What is a SENCo?
SENCo stands for Special Educational Needs Coordinator. You may hear the name referred to in full, as its acronym (sometimes also written as SENDCo, standing for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator), or as SEN Coordinator. SENCos are members of teaching staff who are responsible for special educational needs within a school. Every school in the UK is required to have a SENCo to ensure that every child who has SEN are supported as well as to help them reach their full educational potential. At Hartmore School, rather than have all the responsibilities of a SENCo held by one individual and expect them to know the detailed and often complex needs of each individual, we have adopted a different approach.
We have shared the SENCo role between a number of key staff. We have chosen our most experienced teachers in Primary, Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4 and in our Specialist Girls provision and given them all the title and role of SENCo for the children in their part of the school. This means the teacher responsible for ensuring each child’s SEN needs are met knows them inside out as they teach them for part, if not all, of their timetable. By doing this it allows them to understand the child’s individual needs, and how these needs impact on a child’s ability to learn and achieve in school, in much more detail. We have found that our approach to sharing the role allows our SENCo’s to focus on a smaller number of children and gives them the best chance of ensuring they meet the needs of all children fully and thus help them reach their full potential.​
The role of the SENCo.
The role of a SENCo involves listening to others especially parents, who we consider parents to be the only experts on their child. SENCos work to ensure a child with SEN has their needs met as fully as possible. This may involve identifying, assessing and planning for needs and developing support programmes to meet those needs and break down any barriers to learning. It may also involve arranging specialist input from outside professionals. A child does not need to have a plan or record of need to be supported by the SENCo, any child needing extra help gets the support they need. SENCos consult and liaise with staff, parents and carers, external agencies and appropriate professionals and voluntary bodies; they apply for extra funding. They try to ensure that support is coordinated and targeted appropriately, and that all are informed and updated about a child and understand how best to help. They rely on parents' help and support too. If you know that your child has any kind of difficulty, inform the staff at the earliest opportunity and hand over all relevant documentation. This will give staff the opportunity to put plans in place to ensure a needs are met.​
When should parents consult a SENCo
If you think there may be something holding your child back, express those concerns. If your child has not been diagnosed as having a special need, but you think things are not progressing as they should, have a meeting with the SENCo. If the needs are likely to be more than a minor concern that can be dealt with by the class teacher, the SENCo may observe the child, talk to other staff members and look at any records that may indicate a difficulty. This may suggest that the child just needs a little extra help, or that SEN professionals need to become involved to diagnose a graver difficulty, and perhaps initiate an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). The SENCo will then be the person who liaises with you, the teachers and local authority about your child's needs. This isn't a one-way street - ensuring your child receives the full help necessary to fulfil their potential may require diligent homework, detailed searching and questions on your part.You should always take the opportunity of the annual review to ensure that the EHCP is accurate and up to date and fully captures all your child’s needs.