To just not get sencos

[Shaddawadsa]

I'm training as a mh professional and part of my job is to go into schools to talk about how to meet additonal needs, specifically behavior/ emotional development. I have meetings with sencos who are also head teachers, deputy heads, class teachers, most of whom don't seem to have senco training and aren't given the time needed to do the job. Could someone explain what is going on? I just don't get how it is an effective way of supporting the children with real needs. Aibu?

[BlueJug]

It isn't. All the ones I was in contact were worse than useless.

[ProcrastinatorGeneral]

In some schools it is just another hat for a staff member to wear. In others they're a bloody valuable resource and they train, lease and work their arses off. I'm lucky my children are in a school with the latter type of SENCo. Their last school had a hat wearing type though. One of the reasons for moving schools.

[CalleighDoodle]

It is not. it is a tick box exercise. Nobody in a mainstream school has the time to deal with what all the different sen needs in one class.

[Sirzy]

Anyone new coming into the Senco role is supposed to do a specific qualification before taking on the role now (has been in place for the past 2 years or so)

The senco at ds school is a class teacher but only teachers part time and the other half of her time is taken with her senco time which she is brilliant at.

At primary level at least for most schools their simply isn't the budget/need to justify someone having the senco role as their only role. (Not saying that is right but it's how it is)

[CharleyDavidson]

The role of the senco has been eroded again and again at my school. It was a 4 day job in a junior school. With a similar amount of time spent by the senco in the infants dept.

Then the schools amalgamated. One senco retired and the remaining one now covers both parts. Initially on 5 days.

Our county has changed how money is put into school and all peripatetic support has ceased. The money comes into school instead and the current senco (who the HT says we couldn't really afford for 5 days a week really and was being propped up by saved money) now has to provide support for those pupils. It used to be that they would provide the support AND they'd have the outside extra help.

Now the senco's hours have been cut to 3 days as she's been put into class to teach 2 days a week as we are a bit strapped for cash.

It's a joke. She hasn't the time to get to know the children and does what she can but she feels that she isn't doing the job as well as she could if she had the time and resources she needs.

[x2boys]

The one in ds1 school is apalling I never saw her once when ds2 was in nursery there he was probably the child with the most need in the school he has a rare chromosome disorder causing him to have learning disabilities and autism he's now at a special school the teachers there are amazing.

[Chillyegg]

There's a job advert for a school near me for a senco the annual salary being £9,000! Oh how I laughed

[Shaddawadsa]

I see- so it's all about funding? The bigger primaries I go to seem to have a dedicated member of staff as a senco, but the smaller ones it always seems to be 2 hats. None of the new sencos I've met this term have done the training. They say in one breath that they want no child to fall through the gaps but when I start talking appropriate referrals and strategies, or training, their eyes glaze over!

[Shaddawadsa]

Was that for a full time week chilly?

[Loki17]

I think yabu. Mainstream teachers work very hard to differentiate for a variety of pupils with sen. In secondary, it is often the pastoral team, rather than the Senco/SEN dept who deal with pupils with mental health issues. We put a massive amount of training, time and effort into enabling pupils with a range of different issues to access the curriculum. I'm a pastoral manager (aka head of year). The pastoral side of my job takes more effort and energy than the teaching side. The training doesn't just stop at strategies for pupils with mh issues either. Schools are now the first point of call for pupils to access advisory services ranging from careers to sexual health.

[x2boys]

At the school my sister works at there are two sencos and that is their only role the school is in a deprived area with 98 percent of the pupils from Muslim background many start school not speaking or understanding English.

[Lauren15]

The senco in the school where it work is fab. She teaches 2.5 days then has one whole day dedicated to her work. The senco role in my dc's school gets passed around like a hot potato. I feel sorry for the parents.

[Kewcumber]

Our Senco is brilliant - she works part-time but is dedicated to that role not a teacher with other responsibilities. (to be fair we are a single class entry primary school so would be unliley to tbe a full time job).

She has been instrumental in DS getting the additional support he needs.

[IsabellaofFrance]

The one at the primary school DS went to (before transferring to a SS) was worth her weight in gold.

[Kewcumber]

Chilly maybe it's a misprint and it should say £90,000?

[DevonFolk]

Our senco is invaluable and spends an awful lot of time securing funding for those who need it (which is getting harder and harder) as well as working with teachers and parents to ensure maximum support is given in all areas. Unfortunately, also to do with funding, she's not given nearly enough time to do what she should be doing. I work very closely with her in my role and I honestly don't know where we'd be without her.

[Obs2015]

All the ones I have come across are beyond useless and try and play down any child's needs.

[brokenvases]

DDS primary one was bloody useless. She was a class teacher, heads wife, had been senco for years and had very little senco training.

DD was on school action plus and iep and I met her once in four years.

DDS secondary senco is bloody brilliant and I honestly do not know what I would do without her. DD would undoubtedly not be in school without her support.

[Shaddawadsa]

So what does it take to have good one and how can I better support all those I work with? Mainly primaries btw

[Lauren15]

I have to say a lot of Tue specialists who I have dealt with have no idea what it is like to work in a mainstream school so a lot of the advice or strategies they offer aren't practical or realistic. For example one suggested I took a pupil to the school wildlife area to calm him down when stressed. When I told her this could be done now and again but not on a daily basis because we'd need two members of staff and that's not always possible, she just didn't get it

[Ineedmorepatience]

My Dd has had 3 sencos in 3 different schools! One lied to CAMHS about Dd's anxiety, one lied to the authority and the tribunal about her attainment and the third lied to us about the support that would be provided for Dd!!

[BeautifulLiar]

Our senco worker is lovely, but then she does have autistic/adhd twins so has a lot of understanding.

[Morganly]

The best way to support those that you work with is to devise strategies that are actually possible within their setting and budget and staffing levels etc. The eyes glazing over thing may be because they know what you are suggesting isn't possible or feasible. Also, sometimes, the staff would love to provide something but know that management won't agree. For example, we would love to provide a chill out space for our students with autism, anxiety etc but there is a lot of pressure on rooming and management won't agree to leaving a room empty in case of need. So maybe talk to the senior management team as well as the SENCO.

[Foxyloxy1plus1]

Well, that feels like trashing eleven years of my career, plus the post graduate additional qualifications I got!

All SENCos new in post must do the qualification if they haven't been a SENCo previously. That will consist of attendance at a university course, projects and dissertations. The Code of Practice for SEND, changed in September 2014, removing and amalgamating categories in schools and changing from statements of SEN to EHCPs. These have to be completed by 2018 (I think.)

The responsibility for teaching children with SEND lies with the subject or class teacher. All teachers are teachers of all children. OP, you are looking at the job from your own perspective. You are not and cannot be aware of all the constraints on the time and resources of schools. SENCOs are often juggling the needs of the children for whom they co-ordinate provision, with the requirements of their teaching load, the instructions from the SLT and the needs of Ofsted.

I ran a department with 20 staff, a specialist centre for S&L and 40 pupils with statements. I also taught (at various times) core skills, RE, ASDAN, Circle time, PSHE, as well as all the meetings, social care, LAC etc, etc, etc.

It might not be what you think is right OP, but please look at it from a different viewpoint and look at how you can work collaboratively with schools, rather than focus on what they're doing that is wrong.

[Lauren15]

Well said Foxy and Morganly.