Cover Teacher

• Hillside Special School
• Address: Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 1NN
• Salary: HLTA, UQT or MPR plus SEN Allowance
• Hours: Full Time
• Contract: Permanent, required as soon as possible
• Reference: 5500

Hillside Special School is a successful school for pupils with a wide range of complex needs including Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD), Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) and Autism (ASD).

We are seeking to appoint an enthusiastic and highly motivated Class Teacher.

This role would be suitable for a Qualified Teacher, ECT (Early Career Teacher), HLTA (Higher Level Teaching Assistant) with qualification or an Unqualified Teacher with a degree.  

The age range is 4 to 19 years, with 102 pupils on role, and you may be required to work with pupils of any age and ability.

What you will have

• Have high levels of professionalism and uphold the values of the school at all times.
• Be familiar with and conduct yourself in accordance with the Teachers’ Standards
• Put the needs and wellbeing of the pupils at the forefront of everything you do
• Have a truly positive attitude
• Be methodical in your approach and have outstanding organisation skills
• Have the ability to be tactful, conscientious and discreet when dealing with challenging situations
• Be flexible, adaptable and able to multitask
• Demonstrate a commitment to maintaining outstanding levels of safeguarding
• Have patience and the ability to stay calm and positive
• Be driven and have a commitment to continuous personal development and school improvement
• Be emotionally and physically resilient
• Have a passion for teaching pupils with Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD), Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) and in particular pupils with Complex Autism (ASD) who demonstrate communication and behavioural difficulties
• Have excellent communication skills, work co-operatively and develop positive relationships with pupils, families and staff at all levels
• Work with a team to deliver outstanding Teaching and Learning to our pupils
• Be confident in the use of IT
• Have a good sense of humour.

The role will include covering classes where teachers work Part Time or have the PPA. 

We aim for the timetable to remain consistent each week, however the ability to be flexible and adaptive to change would be beneficial. 

In the future this role may develop into a class teacher role with oversight of a specific class group.

You will also be required to attend some training sessions and/or meetings after school and on P.D. Days, which are not part of the contracted hours; for these occasions, you would claim additional hours.

We actively encourage applicants to see our school in action before applying for vacancies.

For more information 

Please read theJob Description (pdf).

If this post is of interest to you and you would like to know more, please contact Lizzi Murphy, Headteacher, by emailing [email protected]

Please also include your full name and ‘Cover Teacher Vacancy’ in the subject line.  Please also include your phone number and email address in the body of your email and we will arrange a mutually convenient time to have an informal chat and arrange a visit.

How to apply 

To apply, please submit your completed Application Form (Word)with a Covering Letter by email to [email protected]

For more information, please read the Application Guidance (Word).

Closing date: 10.00 am, 5 October 2026.

Interview date: 21 October 2026.

Promoted as FJ (Featured Job) on Suffolk Jobs Direct.

The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. Successful candidates will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check.  Our commitment to safeguarding is underpinned by robust processes and checks which are in place across the school.

We do not accept applications from agencies, thank you.