Location: Longnor / Buxton, SK17
Hours: 10 hours per week
Delivery: Face-to-face, 1:1 community-based tuition
Focus: Functional English, Maths, Life Skills & Community Mentoring
Start Date: 2nd September 2026
Contract: Initially until 23rd October 2026, with potential extension
Tutor: No gender preference
About the Role
Study Mind is seeking a highly experienced and creative SEN Tutor to support a 17-year-old learner with complex additional needs, Autism, Moderate Learning Disability, Sensory Processing Disorder, Anxiety and Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA).
This is not a traditional classroom-style tutoring role. The student is working at a pre-curriculum level and requires an exceptionally flexible, relationship-led approach where functional literacy, numeracy and independence skills are embedded naturally into everyday activities.
The placement consists of 8 hours of tuition and 2 hours of community mentoring per week.
The Student
The student has an EHCP and significant Communication & Interaction needs alongside a very low cognitive profile. Current abilities include recognising his own name and developing very early counting skills with support.
He experiences difficulties with auditory processing and memory, sequencing, expressive language, attention and following multi-step instructions.
Formal educational demands can cause significant anxiety and disengagement. Previous successful tutors have therefore focused on building the relationship first and embedding learning within activities the student genuinely enjoys.
Functional Learning Approach
The successful tutor will:
- Deliver functional English and Maths through real-world activities rather than formal worksheets or classroom-style lessons.
- Prioritise relationship-building before introducing educational demands.
- Follow the student's interests and use these naturally to create learning opportunities.
- Develop practical life skills, communication and greater independence.
- Use a flexible, non-directive approach incorporating humour, novelty and appropriate distraction.
- Adapt expectations according to the student's regulation and anxiety on the day.
- Support learning through community activities such as walks, cafés, shops, farms and outdoor environments.
- Recognise that progress may initially mean increased trust, engagement and independence rather than completion of formal academic tasks.
For example, learning could involve counting animal feed, recognising useful words when choosing a drink, handling money or using a bank card when making a purchase.
Communication, Anxiety & Regulation
The student has significant communication difficulties and can find unfamiliar adults particularly challenging. He has a literal understanding of language and can struggle with reciprocal conversation, auditory information and communicating effectively when anxious.
Anxiety may present through avoidance, leaving an activity, shouting, crying or physical aggression. The tutor must understand these behaviours within the context of communication, anxiety and complex disability rather than approaching them through a compliance-led model.
A calm, low-demand and trauma-informed approach is therefore essential.
Interests & Strengths
Building learning around the student's interests will be central to the placement. He particularly enjoys:
- Being outdoors and going for walks.
- Tractors and farms.
- Horses and animals.
- Visiting cafés and shops.
- Humour and slapstick comedy.
- Practical activities with a clear, real-life purpose.
He is described by his family as a happy, kind and caring young man when his needs are appropriately understood and supported.
The Ideal Tutor
We are looking for an experienced SEN professional who:
- Has substantial experience supporting young people with complex learning disabilities and Autism.
- Ideally has experience working at pre-curriculum/P-Level or equivalent developmental levels.
- Understands demand avoidance, anxiety, sensory processing and EBSA.
- Is confident supporting behaviours associated with significant dysregulation.
- Can use de-escalation and low-arousal approaches effectively.
- Understands functional and life-skills-based education.
- Is exceptionally patient, creative and adaptable.
- Can work relationally rather than relying on formal academic expectations.
- Is comfortable delivering education through outdoor and community activities.
- Can gradually encourage greater independence from parental support.
- Can work collaboratively with family, the Local Authority and other professionals.
Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and significant complex SEND teaching experience would be highly desirable, particularly given that previous successful provision has involved qualified teachers experienced with complex disabilities.
Hours & Location
The placement is for 10 hours per week, comprising 4 hours English, 4 hours Maths and 2 hours community mentoring.
The student finds both his home and formal settings challenging for tuition, so the relationship will initially need to develop on neutral ground within the Longnor/Buxton area.
Previous success has come through meeting during walks, farm visits, cafés, shops and other familiar community activities, rather than expecting the student to sit at a table or remain in one room.
This is a highly specialist opportunity for a tutor who understands that successful education for a young person with complex needs can look very different from conventional teaching, and who can use relationships, interests and everyday experiences to develop communication, functional learning and independence.
Company Overview
At Study Mind, we believe that every child deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of their circumstances. We specialise in providing high-quality, 1:1 tuition for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) who require personalised academic support outside mainstream education. Through our tailored approach, we help students build confidence, engage with learning, and achieve academic success.
Pay: £25.00-£32.00 per hour
Expected hours: 10.0 per week
Work Location: In person
