I'm a SENCo....AMA

[SurvivingSenco]

With the news and social media being full of SEND news, I thought it might be insightful to do one of these.

Yes I have SEN knowledge and train my staff on SEN needs.
Management is a big part of the role too, it's a mixture of both. You couldn't do the role just as a manager, you have to lead SEN provision

What would you advise a parent to do in this situation...

EHCP in final draft. We could name a school, which we like, for our child to move to. But we know that our child would be 31st in the class and the LA will force the school to accept the child. The LA won't give enough money for a full time 121, which is what the EHCP should dictate.

So we know the school will take our child and do their best, and be brilliant probably. But they will be squeezing and juggling the few LSA hours paid for into the need for my child to have an LSA always available. This means other children will get less than they probably would if we didn't go to the school - as the LSAs will need to be shared round a bigger group.

I feel shit about this, but also want what's best for my child.

The funding needs to match the provision. If it says 1:1 in section F that's what the school has make best endeavours to provide. If it doesn't state that, then they won't provide it.
You can also request an early annual review if you feel provision needs increasing

Does the SEN plans get continued at high school automatically when they move up from primary?

Is it better to have an official diagnoses before they start secondary, or does it not really matter as long as the SEN info is sent across? Thanks

Are you able to cost the provision in the EHCPs and do you hold the LA to account when invariably funding doesn't match provision? I found that SENCOs were very wary of "biting the hand that fed them" and this led to everyone being unhappy as children weren't getting the provision they should and this led to bad feeling between parents and schools. It almost felt like schools saw an EHCP as compensation for accommodating the SEND child and were happy to accept a fraction of costs with an unenforceable EHCP so they could use those funds as they saw fit rather than to support the child with the EHCP.

Do you have to be an experienced teacher to become a SENCO? Is the training long/in depth? Basically I think I’m wondering how easily a teacher can stumble into this, as our SENCO seems pretty clueless and lacking empathy or patience towards children with additional needs…wondering if she’s had to jump through many hoops to be a SENCO, how specialised is it really? I appreciate there will be excellent SENCOs out there (and you sound very knowledgeable) but theoretically could there be sencos who are really lacking in knowledge and training and experience?

In theory a teacher with a few years experience could become a SENCo, to be honest it's not a very attractive role- there's no guidance over pay, status in a school etc. I've heard that in primary it's more likely to be given to someone rather than someone passionate and experienced applying. I'm not sure how true that is but it would seem to reflect some of my experience.

I did a lot off my own back in terms of training and a lot of additional work to demonstrate I was ready to apply for a senco role. The training for me was useful but there was a lot I didn't learn. I am quite reflective so will learn in my own time and be proactive in my self development. That's clearly not a requirement of the role but I can't imagine surviving as a senco without the willingness to be continually reading, learning, reflecting and staying up to date with practice. When I started in post I asked the LA for a mentor of an experienced senco and asked to observe panels and decision making within the LA. They'd never had a request like that before and ultimately didn't know where to signpost me to.

Oh, I always go back to them regarding funding and always hold them to account!

No, not automatically (unless an EHCP).
A diagnosis is helpful, but it's not essential at all. The code of practice says we must be needs led, not diagnosis led. As an example, a child needs a wheelchair so we adapt, the exact diagnosis they have doesn't always mean anything to staff. However this same child may find support and community with a diagnosis if they can understand themselves better. I'd say the same is true for less visible needs.

What possible motivation would a school have to not apply for an ehcp for a child who had been on reduced timetable for disruptive/ aggressive behaviour for almost 2 years? Not my DC, but at my DCs school and his mum had to apply herself in the end (it was granted quickly, but the whole situation seemed ridiculous and I wondered if I was missing something!)

What possible motivation would a school have to not apply for an ehcp for a child who had been on reduced timetable for disruptive/ aggressive behaviour for almost 2 years? Not my DC, but at my DCs school and his mum had to apply herself in the end (it was granted quickly, but the whole situation seemed ridiculous and I wondered if I was missing something!)

What possible motivation would a school have to not apply for an ehcp for a child who had been on reduced timetable for disruptive/ aggressive behaviour for almost 2 years? Not my DC, but at my DCs school and his mum had to apply herself in the end (it was granted quickly, but the whole situation seemed ridiculous and I wondered if I was missing something!)

What possible motivation would a school have to not apply for an ehcp for a child who had been on reduced timetable for disruptive/ aggressive behaviour for almost 2 years? Not my DC, but at my DCs school and his mum had to apply herself in the end (it was granted quickly, but the whole situation seemed ridiculous and I wondered if I was missing something!)

What possible motivation would a school have to not apply for an ehcp for a child who had been on reduced timetable for disruptive/ aggressive behaviour for almost 2 years? Not my DC, but at my DCs school and his mum had to apply herself in the end (it was granted quickly, but the whole situation seemed ridiculous and I wondered if I was missing something!)

What possible motivation would a school have to not apply for an ehcp for a child who had been on reduced timetable for disruptive/ aggressive behaviour for almost 2 years? Not my DC, but at my DCs school and his mum had to apply herself in the end (it was granted quickly, but the whole situation seemed ridiculous and I wondered if I was missing something!)

My 5 year olds (year 1) school is between sencos. The new one starts next term. My son has suspected ADHD, struggles with transitions, impulse control and sensory overwhelm. It's hard, and as a parent I feel completely lost with what to do next and how to help him. Any suggestions? What should I be asking the SENCO when they start?

For a parent viewing new schools what would you say are signs of a good senco team and teachers who understand sen. What are the best questions to ask and indicators to look for?
Would starting a new school one year lower be better for a child who could benefit from catching up/improving confidence and self esteem academically?

Our current School said all the right lip service but we have found them really frustrating. They take my child's masking as a sign to forget the previous reasonable adjustments and the go ahead to put more pressure on. Till we are back to square one with ebsa. Just an endless cycle.

How do you push back on the LA when they act unlawfully and how do you support parents to push back? On a related note, have you ever supported a parent to pursue JR proceedings when the LA acts unlawfully?

Have you ever attended a SENDIST hearing as a witness? If so, has the LA ever offered you an incentive to present a picture that supports the LA’s case rather than be completely truthful?

Have you ever had a pupil who has moved on from your school to EOTAS/EOTIS?

Do you know the suspension rate for DC with SEN in your school? How does it compare to the suspension rate for the school overall?

That’s very helpful, thank you for taking the time to do this AMA. We’ve tried timetabled rest breaks but it’s more that he just gets exhausted by the day in day out routine of having to focus all day at school. I would like to be able to be responsive to what I’m seeing in him and judge when to give him a down day without worrying about attendance. He gets run down with burn out and we’ve had a few blue light trips to a&e with viral wheeze, almost always towards the end of term, which the consultant has linked to school fatigue. He loves school but says “it’s just too long”. I’ll have a chat with his class teacher and go from there.

Is the £200 million being proposed on training really the answer, DD works in a primary school and thinks it’s absolutely not

I'd like to as for help!

DS is in year 7. Has ADHD, lots of anxiety around school due to lots of detentions for behaviours consistent with ADHD profile. Not much support in place, school have been rubbish tbh and keep trotting out party lines that feel quite discriminatory we dont do leave early passes, movement breaks etc. lets just wait and see with the expectation is that he must meet a hard line for behaviour. I am meeting with the school tomorrow, what can I actually expect as reasonable adjustments?

If the school felt they could meet needs they might encourage parents or another professional to apply. Potentially senco capacity to complete it (I'm not saying this is right, but realistic) or if they saw behaviour rather than any SEN. It's hard to speculate without having full context.

No problem,
If you're noticing a pattern like that perhaps ask for attendance data to see if it reflects what you're thinking. I wonder if a journal to track things could support you building a picture if it was ever needed.

Short answer, no. Longer answer I've posted above :)

I'd start by asking what reasonable adjustments they are considering to support his needs. As a parent I'd be wondering about what skills need to be developed to reduce behaviour incidents, but also what can bring joy back into school. What excites him and gets him motivated? Can that be used to bring some happiness back into how he feels about school? Does he feel safe and secure and like he belongs? Has he got a trusted adult he can check out with at the end of the day to debrief?