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What is a SENCo?

You will find a SENCo in every school in the UK, but unless you have a child with special educational needs it is unlikely that you will know much about this important role within the school community. What does SENCo mean? What is a SENCo? What does a SENCo do? And why is it so important that every school has one? Here we will answer all of these questions, and more:

What does SENCo mean?

SENCo is an abbreviation that stands for Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo). Some schools will use the name in full, some will use the abbreviation SENCo, and others may use the term SEN Coordinator.

Every school in the UK is required to have at least one SENCo in order to care for the unique needs of those children with special educational needs. In primary schools, a SENCO may also be a class teacher, while in secondary schools the SENCo may spend the majority of their time supporting children with special educational needs (SEN). According to a January 2021 report from the school census on pupils with special educational needs (SEN) and SEN provision in schools, 12.2% of pupils in the UK school system has special educational needs without an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, whilst 3.7% of pupils have special educational needs with an EHC plan in place. This means that SENCo’s fulfil a vital role within school communities, both at primary school and secondary school level.

What is a SENCo?

A SENCo is a teacher who coordinates the provisions that have been made for children with special needs and disabilities within the school environment. As mentioned above, sometimes the SENCo’s primary role is to coordinate these provisions whilst sometimes they are juggling their SENCo role with their class teaching position.

In order to better understand what a SENCo is, it is important to understand what SEN or SEND actually mean. SEN is an abbreviation for Special Educational Needs whilst SEND is an abbreviation for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. These are umbrella terms that cover a wide range of needs for which children could require additional support in school.  This includes, but is not limited to, specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia and dyspraxia, disabilities such as hearing or sight loss, and emotional and social difficulties too. The amount of support a child with SEN will need from their SENCo varies considerably, depending on their needs. Some children spend a very short amount of their educational career under the care of a SENCo, whilst others will need SENCo support throughout their academic journey.

As well as supporting children that are already diagnosed with SEN or SEND within their school, a SENCo will also be involved in assessing, diagnosing, and referring to children with suspected SEN or SEND. As a result, SENCo teachers must have undergone special training in order to take up their position. Any SENCo who was in their position in the school before 2009 may have undergone on the job training. Since 2009, it is mandatory that all SENCo teachers have completed a Masters level National Award for Special Educational Needs. This provides additional confidence and peace of mind to parents of children with SEN that their children are in the very best hands, and ensures that SENCo teachers have all the tools they need in place to best handle the needs of the children in their care.

SENCo assessing children in school

The role of the SENCo

The specific role of the SENCo will differ from child to child, depending on the severity of their needs, but in their day-to-day role within the school, a SENCo will regularly complete the following eight tasks:

  1. Assessing a child
    A SENCo could be asked to assess a child in response to either a concerned teacher or a concerned parent. The SENCo will usually conduct their initial assessment within the child’s normal classroom environment. They will observe the child, and then create a report outlining what they believe the next steps should be. This could be additional support that is offered in school, or it could be a referral for an assessment from an external source. The SENCo will not only assess children with physical or learning difficulties, they will also assess children with emotional problems, behavioural problems, or those who needs support due to other issues such as child abuse, family health concerns or bereavements.
  2. Coordinating Referrals
    If, after independent assessment, the SENCo feels that a child would benefit from external support then their role involves coordinating these referrals, and any follow-up needed. Common referral paths followed by SENCos are to occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and to dyslexia assessment centres.
  3. Helping Families to Secure an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
    The needs of some children are greater than the local authority is able to fund from their own resources. These children may require dedicated staff support, specific therapies, or specialist schooling. In order to access this, the child will need an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) that clearly lists the child’s needs and what additional help they require. The SENCo will write a report on behalf of the school to help families secure the EHCP that they need for their child.
  4. Arranging In-School Support
    The SENCo can arrange special SEN support within the school environment, and can also work with the class teacher to develop strategies to teach the SEN child more effectively. The SENCo will play a vital role in ensuring that learning is accessible and that the child is getting the right level of in-class support that they need.
  5. Taking Meetings
    Caring for SEN children within a school environment requires support from lots of different bodies. As the SENCo your role is to coordinate, and facilitate, meetings between parents, teachers and other agencies to ensure that the child is supported in the best way possible.
  6. Ensuring Resources are Available
    SEN children often need additional resources to help them perform to the best of their ability within the classroom environment. The role of the SENCo is to ensure these resources are available, and that the children under their care always have access to the resources that they need.
  7. Helping SEN Children Reach Targets
    SEN children should be offered targets that are achievable, measurable, and realistic. The role of a SENCo is to help the SEN children within your school to reach the targets that they are offered, and you may also be involved in assigning their targets to ensure that they are within the capabilities of the child they are being given to.
  8. Being an Advocate for the needs of SEN Children
    As the SENCo within a school, you are the main advocate for the needs of the SEN children within the school environment. Your role is to support the SEN children in your care, listen to them, and help to find solutions to their problems. Emotions often run high, but your role is to be the calming force, and someone the children can trust to support them.

What type of setting needs a SENCo?

As mentioned above, it is a government-issued requirement that every school in the UK have a recognised SENCo. However, the SENCo does not always have to be a stand-alone role within the school. Sometimes the SENCo is also working as a class teacher. In some schools, the SENCo is also the headteacher or the deputy headteacher. This tends to be the case in very small schools where both the number of pupils and, therefore, the number of staff is small.

If you are looking to secure a position as a stand-alone SENCo, without any additional teaching or administrative responsibilities then you should look to larger schools with a larger student body. Most SENCOs work in mainstream schools, providing all of the support that has been outlined above. You will find SENCo roles in primary and secondary schools that are maintained by the local authority as well as in academies and free schools. Privately funded schools also have a responsibility to provide a SENCo for the children under their care. You will also find SENCos working within alternative education settings. This includes within pupil referral units, where you may find that you are working primarily with pupils with SEN and SEND.

SENCo assessing children in school

What are the benefits of having a SENCo?

Whilst all schools need to have a named SENCo, there are many benefits of having a dedicated SENCo to focus specifically on the needs of SEN and SEND children within the school. A dedicated SENCo could help guide the school when creating their SEN policy: This is the most important document that schools develop when outlining their provision for SEN children. It states clearly how they will meet the needs of SEN pupils within the school and, as well as meeting statutory standards it must also reflect the actual practices and procedures of the school. Other benefits of having a dedicated SENCo within a school environment include:

  • Ensuring that all children with special educational needs within the school are identified
  • Enabling children with potential SEN to be assessed promptly and therefore that any additional needs are met in a timely manner
  • Ensuring there is high-quality teaching, resources and intervention offered to all children with SEN
  • Further developing the SEN provision within the school
  • Providing timely and effective communication to SEN families
  • Providing a dedicated SEN point of contact that SEN children and their families are able to access as and when they need it

How a SENCo helps children

SENCo fulfils a vital role for SEN and SEND children within school environments. For many children, a good SENCo can make the difference between a good and a bad school experience. A SENCo helps children by:

  • Being their advocate, ensuring that their voices are heard and that their needs are met
  • Ensuring that they are equipped with the resources and other tools that they need to work on the same tasks as their peers, where possible
  • Providing access to the additional support and assessments that SEN children may need to thrive
  • Tracking and monitoring the progress of children with SEN, to ensure that no one is left behind
  • Supporting the class teacher to modify their lesson plans or learning criteria to ensure that it is inclusive of any SEN children within the classroom
  • Forming a relationship with the parents of SEN children to ensure that a holistic approach is taken to their development and that everyone is on the same page regarding their development
  • Being a known point of contact for any issues relating to SEN within the school. If a child feels comfortable, then they know they will always have somewhere to turn if they have any concerns or problems

What should a SENCo not do?

SENCos adhere to a strict code of practice and are prohibited from undergoing any activities that would breach this code. Each school also has its own SEN policy: this will outline clearly any procedures that must be followed in order to assess a child with SEN, or how they should be treated within the classroom environment. The SENCo should not operate outside these guidelines: breaching this SEN policy is a very serious issue and one that could be escalated further. As a result, it is essential that the SENCo is aware both of the code of practice and of the SEN policy within their school, and that they adhere to it at all times.

How to become a SENCo

If you’re interested in becoming a SENCo then the route is very similar to becoming a teacher. A qualified SENCo must be a qualified teacher, which means you must have an undergraduate degree in any subject and a postgraduate teaching qualification (a PGCE). You can obtain your PGCE either through university-led teaching or through school-led teaching: this will see you working in a school environment as you study. If you wish to become a primary school teacher then it is possible to take an undergraduate degree in BA or BSc in Education which will give you qualified teacher status (QTS) without the need to pursue a postgraduate qualification.

Usually, you will secure QTS and then work within a school setting before you begin your training to become a SENCo. This requires an additional qualification that is most commonly secured whilst also working within a school setting. This is a further postgraduate qualification called the National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination (NASENCO). If you’re an experienced SEN teacher you may be able to get a job as a SENCO without the award, but you’ll be required to complete it within three years of taking up your post. Some schools will advertise clearly for a SENCo that has already acquired this qualification.

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