jobfacts

Special and additional needs education teaching professionals

SOC 2020 2316

Special and additional needs education teaching professionals organise and provide instruction at a variety of different levels to children who have emotional, behavioural or learning difficulties or physical disabilities. These professionals may also work with exceptionally gifted pupils.

Also calledTeacherMasterMistressLecturerSchool mistressBehaviour teacherand 48 more titles
Typical full-time pay£47,4002025 Provisional
People in the job125,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month2,900↓ 9.3%on last year · 62nd of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time special and additional needs education teaching professionals earn between £36,800 and £52,500 a year.

What full-time special and additional needs education teaching professionals earn, 2025
£47,400 typical£27,300lowest 10%£36,80025%£53,600top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£36,800–£52,500)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£27,300
Lowest 20% earn less than£34,400
25%£36,800
Median£47,400
75%£52,500
Top 20% earn more than£53,600
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £47,400
East Midlands!£51,800
Scotland!£49,900
South East£47,800
Wales!£45,500
London!£44,400
East of England!£43,300
North West!£43,200
South West!£40,000
West Midlands!£36,800
North EastNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £47,400
East Midlands£51,800 (small sample)
Scotland£49,900 (small sample)
South East£47,800
Wales£45,500 (small sample)
London£44,400 (small sample)
East of England£43,300 (small sample)
North West£43,200 (small sample)
South West£40,000 (small sample)
West Midlands£36,800 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £36,700
  • 2024 £43,200
  • 2025 Provisional£47,400
↑ 29% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 2,900 jobs for special and additional needs education teaching professionals are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as elevated.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (4 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20261,845
Jul 20262,326
Jun 2026Not published
May 20263,716
Apr 20263,194
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20262,813
Jan 20263,432
Dec 20251,708
Nov 20253,099
Oct 20253,024
Sept 20253,416
Aug 20252,182
Jul 2025Not published
Jun 2025Not published
May 20254,850
Apr 20253,325
Mar 20253,755
Feb 20253,467
Jan 20253,620
Dec 20242,179
Nov 20243,016
Oct 20243,018
Sept 20243,268
Aug 20241,998
Jul 20243,107
Jun 20243,970
May 20244,317
Apr 20243,977
Mar 20243,342
Feb 20243,271
Jan 20243,462
Dec 20232,509
Nov 20232,992
Oct 20232,585
Sept 20232,420
Aug 20232,263
Jul 20232,457
Jun 20233,852
May 20233,804
Apr 20233,417
Mar 20234,067
Feb 20233,282
Jan 20233,608
Dec 20222,711
Nov 20223,493
Oct 20223,105
Sept 20222,660
Aug 20221,972
Jul 20222,869
Jun 20223,483
May 20224,024
Apr 20223,181
Mar 20223,738
Feb 20222,899
Jan 20223,459
Dec 20212,843
Nov 20213,521
Oct 20213,144
Sept 20212,553
Aug 20211,870
Jul 20212,882
Jun 20213,356
May 20213,821
Apr 20213,349
Mar 20213,868
Feb 20212,770
Jan 20212,477
Dec 20202,595
Nov 20202,834
Oct 20202,849
Sept 20202,516
Aug 20201,626
Jul 20202,439
Jun 20203,068
May 20203,275
Apr 20203,148
Mar 20203,672
Feb 20203,386
Jan 20203,274
Dec 20192,408
Nov 20193,316
Oct 20193,445
Sept 20192,862
Aug 20192,691
Jul 20194,331
Jun 20195,662
May 20195,623
Apr 20192,762
Mar 20193,322
Feb 20192,752
Jan 20192,660
Dec 20181,864
Nov 20182,855
Oct 20182,656
Sept 20182,448
Aug 20181,726
Jul 20182,387
Jun 20183,162
May 20183,524
Apr 20182,882
Mar 20183,293
Feb 20182,883
Jan 20183,584
Dec 20171,993
Nov 20172,843
Oct 20172,358
Sept 20172,145
Aug 20171,381
Jul 20172,030
Jun 20173,860
May 20173,566
Apr 20172,804
Mar 20173,363
Feb 20173,044
Jan 20172,930
Is there a shortage of special and additional needs education teaching professionals?
Elevated

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
39%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for teaching professionals, which includes special and additional needs education teaching professionals. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London1,582
Birmingham173
Manchester153
Buckinghamshire121
Reigate and Banstead101
Bristol, City of89
Bradford81
Liverpool77
Wakefield73
West Northamptonshire71
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where special and additional needs education teaching professionals are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 11 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from United States, Australia, Chile, ranking it 210th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of special and additional needs education teaching professionals
6.1%!
23%!
19%
31%
18%
3.1%!
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
16–246.1% (small sample)
25–3423% (small sample)
35–4419%
45–5431%
55–6418%
65+3.1% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent78%
Higher education below degree!7.5%
A levels or equivalent10%
GCSEs or equivalent!2.9%
Other qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent78%
Higher education below degree7.5% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent10%
GCSEs or equivalent2.9% (small sample)
Other qualificationsNot published

Main employers: primary education (33%), general secondary education (30%), other education nec (13%), educational support activities (4.8%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
78%
as their highest qualification
Registration
Department for Education
required to practise: Department for Education
Apprenticeships
1
from level 7
Apprenticeships take
2 years
typically

Apprenticeships

1 for this job
Level 7About 2 years

Teacher for the sensory impaired

You gain
Post-graduate diploma for specialist teachers
Registration
Department for Education
Employers may ask for
Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), or Qualified Teacher Learning & Skills status (QTLS), one year's teaching experience and a current enhanced Disclosure and…
Details on Skills England

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • creates a safe, stimulating and supportive learning environment for students
  • assesses student’s abilities, identifies student’s needs and devises curriculum and rota of teaching duties accordingly
  • gives instruction, using techniques appropriate to the student’s disability
  • develops and adapts conventional teaching methods to meet the individual student’s needs
  • encourages the student to develop self-help skills to circumvent the limitations imposed by their disability
  • prepares, assigns and corrects exercises to record and evaluate students’ progress
  • supervises students in classroom and maintains discipline
  • liaises with other professionals, such as social workers, speech and language therapists and educational psychologists
  • updates and maintains students’ records to monitor development and progress
  • discusses student’s progress with parents and other teaching professionals

Skills

  • adapt teaching to student's capabilities
  • apply intercultural teaching strategies
  • apply teaching strategies
  • assess students
  • assess the development of youth
  • assist students in their learning
  • assist students with equipment
  • demonstrate when teaching
  • encourage students to acknowledge their achievements
  • give constructive feedback
  • guarantee students' safety
  • implement care programmes for children
  • maintain relations with children's parents
  • maintain students' discipline

Knowledge

  • assessment processes
  • children's physical development
  • curriculum objectives
  • learning difficulties
  • learning needs analysis
  • special needs education
  • behavioural disorders
  • common children's diseases

Suits people who like

  • Helping and caring for people
  • Creating and designing

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for teaching and other educational professionals, a group of 13 jobs that includes special and additional needs education teaching professionals.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 15%about 268,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.3 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.