex SEMH, communication needs, cognitive differences and trauma related barriers. Working from ILPs and EHCPs, you will:
• Teach small groups using structure, predictability and relational warmth
• Build trust through attuned, trauma informed practice
• Integrate academic learning with therapeutic and developmental strategies
• Help learners rebuild belief in themselves and their future
• Work closely with colleagues, families and agencies to create joined up support
This is a role for educators who want to teach with purpose — where progress is visible not only in grades, but in confidence, readiness, wellbeing and life trajectory .

What makes Indie different
• Community at the core — open doors, open communication, collective responsibility
• High challenge with high support — ambitious expectations held through relationships
• Personalised, meaningful learning — ILP driven goals with practical pathways
• Inspection ready and improvement focused — reflective, evidence informed practice
• Therapeutic and relational culture — co regulation, restorative responses, dignity in every interaction

Engagement Opportunities
We encourage prospective applicants to visit our Creative Mill site, meet the team and get a feel for our unique environment.
Engagement Evenings:
• 22 January · 16.00–19.00
• 27 January · 10.00–14.00
• 28 January · 15.30–17.30
• 3 February · 16.00–18.00
To book a visit, email: ryanseal@indieeducation.org
Closing Date: 9 February 2026
Interviews: 13, 16 and 23 February

Job Description (Summary)

Purpose
To deliver high quality, personalised teaching for 14–19 learners with SEMH, SEND and trauma related needs, ensuring strong academic progress, emotional development and improved life outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Teaching & Curriculum
• Plan and deliver well structured lessons aligned to ILPs/EHCPs
• Contribute to curriculum design (14–16 and/or 16–19), including accreditation or RARPA
• Use formative/summative assessment to track and accelerate progress

Relational Climate
• Establish predictable routines, co regulation and restorative approaches
• Model calm, consistent practice and support relational repair when incidents occur

SEND Practice
• Implement the graduated approach and contribute to annual reviews
• Use tools such as Boxall, SDQ or RARPA where appropriate
• Embed preparing for adulthood pathways for post 16 learners

Wider Contribution
• Work collaboratively with families, external partners and multi agency teams
• Participate in enrichment, trips, leadership of strands and wider community life

Person Specification (Summary)

Qualifications
• QTS/QTLS (essential)
• Additional SEND/trauma informed training (desirable)

Experience
• Successful teaching experience with SEMH/SEND learners
• Experience planning ILP/EHCP aligned learning
• Post 16 experience or curriculum leadership advantageous

Knowledge & Skills
• Trauma informed and relational practice
• Effective differentiation and scaffolding
• Strong use of assessment, data and reporting

Personal Qualities
• Warm, emotionally intelligent, authentic
• Resilient and reflective
• Committed to safeguarding, equality and inclusion

Pay, Benefits & Professional Development
• MPS/UPS (aligned to national Teachers’ Pay & Conditions)
• Pension contributions aligned to Teachers’ Pension Scheme
• SEN allowances, dependent on role and experience
• Extensive CPD, coaching and reflective supervision
• Clear career progression pathways as Indie expands
• Creative Mill setting with dedicated therapeutic and small group learning spaces

Safer Recruitment Statement
Indie Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All appointments are subject to enhanced DBS checks, online searches, identity and qualification verification, professional references and all checks required by KCSIE. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.