Could I be a SENCO?

[mag2305]

I'm a qualified primary school teacher looking for a part time position in a school. I've just come across an advert for a SENCO for 1 day a week which would be perfect as I have a baby and toddler. However, I noticed that it said, must have a SENCO qualification. Is it still worth applying even though I don't have this qualification? Can it be done alongside the job?

I did the SENCO award around 4 years ago whilst in role. It was an awful lot of work (100 hours + on weekends/holidays as well as the course days I had to attend) but not particularly difficult. A lot of SENCO job adverts stipulate you can undertake the degree on the job. You can work as a SENCO for I think 3 years before you need to have completed it. It costs the school aroonf £2000.

@Plotato thank you. That's interesting. So that could potentially be quite a bit of extra study and work. Hmm, not sure if that would be possible with my baby and toddler. It's the one day a week bit that got me interested

Honestly if have felt quite aggrieved at only getting paid one day a week to do all that work - I was FT at the time but it was before I had my children. I'm sure the role must be possible to do in one day or they'd not have advertised it but I don't know how it would work for meetings with agencies and families - we had termly funding meetings for our family of schools for example on a set day.

A senco role is not one day a week job and is a role that’s impossible to do well in one day a week (I talk from experience on this one!!).

I imagine you’ll be doing a lot of work in your own time. At the most basic level, many emails etc cannot wait a whole week to be read and responded to so you’d be on your work email every day and responding to urgent issues in your own time….

The NASENCo qualification is compulsory, but many people take on the role and start the training asap. Real Training have 3 or 4 intakes a year and the course takes 12 months. It is at Masters level and takes a considerable amount of work.

I would contact the school and ask if they will consider you on the basis that you will start the NASENCo, and check whether they will fund the course. I suspect that they are hoping to attract someone who already holds the qualification but is working part time in another school.

@ScarletLake

A senco role is not one day a week job and is a role that’s impossible to do well in one day a week (I talk from experience on this one!!).

I imagine you’ll be doing a lot of work in your own time. At the most basic level, many emails etc cannot wait a whole week to be read and responded to so you’d be on your work email every day and responding to urgent issues in your own time….

I wonder if there are very few ehcps though? If all the systems are in place they might just want to use you for annual reviews? I can't imagine though how realistically you could do it in one day. The firefighting aspect of the job is daily for starters.

I would be very, very sceptical of a school which felt they only need a SENCO one day a week.

Me too re being sceptical. Even if it is a small school, 0.5 or 0.6 is much more realistic. Larger schools have full time sencos and even senco teams.
It’s a great (if intense) job though!!