The Roles and Responsibilities of the SENCO.

What is the SENCO?

As defined by NASEN, Special Education Needs Cooridinator (SENCos) are:

• Qualified teachers in mainstream schools and ensure implementation of the SEN policy on a day-to-day basis.
• Key point of contact for colleagues and offer support and advice.
• Maintain an overview of progress of pupils with SEND and will seek to develop practice to ensure the effectiveness of interventions and support.

What qualifications do you need to become a SENCo?

• Under The Education (Special Educational Needs Coordinators) (England) Regulations 2008 : A SENCo must be either: a qualified teacher; head teacher/appointed acting head teacher; or taking steps to become a qualified teacher, and can show has a reasonable likelihood of becoming qualified. There are great similarities in the role of a teacher and a SENCo and so understandably, the requirement to be a qualified or nearly qualified teacher is necessary.

• In 2009, The Education (Special Educational Needs Coordinators) (England) (Amended) Regulations 2009 saw the qualification for new SENCos become legislated. This qualification is called the National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination.

So, what are the main duties of the SENCo?

The SEND Code of Practice sets out the following key responsibilities that the SENCO may have:

• overseeing the day-to-day operation of the school’s SEN policy

• co-ordinating provision for children with SEN

• liaising with the relevant Designated Teacher where a looked after pupil has SEN

• advising on the graduated approach to providing SEN support

• advising on the deployment of the school’s delegated budget and other

• resources to meet pupils’ needs effectively

• liaising with parents of pupils with SEN

• liaising with early years providers, other schools, educational psychologists, health and social care

professionals, and independent or voluntary bodies

• being a key point of contact with external agencies, especially the local authority and its support services

• liaising with potential next providers of education to ensure a pupil and their parents are informed about

options and a smooth transition is planned

• working with the headteacher and school governors to ensure that the school meets its responsibilities

under the Equality Act (2010) with regard to reasonable adjustments and access arrangements

• ensuring that the school keeps the records of all pupils with SEN up to date

Ref: NASBTT(NASEN) Guide for Teachers.

What are the key peices of legislation and reports a SENCo should know about their role?

There are several important pieces of legislation and government reports that are concerned with the principles and policies regarding SEN.

One vital report was The Warnock Report (1978). The report clearly identified the need for children with SEN to be viewed and treated as individuals, with individual educational requirements. Baroness Warnock also recognised the concept of inclusion for children with SEN into mainstream classes. The Warnock Report provided the findings for the enactment of The Education Act 1981.

The SEN Code of Practice (1994) saw the development and creation of SENCos. There were several reports that followed, including Every Child Matters (2003) and Removing Barriers to Leaning (2004), with the latter noting the Government’s requirement for teachers to be trained in SEN. It proceeded to encompass all previous legislation since The Education Act 1994.

Furthermore, The Education Act 1996 importantly provided parents of children with SEN with more rights to appeal.

There is also the SEN Code of Practice (2001) and the more recent version (2014) that provides further legal requirements and guidance on the education of children with SEN.

It is vital that SENCos keep up to date with the ever-changing legislation and Government reports on SEN. This is to ensure that SENCos have the correct and relevant knowledge so they can best support pupils with SEN and their educational rights.

References:

The Education (Special Educational Needs Coordinators) (England) Regulations (2008). Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/2945/made?view=plain. (Accessed 15 April 2022)

The Education (Special Educational Needs Coordinators) (England) (Amended) Regulations (2009) Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/1387/contents/made. (Accessed 15 April 2022)

NASBTT and NASEN (n.d) The Role of the SENCo: Information. Available at: https://www.nasbtt.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Teacher-and-SENCO-Roles_information_downloadable-doc.pdf. (Accessed 15 April 2022)

NASEN (2020) What is a SENCo? Available at: https://nasen.org.uk/page/what-senco. (Accessed 15 April 2022)