Senco salary?

[Neolara]

I have an interview for a SENCo job in a secondary academy. I'm in what I imagine is a fairly unusual position in that I taught for 3 years a VERY long time ago, but then worked as an educational psychologist for 5 years. I then stayed at home for over 10 years looking after kids but did lots of voluntary work in education.

If I get offered the job, do you think I suggest that my years as an ed psych should count towards pay points? In reality, its this experience that is going to allow me to do the job, not my teaching experience. They are also offering tlr 1.

Senco is going to be a fair bit less the Ed psych pay, and is excruciatingly difficult. I’m not sure why you’d do it to be honest.

They are going to want you as cheaply as they can get you. However, your EP skills may well prompt them to pay you at a higher scale.

I suspect your Ed psych exp will be really valued by them if they Are truly a school that’s good with SEND. That said, there is fuck all money in the system and they will want to pay you as little as possible!

You will be mps3 + a tlr . Im out of date but guessing around 30k?

I think youre nuts jumping back into teaching when you can do ed psych though. Will it be mainly teaching?

But even your Ed psych experience is a decade out of date...

If you want the job I’d take it with whatever pay they offer you and see it as a way back in. You’re being employed as a teacher with SenCo responsibilities, not as an EdPsych who can do a bit of teaching.

Why wouldn't you go back into EP work? There's a huge shortage.

Thanks for all your comments. I didn't get the job so salary no longer an issue. Rethinking my options and may decide to go back to being an EP but not really that keen. Being an EP has lots of frustrations, mainly around having limited impact. It seems to me that it is very difficult for teachers to do things substantially different for individual children because systems in schools tend to have limited room for manoeuvre. So if you want to make things different for kids, you really have to change the systems and as an ep you rarely get to do this. That was the appeal of being a SENCo over an ep. Am surprised by how disappointed I am not to have got the job. Its bloody difficult trying to get back to work after an extended career break. It's not just finding someone to give me a job, it's working out what's going to be interesting and where I can be most useful.

Have you considered working in a special school? I had considered training to be an EP but after spending a year with them I realised teaching in a special school was what I really wanted to do. I found there was more scope to make the classroom and curriculum fit the child rather than the other way round.

Why not do some agency work to improve your chances? Teaching Personnel for example

I'm a secondary SENCO. I think it's the most interesting/rewarding job you can have in a school. If I was a headteacher I'd be all over having an Ed psych as a senco. There is a huge lack of specialist expertise in schools as there is no longer any money to buy in services so sen isn't being identified and provided for effectively. A senco who can assess/understand the ehcp system etc would be worth their weight in gold.

Just to add schools pay £500 per half day of Ed psych hours. You'd be saving them so much money so should be paid accordingly. Feel free to dm me.

It depends on your role and responsibilities. I would imagine that you would only have time to do the SENCO role and will still need to call on the services of an Ed Psych.

langkaw
I think that varies depending on where you are. Where I am, it's certainly not that much.

If you are working as senco you would definitely need to call on Ed psych as we are a mandatory HCPC registered profession. Unless you get registered.

I know an EP working privately & earning very good money for 2/3 days a week. You could earn more doing this than working full time as a SENCo. Full time local authority EP I know is on 58k in London.

Really appreciate everyone's suggestions and thoughts. Thanks. I somewhat reluctantly started the process of registering as a psychologist earlier in the year. (Reluctant for the reasons I described above, but mostly around lack of impact). It involves 60 days of a mix of study / supervised practice , so not too arduous. But a job came up in something linked to the voluntary work I'd done for the last few years and had the potential to huge of impact. However, the job has proved to be a bit of a disaster for reasons completely beyond my control and I'm having to rethink everything. Maybe requalifying would give me more options. It would certainly be more interesting and better paid than what I'm currently doing but would involve a long commute. So difficult trying to balance interest, childcare, sense of purpose.

neo
I am an Ed psych at quite a senior level. I disagree with your "lack of impact" judgement on EPs. Don't forget you were in the early years of your career. I have now been directly influential in coordinating a pathway work heading up a multiagency team, influencing LA policy in my specialist area, and absolutely via training and dissemination working to change opinions and practice in my local area. I do of course still work at individual level too, but it's not representative to say that EPs have no impact. We have an impact on the individual, systemic and LA level which increases as your reputation and specialism is developed.

Floating - really interesting to hear your perspective. Are you a senior or a pep? Where I worked previously, as a main grade ep there was very limited opportunity to do any kind of systemic work other than inset. It's good to hear you feel your experience is different. I suppose I always felt that the teachers needed more frequent contact to keep agreed strategies / interventions on track. But I was the EP for 30 to 35 schools at any one time, so this was difficult to deliver. Out of interest, do you know anyone who has returned to the profession after 10+ years? If so, has it worked out?

Hi Neo
I am not a senior or pep, I am a Senior Practitioner (3 spa points) in a large service where our structure for maingrade EPs isn't completely flat unless you move into management; we have specialist roles for the 3 spa pointers where one person leads the direction and narrative of the service in a particular area, eg SEMH or autism. You need a big service for that of course. 30 schools is ridiculous.

I haven't known anyone return after as long as10 years but lots of LAs/ EP companies employ "associates" which is like a supply bank and that might be a good way back in, albeit that work is a bit dull as it tends to be mostly completing statutory assessments. However it'd be a good way to get up to date experience.

Op . I am a parent with a child with Sen. I would say the Ed psych has made far more impact on my ds’s education than Senco who seem to follow the minimum other professionals recommend. I think my Ds would be perceived very differently without ep

You will be mps3 + a tlr.Im out of date but guessing around 30k?

No TLR here and I’m on UPS, so it’s about £39k.

Op. I am a parent with a child with Sen. I would say the Ed psych has made far more impact on my ds’s education than Senco who seem to follow the minimum other professionals recommend. I think my Ds would be perceived very differently without ep

They are totally different jobs though.