Special educational needs coordinator (SENCO)

SENCOs are qualified, experienced teachers who work with staff, parents and carers, and other professionals to shape and deliver the school's approach to SEN.

You may also design and deliver interventions in and out of the classroom, as well as having teaching responsibilities, either in one school or across multiple schools.

This role is also known as a special educational needs and disabilities coordinator (SENDCO), additional learning needs coordinator (ALNCo) in Wales, additional support needs (ASN) coordinator in Scotland or a Learning Support Coordinator (LSC) in Northern Ireland.

You might also be interested in the role of special educational needs teacher, as SEN teachers often progress to become a SENCO.

Responsibilities

As a SENCO, you'll need to:

develop and oversee the implementation of the school's SEN/SEND strategy and policy
coordinate the Graduated Approach (assess, plan, do, review) to identify SEND pupils' needs and monitor progress
work with teachers and the senior leadership team to implement effective classroom practice and behaviour support for pupils with SEN
advise and support colleagues, including delivering training and guidance on SEN provision
liaise with parents and carers to agree support, share progress and build effective partnerships
coordinate support plans, including requesting, contributing to or supporting education, health and care (EHC) needs assessments and plans (England), or the equivalent plans in the other countries of the UK
work with external agencies and services, such as educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, and health and social care professionals, and make referrals where needed
chair and/or coordinate annual reviews for pupils with EHC or equivalent plans and ensure actions are followed up
manage SEN resources, including advising on funding, deploying support staff and ensuring provision is appropriately targeted
maintain accurate pupil records and data, using this to evaluate impact and improve SEN provision.

Salary

Salaries for SENCOs follow national teachers' pay scales. In England (outside London and the Fringe), qualified classroom teachers typically earn between £32,916 and £51,048, depending on their experience and progression through the main and upper pay ranges. Teachers in London and the Fringe are paid on higher scales.
Experienced teachers on the leading practitioner pay range (outside of London and the Fringe) can earn from £52,026 to £79,092, while members of the leadership group may earn between £51,773 and £143,796.
Some SENCO posts attract an SEN allowance, which in England ranges from £2,787 to £5,497, and/or a Teaching and Learning Responsibility (TLR) payment. In many cases this is at TLR1 level, typically between £10,174 and £17,216, depending on the school's pay policy and the responsibilities of the role.

Salaries and allowances vary by UK nation, region and type of school. For current scales in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, check with NASUWT - The Teachers' Union.

Other factors affecting salary include how much teaching experience you have, and the level of additional responsibility assigned to your role.

Income data from NASUWT - The Teachers' Union. Figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

In most state schools, further education colleges and alternative provision settings you'll generally work 39 weeks of the year. The school day typically runs from about 8:30am to 3:30-4pm, although hours vary by school and local authority. Working hours may be different in independent schools, where longer days, Saturday teaching and longer holidays are more common.

You'll work some evenings for meetings and events such as parents' evenings. You'll also usually do additional planning and administrative work outside normal school hours and term time, especially if you're part of the leadership team.

Opportunities for part-time work are available.

What to expect

The role can be highly rewarding, as you'll help ensure pupils receive the support they need to achieve their potential. It can also be challenging when there are constraints on school resources or support from external agencies.
You may be based in more than one school and also have a teaching timetable, so you'll need to balance your SENCO responsibilities alongside planning and delivering lessons.
There are significant administrative responsibilities, including completing referral forms, writing reports and maintaining accurate pupil records, which can be time-consuming and may require work outside normal school hours.
Ongoing professional development is important, as you'll need to keep your SEN knowledge up to date and stay informed about policy developments, including areas of growing focus such as mental health.

Qualifications

To work as a SENCO in most schools in England, you'll first need to qualify as a teacher, by achieving qualified teacher status (QTS), and gain classroom experience, including working with pupils who have special educational needs (SEN).

All initial teacher training courses cover teaching pupils with SEN, but some training providers offer courses with an SEN or inclusion specialism. Search teacher training courses.

Once you've got teaching experience, you must complete the National Professional Qualification (NPQ) for SENCOs. This is now the mandatory qualification for SENCOs in England and can be taken either before you take up a SENCO post or within three years of starting in the role. Teachers who have already successfully completed the previous National Award for SEN Coordination (NASENCO) don't need to take the new NPQ.

Most teachers study for the NPQ part time alongside their job. The course typically takes 18 to 22 months to complete (including the assessment window). It involves, on average, around one or two hours of study each week, and combines independent study with face-to-face sessions. To gain the qualification, you'll need to complete the course and pass a written assessment of 1,500 to 2,500 words.

Search the list of course providers.

Many teachers and school leaders in state-funded schools in England are eligible for funding to cover their NPQ course fees.

To work as a specialist teacher for pupils with hearing, vision or multi-sensory impairments you'll also need a mandatory qualification in sensory impairment (MQSI).

Requirements for equivalent roles in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland vary, but you'll usually need to be a registered teacher and may be expected to complete additional accredited study in SEN, additional learning needs (ALN) or additional support needs (ASN). For example, in Scotland, teachers seeking registration in ASN with the General Teaching Council for Scotland must hold an appropriate ASN award.

For more information on entry requirements and routes into teaching, see teacher training and education.

Find out more about becoming a primary school teacher, secondary school teacher or special educational needs teacher.

Skills

You'll need to have:

a strong commitment to raising educational attainment for children and young people with SEN, both through direct work with pupils and by supporting other staff
a willingness and ability to develop specialist knowledge and keep up to date with local and national policy and developments
influencing and negotiation skills - to secure appropriate support, resources and provision for pupils with SEN, including from external agencies
leadership skills - to inspire and motivate colleagues, model good practice and embed a whole-school commitment to supporting pupils with SEN
strong interpersonal and teamworking skills - for building effective relationships with parents, carers, teachers and external professionals, and for working together to implement SEN strategies
excellent verbal and written communication skills - for explaining complex information clearly, managing sometimes challenging conversations, setting achievable targets and producing reports and guidance for staff
organisation and time management skills - for prioritising and balancing a busy and varied workload
empathy and emotional intelligence - to recognise and respond sensitively to the needs of pupils, parents and carers
analytical and problem-solving skills - for interpreting pupil and school data, evaluating the impact of provision and developing appropriate strategies and interventions, often using digital systems to track progress.

Work experience

Experience of teaching and supporting pupils with SEN is essential, and you'll need to proactively look for opportunities during your training and early teaching career to build the necessary knowledge and skills.

Before you qualify, you could gain experience as a teaching assistant, or in a support or volunteering role with children or young people with SEN. You could also contact local schools that support SEN pupils, both mainstream and specialist, to arrange visits, observe lessons and, where possible, shadow the SENCO.

Once qualified, look for training and other opportunities to develop your skills and experience in your school, such as working with pupils with SEN, taking on pastoral responsibilities or contributing to whole-school inclusion initiatives.

Experience in different settings and with pupils of different ages is also beneficial. As the SENCO role is a leadership position, any management experience in a school setting - for example, leading a project, mentoring colleagues or coordinating interventions - will be advantageous.

Experience of working alongside other organisations that support pupils with SEN can also be valuable. For example, you could shadow or volunteer with a health or social care provider, therapist or educational psychologist.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

Most SENCOs in England work in mainstream education, including local authority-maintained schools, academies, free schools and independent schools. They also work in special schools and specialist settings.

You can work within early years provision, primary and secondary schools, further education and sixth-form colleges, and specialist post-16 institutions.

Opportunities also exist within alternative education provision, such as pupil referral units (PRUs), alternative provision (AP) academies or alternative provision free schools, and hospital schools.

In the other UK nations, similar roles are found in schools and colleges under titles such as Additional Learning Needs Co-ordinator (ALNCo) in Wales and lead roles for Additional Support Needs (ASN) in Scotland.

Look for vacancies at:

GOV.UK - Teaching Vacancies
LG Jobs
TES Jobs (Times Educational Supplement)
local authority websites.

Some specialist agencies also recruit for SENCO and other teaching positions. These include:

Professional development

Once you're working as a SENCO, continuing professional development (CPD) is essential to keep your knowledge and practice up to date. You'll usually take part in regular in-school training on SEN, safeguarding, behaviour and inclusive teaching, and may also deliver training to colleagues.

You can further develop your expertise through postgraduate qualifications in special or inclusive education, or shorter specialist courses in, for example, autism, specific learning difficulties (SpLD), speech, language and communication needs, behaviour or mental health.

Search postgraduate qualifications in special educational needs.

Support, events and resources are provided by organisations such as the National Association for Special Educational Needs (nasen) and the education unions.

As you gain experience, you can also develop your skills through National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) in specialist and leadership areas, or other leadership programmes, preparing for roles such as assistant or deputy headteacher, or inclusion lead across a group of schools.

Career prospects

Experience as a SENCO can prepare you for a range of school leadership roles. You could become an inclusion or SEN leader, with responsibility not only for SEN but also areas such as behaviour, attendance, pupil premium and safeguarding. With further leadership experience and qualifications, you could progress to assistant or deputy headteacher and eventually headteacher.

Some SENCOs move into leadership roles in special schools or alternative provision or take on SEN leadership roles across a multi-academy trust or group of schools.

Others move into education consultancy and training, using their teaching, leadership and specialist SEN expertise to support schools and local authorities with curriculum, policy and provision or to teach current and aspiring SENCOs.

You could also use your experience to work for a local authority or other organisation in an SEN/SEND advisory or casework role, such as a SEND officer overseeing statutory responsibilities for children and young people with SEN.