SEN (Special Educational Needs) School Recruitment

We’re proud to have supported a wide range of SEND schools, alternative provisions, and SEN units within mainstream settings — and we understand that every environment is unique.

Our goal is to help you find the right SEN Teachers, Teaching Assistants, and specialist support staff — whether you need reliable daily cover, long-term support, or a permanent addition to your team.

The SEND Team

At Dunbar Education, we are dedicated to delivering an exceptional SEN recruitment service. Our mission is to improve outcomes for vulnerable young people in the SEN sector, by connecting mainstream schools, SEN schools, pupil referral units, local authorities and alternative providers with qualified educators who have been trained to provide specialist support.

Our expertise and dedication allow us to give each child the care and attention they need as part of a service that is second-to-none.

Meet the Team:

Supporting Your SEN Goals

Targeted Recruitment

We match candidates to schools based on:

The needs of the pupil
The requirements of the SLT (senior leadership team)
The intricacies of the role

Pupil Outcomes

We can provide targeted interventions including:

One-to-one tuition
Small group tuition
Behaviour support

Pupil Safeguarding

We pre-vet so you don’t have to:

Rigorous vetting standards
CPD courses
Safeguarding training
Nationally recognised accreditations

Serving special schools, pupil referral units, mainstream schools, and other educational institutions that care for children with special educational needs is something we have done for many years. Our SEN recruitment experts have a thorough awareness of the talents that these institutions require as well as their complex web of pastoral, pedagogical, and legal responsibilities.

We select and provide staff who recognise:

The need for pupils to have continuity in their learning environment
The requirements of pupils with special and often challenging needs
The significant benefits for all pupils of learning with a carefully-matched teacher or teaching assistant

Specialist Recruitment for SEND Schools & Provisions

At Dunbar Education, we understand that working in a SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) environment requires more than just experience — it demands empathy, resilience, and a tailored skill set.

Our dedicated SEND team works with Special Schools, Alternative Provisions, PRUs, and SEN units within mainstream schools to provide high-quality, fully vetted teaching and support staff. We recognise that every SEND setting is different, which is why we take the time to understand the unique needs, structure, and ethos of each school we support.

Whether you’re looking for temporary cover, long-term staffing, or a permanent member of your team, we can help you find individuals who are not only qualified, but who can contribute positively to your pupils’ progress, development, and wellbeing.

Our SEND Recruitment Includes:

We recruit across a wide range of roles within the SEND sector. This includes experienced SEN Teachers across all key stages, Learning Support Assistants, Teaching Assistants with SEND specialisms, and a range of therapeutic and behavioural support staff.

We place:
SEN Teachers, SEND Teaching Assistants, Learning Support Assistants (LSAs), Behaviour Mentors, Support Workers, Speech & Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and SEMH or ASC specialists.

We support both day-to-day and long-term needs, and work with schools to build teams capable of delivering inclusive, pupil-centred learning in the most complex and sensitive environments.

Why SEND Schools Choose Dunbar Education

Our consultants are SEND specialists. They understand the demands of working with pupils with complex needs — whether behavioural, medical, emotional or cognitive — and the importance of finding candidates who are not just capable, but committed.

We are proud to be APSCo Compliance+ accredited, going beyond statutory safeguarding checks to ensure every candidate is safe, compliant, and ready to work. As a trusted supplier on the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Framework, we also offer schools complete peace of mind when it comes to quality, transparency, and regulatory compliance.

Let’s Talk About Your Setting

Whether you’re looking for a SEN Teacher with ASC experience, a Behaviour Mentor for your PRU, or a long-term Learning Support Assistant with a nurturing approach — we’re here to help.

Get in touch today to see how we can support your school or provision with specialist, dependable recruitment.

Roles we recruit for:

Our SEND team supplies schools, PRUs, LAs and alternative providers with a diverse pool of educators across a large variety of roles including:

SEN Teachers
Learning Support Assistants
SEND Teaching Assistants
Occupational Therapists

S&L Therapists
Behaviour Mentors
Support Workers

Our staffing solutions are created to assist organisations in achieving three main goals: Supporting SEN, Supporting Learning, and Supporting Behaviour.

To support you, we provide different types of contracts and roles:

Short-term supply cover
Longer-term temporary positions
Pupil interventions

SEN support
Permanent roles

Compliance & Safer Recruitment

At Dunbar Education, safeguarding is not just a requirement — it’s a responsibility we take seriously.

We are proud to be registered members of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and adhere to the strictest compliance procedures, as outlined by both the REC Education framework and the latest Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) guidelines.

Our dedicated in-house compliance team ensures that every candidate we place has been fully vetted and cleared in line with our safer recruitment and safeguarding policies. Whether we are supporting your school with short-term supply or permanent placements, you can be confident that every candidate has undergone rigorous checks before being introduced to you.

Compliance for Day-to-Day & Long-Term Assignments

When Dunbar Education is acting as the employment business — typically for daily supply and long-term temporary roles — we carry out a full suite of pre-employment checks, including:

A face-to-face or virtual interview and formal registration
Verification of the candidate’s five-year career history
An Enhanced DBS Certificate, either through us or registered on the Update Service
Overseas police checks (where applicable)
Full identity verification and right to work checks
Sanction and prohibition checks, including barred lists
Two verified references, including most recent school or employer
Proof of address and any change of name history
Verification of qualifications relevant to the role
Confirmation of medical fitness to work in an education setting.

As an employment business, we supply fully vetted staff who are employed by us and supplied to your school on a temporary basis.

Compliance for Permanent & Direct Placements

When we act as an employment agency — typically for permanent or fixed-term direct placements — we ensure that candidates have been thoroughly screened and checked prior to their introduction. This includes:

Identity and right to work verification
Overseas police checks (if applicable)
Qualification verification
Prohibition and sanction checks
Full referencing from previous roles

In these placements, the candidate will be employed directly by your school or trust, following successful interview and offer.

Our Commitment to Safer Recruitment

Every school and setting deserves to feel confident that their staffing partner takes safeguarding as seriously as they do. At Dunbar Education, we continually review and strengthen our internal procedures to reflect updated statutory guidance, and we work in partnership with our schools to support compliance at every stage of the process.

For more details, you can access our Safer Recruitment Policy and Safeguarding Policy via the links in the footer of this site.

If you have any questions about our compliance procedures or would like to speak to a member of our compliance team, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.