Primary Teacher

We're not looking for teachers to help support our school. Instead, we're looking for someone who can help build it. We are Hillside Education, a new 36-place SEMH provision near Gotham, Nottinghamshire, opening in January 2027. We are now receiving our first referrals for children aged between 8 and 16 and we are looking for a teacher with primary age expertise.

We're looking for someone who can help bring the values of our school to life.  Do you know what those values are?  No?  Us neither.  And that's exactly the point. We're looking for someone who is energised by the opportunity to shape them. Someone excited by the idea of co-creating a culture with colleagues and young people rather than inheriting one from somebody else.

We have no inherited systems. No staff handbook that's been passed down for twenty years. No behaviour policy based on research that belongs in a museum. In fact, we still don't have a kettle. (Watch the video. It'll make sense.)

What we do have is nearly two acres of blank canvas and an opportunity to build something special. We won't pretend that will be easy - building something from nothing is hard. There will be days when you won't know exactly what comes next — and neither will we. But if you're the kind of educator who finds that exciting rather than frightening, keep reading.

You'll embrace the idea of using innovative methods of engaging our young people. We want our children to be active participants in their learning - not empty vessels that need filling with knowledge. We're keen to explore Project Based Learning and we're looking for educators that are energised by the prospect of building a curriculum that is bold, creative and most of all, ambitious.

Many of the young people who join Hillside will have experienced exclusion, rejection and disconnection from education. We want to change that.

As we started building the school, we found ourselves asking a simple question: "If our school felt like a tribe, what would be different?"

Our answer looked something like this:

• A place where everyone belongs. No exceptions.

• A place where identity comes from contribution, not status.

• A place where young people are known, valued and genuinely needed.

• A place where safety is felt through predictable relationships, calm adults and consistent routines.

• A place where conflict is expected, but repair is non-negotiable.

If that resonates with you, then we're already speaking the same language.

You see, we're not looking for someone to fit into our culture. We're looking for someone to help create it.

Our ideal teammate will have experience supporting children and young people who have experienced exclusion, trauma, adversity or disconnection from education.

You will be wholeheartedly committed to relationship-based and restorative practice. Not because you've attended the training. Because you believe in it.  You understand that behaviour is communication. You stay curious when others become frustrated. You believe that belonging changes lives.

You don't just see the value in these approaches - you feel them in your core.

If you've read this far and you're still unsure, we're probably not the right school for you.

If you're mostly excited and perhaps just a little bit daunted, welcome to our world.

We'd love to hear from you.