Functional Skills and Ignite Class Teacher in Crewe

Education Phases: Through School;

• Job Roles: Teacher;
• Working Patterns: Full-Time;
• Key Stagess: Ks4, Ks5;
• Application Deadline: Friday, 9th October 2026
• Interview Date: Week commencing 19th October 2026
• Expected Working Start Date: 4th January 2027
• Visa Sponsorship Available: No
• Is a Shared Job: Yes

About us

“We do things differently here.”

At Axis, everything we do is rooted in relationships, understanding need, and refusing to give up on young people for whom education has not yet worked.

Guided by the YES Trust values, we are child-centred, relational and adaptive to need.

Ignite is our alternative KS4 pathway.

It provides a personalised and flexible curriculum for learners who need a different route to success, combining Functional Skills, wider curriculum learning, life skills, personal development and purposeful offsite activities.

The postholder will also deliver Functional Skills to KS5 learners, helping young people build confidence, independence and readiness for adulthood.

We are seeking a creative, resilient and values-driven teacher who can deliver Functional Skills across English, Maths and Science, while leading engaging learning across the wider Ignite curriculum.

The successful candidate will combine strong teaching with authentic relationships, high expectations and a clear understanding of SEMH, SEND and trauma-informed practice.

We strongly recommend a school visit; dates and times available are 23rd September 2026 at 9.30am, 25th September 2026 at 1.30pm and 29th September 2026 at 4.00pm.

Please contact Mrs Gill to arrange an appointment.

Job Description

The Functional Skills and Ignite Class Teacher will plan, deliver and assess a high-quality alternative curriculum for pupils within the Ignite KS4 pathway and KS5 provision.

The role has two connected strands: the delivery of Functional Skills across English, Maths and Science, and the delivery of the wider Ignite curriculum, including life skills, preparation for adulthood and offsite learning.

The postholder will be an adaptive classroom practitioner who makes learning practical, meaningful and accessible.

They will use pupils’ starting points, EHCP outcomes, aspirations and identified barriers to shape provision, supporting learners to re-engage with education and make purposeful academic, social and personal progress.

Working closely with teaching assistants, pastoral colleagues, therapists, families and external partners, the teacher will provide a safe, structured and aspirational learning environment and contribute to the continued development of Ignite as a distinctive, high-quality pathway.

Key Responsibilities

• Functional Skills Teaching and Assessment
• Plan and deliver engaging Functional Skills teaching in English, Maths and Science for KS4 and KS5 learners.
• Use assessment information and individual starting points to identify gaps, plan next steps and demonstrate meaningful progress over time.
• Prepare pupils for relevant Functional Skills, Entry Level and other appropriate accreditation pathways, in line with each learner’s needs and intended destination.
• Teach core knowledge and skills through practical, real-life contexts that improve confidence, independence and transfer of learning.
• Provide timely, constructive feedback and maintain accurate records of attainment, progress and intervention.
• Work with curriculum and exams colleagues to support appropriate entries, evidence requirements and access arrangements.
• Ignite Curriculum Delivery
• Lead the day-to-day teaching of an Ignite class, creating a consistent, purposeful and nurturing learning environment.
• Plan and deliver the wider Ignite curriculum, balancing academic learning, personal development, employability, enrichment and preparation for adulthood.
• Oversee delivery of practical life skills sessions that develop communication, self-advocacy, problem-solving, personal responsibility and independence
• Design learning that reflects pupils’ interests, aspirations, EHCP outcomes and next-step destinations.
• Contribute to the ongoing development, sequencing and evaluation of the Ignite curriculum.
• Ensure learning is ambitious, accessible and appropriately adapted without lowering expectations.
• Offsite Learning and Community Engagement
• Plan and lead purposeful offsite activities that extend the curriculum and help pupils apply learning in authentic settings.
• Ensure offsite learning has clear educational outcomes linked to life skills, community participation, employability, independence or personal development.
• Complete required planning, risk assessment and safeguarding procedures for educational visits in line with school and Trust expectations.
• Build positive links with community organisations, training providers, employers and other partners where these enhance pupils’ learning and next steps.
• Support pupils to develop safe, respectful and increasingly independent participation in the wider community.
• SEMH, SEND and Trauma-Informed Practice
• Embed PACE: Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy, within everyday teaching and interactions.
• Use trauma-informed, relational and attachment-aware approaches to support regulation, engagement and readiness to learn.
• Adapt teaching, resources, routines and the learning environment in response to pupils’ communication, sensory, cognitive and emotional needs.
• Understand behaviour as communication while maintaining clear, safe and consistent boundaries.
• Promote pupils’ dignity, voice, wellbeing and sense of belonging.
• Class Leadership, Relationships and Pastoral Contribution
• Build strong, trusting and consistent relationships with pupils who may have experienced disruption, exclusion or low confidence in education.
• Provide clear routines, high expectations and calm, emotionally available teaching.
• Direct and support classroom staff effectively so that roles, interventions and approaches are well coordinated.
• Contribute to pastoral planning and work collaboratively to remove barriers to attendance, engagement and progress.
• Communicate positively and professionally with families, sharing progress, successes and areas for development.
• Planning, Review and Professional Practice
• Contribute to annual reviews, EHCP planning, Personal Education Plans where relevant, provision mapping and destination planning.
• Participate in curriculum review, moderation, quality assurance and school improvement activity.
• Engage fully in professional development, supervision and reflective practice, particularly in relation to SEMH, SEND, Functional Skills and alternative curriculum design.
• Work collaboratively across Axis Academy and the YES Trust, sharing effective practice and contributing to a one-team culture.
• Undertake the professional duties of a teacher in line with the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document, Teachers’ Standards and reasonable direction from the Headteacher.
• Safeguarding
• Uphold safeguarding responsibilities and promote the wellbeing, safety and dignity of all pupils at all times.
• Follow school and Trust policies for safeguarding, child protection, health and safety, educational visits, behaviour and information sharing.
• Record and report concerns promptly, maintaining professional curiosity and appropriate confidentiality.
• Contribute to a culture in which pupils feel heard, understood and safe to seek help.

Benefits

• Very small class sizes and strong classroom support.
• Access to training and CPD, including further professional qualifications and specialist training where required.
• Cycle to Work scheme, free parking and charging stations on most sites.
• Free lunch at school.
• Perkbox vouchers, discounts and wellbeing benefits.
• A flexible and supportive approach to work.
• Desired Criteria

Current experience of delivering Functional Skills or Entry Level qualifications in one or more of English, Maths and Science.

Experience teaching across more than one core subject.

Experience within a special school, SEMH setting, alternative provision or post-16 SEND provision.

SEND-specific, trauma-informed, PACE, attachment-aware or educational visits training.

Experience of preparation for adulthood, employability, life skills or community-based curriculum planning.

Experience working with external providers, employers or community organisations to support learner pathways.

An innovative mindset and willingness to challenge traditional approaches to teaching and learning.

Essential Criteria

Qualifications and Professional Status

• Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or an equivalent recognised teaching qualification.
• Experience of teaching learners within secondary, post-16, specialist or alternative curriculum provision.
• Commitment to ongoing professional development in Functional Skills, SEMH, SEND and trauma-informed practice.
• Teaching, Curriculum and Assessment
• Ability to teach Functional Skills across English, Maths and Science, including adapting subject content for learners working at different levels.
• Understanding of Functional Skills, Entry Level or other appropriate alternative accreditation routes.
• Ability to use assessment accurately to establish starting points, identify gaps and plan sequenced learning.
• Ability to design practical, engaging learning linked to real-life application, independence and preparation for adulthood.
• Confidence in delivering small-group teaching and personalised intervention.
• Ability to plan and lead safe, purposeful offsite learning.
• SEMH, SEND and Relationships
• Experience of adapting teaching for pupils with SEMH and/or SEND, significant gaps in learning, low confidence or disrupted educational experiences.
• Strong understanding of relational, trauma-informed and emotionally available teaching.
• Ability to remain calm, reflective and consistent when supporting pupils experiencing dysregulation.
• Ability to build trusting relationships while maintaining clear expectations and professional boundaries.
• Personal Attributes and Values
• Strong alignment with YES Trust values and Axis Academy’s child-centred, relational and adaptive ethos.
• Commitment to Axis Academy’s principle: “We do things differently here.”
• Flexible, creative, solution-focused and emotionally intelligent.
• High expectations balanced with compassion, patience and understanding.
• Commitment to safeguarding and promoting pupil wellbeing.
• Willingness and ability to participate in offsite activities and community-based learning, with reasonable adjustments where required.
• Documents