Key Teacher

Job Description

Are you looking for a new challenge or career change in 2026 with greater flexibility of curriculum and teaching through a therapeutic approach where you really can make a difference?

This is an exciting opportunity to join our small and unique school working to support a CAMHS in-patient ward based within Rochford Community Psychiatric Hospital. We work closely with NHS colleagues and wider community teams to support and educate young people who are experiencing a severe mental health crisis leading to an in-patient admission. Ofsted inspected us in June 2025, rating us 'Good' in all categories but with an 'Outstanding' for Behaviour and Attitudes. Ofsted described us as "a school where kindness shapes daily life" and recognised that "warm, trusting relationships are at the heart of this school's community".

We are seeking an enthusiastic, passionate and dedicated qualified (QTS) secondary school teacher to join our team and we don't mind what your subject specialism is, so long as you are the right person for our team! You will need to be a very flexible person, capable of highly adaptive teaching, whilst being responsive to each young person's varied needs and abilities. The ability to form positive working relationships with our students is an absolute essential.

We operate a Key Teacher model at Poplar whereby each Key Teacher has responsibility for a small key group of up to 5 students co-ordinating and delivering their individual and bespoke timetable of lessons. Young people come from schools across Essex and beyond and can be in key stages 3-5 (aged 11 - 18), studying towards qualifications (GCSE, A Levels, Functional Skills, ASDAN, BTEC) in any combination of subjects or they come to us not in education, employment or training (NEET). Your role will be to co-ordinate and deliver their individual education, liaise with parents/carers, home schools and community professionals, as well supporting colleagues to deliver education to the wider group in both our Education Centre and in the ward classroom.

Our students may display very challenging behaviours due to the impact of their mental health, so we need someone who is experienced in managing challenging behaviour in a positive, patient and proactive way. Joining Poplar Adolescent Unit means becoming part of a supportive, forward-thinking, and ambitious team that is deeply committed to helping both students and staff thrive.

Our success as a school reflects a strong sense of community, high standards, and a commitment to excellence in all we do. If you're ready to be part of our dedicated team and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of young people, we'd love to hear from you.

What we can offer you:

· The opportunity to be part of a highly supportive and caring school community

· A commitment to a personalised programme of CPD with training opportunities which include attending an annual residential conference in Birmingham with other similar hospital schools across the country

· The opportunity to collaborate with our 'sister' unit (St Aubyn Centre) in Colchester

· A collaborative approach where you will contribute to decisions about how our school operates, the dynamic design of our curriculum, and our strategies for development

· A supportive induction period shadowing fellow Key Teachers and key staff

· Regular opportunities for supervision from SLT and colleagues

· Potential in the future to take on key area/s of responsibility which would be recognised by the award of a TLR

· Close working relationships with NHS colleagues as well as with a wide range of community professionals

· Opportunities to work in an individualised way with young people to develop and create One Plans, IEPs, Sensory Support Plans, Individual Health Care Plans and other supportive strategies, with the support and guidance of the SENCO

· A great work/life balance as part of a really rewarding and stimulating working environment

· An annual 'well-being' day, fully paid

· We follow Essex County Council School Term and Holiday dates as we are a Local Authority Maintained school.

Please read the attached job description for a more detailed explanation of this very unique role.

For more information about the school, or to have an informal discussion, please contact Charlotte Baulch (Acting Headteacher) by phoning 01702 538138. Candidates are strongly advised to visit the centre before submitting an application as we are such a unique setting.

Whilst there is a published closing date for this vacancy, we reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive sufficient applications. Early applications are therefore strongly encouraged.

Information about the School

Poplar Adolescent Unit is a small, specialist education provision situated within Rochford Community Psychiatric Hospital, near to Southend on Sea. The Unit is an acute in-patient CAMHS ward for young people aged 11 to 18 with accute mental-health conditions which prevent them from attending their local schools, colleges or employment. The Unit is funded for 16 places. The education team comprises an Acting Headteacher, Acting Deputy Headteacher, two full-time teachers, 2 HLTAs, 2 university placement students and a part-time School Business Manager. Alongside the principal focus of maintaining home school and college curriculum links, we strongly encourage involvement in the arts, music and physical activity as part of our personal development curriculum alongside a range of 'life skills' based activities. We work in partnership with the ward multi-disciplinary team which includes doctors, nurses, a social worker, occupational therapists, clinical psychologists, an Art Therapist, and a family therapist and we have significant partnerships for each pupil with community teams beyond the unit. The young people remain on the roll of their home school during their admission and are supported to re-integrate back into that setting as discharge from Poplar approaches. Additionally, those young people who are NEET, are helped to explore the next steps in their future planning.