Most teaching courses include options on teaching children with special educational needs.

Undergraduate degree

You can do an undergraduate degree that leads to qualified teacher status (QTS), for example:

• Bachelor of Education (BEd)
• Bachelor of Arts (BA) with QTS
• Bachelor of Science (BSc) with QTS

Postgraduate certificate

If you already have a bachelor's degree without qualified teacher status, you can complete a postgraduate qualification like a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) to get QTS. This can be done at university or through a training programme based in a school.

You need QTS to teach in most primary and secondary schools in England but you do not need a PGCE to teach.

Find out more about QTS from Get Into Teaching.

Change careers to teaching

Find out about the support available if you want to change to a career in teaching.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths
• GCSE science at grade 9 to 4 (A* to C) for primary school teaching
• 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
• a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course

You may be able to apply to do an Undergraduate or Postgraduate Teacher Level 6 Apprenticeship.

The undergraduate option takes up to 4 years to complete. The postgraduate route takes around 9 months, with both leading to qualified teacher status (QTS).

You could take training to complete a Teacher for the Sensory Impaired Level 7 Apprenticeship.

The level 7 apprenticeship can take up to 2 years and is equivalent to postgraduate study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in English and maths
• GCSE science at grade 9 to 4 (A* to C) for primary school teaching

• a degree for a postgraduate teaching apprenticeship

You could start as a teaching assistant and do a part-time degree. You could then move onto a postgraduate teaching course to qualify as a teacher.

You'll find it helpful to get some experience of working with young people with special educational needs or disabilities.

You could volunteer at a school or work at a youth club or on a holiday scheme.

You can also find volunteering opportunities through Do IT.

If you're a qualified teacher, you can get extra training to teach students with special educational needs. You can find a course through your local education authority.

Many local education authorities offer courses for teachers who want to do this.

You'll need:

• knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
• sensitivity and understanding
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• the ability to work well with others
• the ability to create the best conditions for learning or teaching new things
• knowledge of English language
• to be flexible and open to change
• the ability to understand people’s reactions
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

You'll need to:

• pass enhanced background checks as you may work with children and vulnerable adults

You'll need further specialist qualifications to teach students with hearing impairment, vision impairment or multi-sensory impairment.

As a special educational needs (SEN) teacher, you could:

• plan and teach lessons, work with small groups and individual students
• prepare teaching materials, take registers and write reports
• help students develop confidence, independence and encourage them to learn
• manage behaviour, mark work and talk to parents and carers about their children's progress
• work with specialist teaching services, medical staff, counsellors and psychologists
• organise trips, attend workshops and run training for other teaching staff on special educational needs issues

You could work at a school, at a special needs school or at a pupil referral unit.

Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding.