NASENCO course

[indecisivewoman81]

Hello, I've just enrolled in the NASENCO course and wondered whether anyone else is in the same position and would like to join me? We could share advice/guidance and rant when it all gets too much!

Am feeling a bit overwhelmed at present as I have enrolled on the course online at the same time as starting a job as SENCO and some of it is so very new to me.

Hello, I have just enrolled too!
I've only had the orientation teams meeting so far and have the first teaching day next week. I am quite apprehensive, it's been well over 20 years since I had to do any proper academic study.

Oh my goodness, I just came on to start this thread!!
I've just received the reading list for the first of 3 modules and there's 26 books and 49 articles to read.
Are people really expected to read all this in a year on top of a full time, demanding job?
I'm panicking slightly now? Am I just a very slow reader?

Had teaching day 1 today. I'm not sure I'm cut out for being a SENCO. I feel so overwhelmed already.

It’s very hard. I’ve almost finished and ‘just’ have an eportfolio to complete. I might have failed my last written assignment though as, despite 18 months to do it in, it ended up being rushed in a few days. Not due to incompetence (I tell myself, optimistically!) but due to the pressures of the job and that life thing that gets in the way.
The course is interesting, but so unrelated to the main part of our job which I’m sure for all of us ends up being management of children, resources and staff not the high level strategic work that the course focuses on.
I do know more than when I started - so I’m not saying it’s useless. But the 30+ days of work spent on it so far would have been used well in school.
Perhaps different providers have a more helpful approach. Good luck.

I did it during my second year of the job and found it made lots more sense once I understood the job better and wouldn't recommend doing it in the first year!

I ended up doing the full Masters and definitely feel it's made me a better practitioner.

Really really hard job though. It's just fire fighting these days and you need nerves of steel.

Hello everyone; only just seen these replies!

I am about 2 weeks into the online course. I am studying via real training; is anyone doing similar? I havent seen a reading list yet but have had lots of mini tasks to complete (which seem to be taking me forever to do).

I think it's going to be an interesting course but I do worry about trying to fit it all in with a full time job and a family!!

Hi,

How did you find Real training? I've just signed up to it and am starting in 2 weeks. Very nervous about it as its all online and I tend to work better learning in person than from videos. But with the NASENCO ending I don't have much choice. I'm hoping to continue it through to the masters.

I completed and passed in October last year.

Honestly I found it hard going with my work load and my own children. And when it came to the big essays I had to stay away at my mums for the weekend to write them as I just couldn't concentrate at home (but that could just be me)

My tutor wasn't very proactive and I felt out of the loop a lot of the time. The message boards were good as was the online library resources they offer.

Good luck, I'm sure you will be fine. I also found a helpful Facebook group linked to my course year

In my experience, with Real Training the tutors engage with you as much as you want them to. If you build a relationship with them and keep in regular contact, you'll feel more comfortable about asking 'silly' questions and leaning on them when it feels like you'll never get through it.

Hi, had to make a new account as I couldn't find the password.
I'm due to finish in June and just haven't found it good at all. I've hated the fact it has tonnes of little tasks and then no real explanation of how to complete the masters assignments. I've found it more helpful to just read other submissions and figure out from those how to answer the assignment titles. Though I still have all 4 big assignments to complete. I just genuinely haven't been able to make the time to work on it at all! We've had lots of leadership and staff changes over the last year which has meant that i have had to pick up so many other jobs within my workplace (including leading and teaching a whole subject) that all of my evenings and weekends are spent working on that before I could touch the course as that is my day to day. When i first joined the course I planned out my time and deadlines due to having the time to do it but now it's been impossible. And I don't think i'll be able to defer due to the course not running anymore. I've asked my tutor her thoughts on whether I would be able to defer or not but haven't had a reply yet. I'm hoping I can... even if it's just a month or 2 as I can then use some of the summer holiday to focus without the pressure of having to prepare for work the next day.
I'm so stressed about how I'm going to get it all finished in time. My mental health takes a huge drop everytime I even look at the real training page now... especially with the % of course completion... Final submission date is June 24th and I've only done 51% of the course so far.

If I recall correctly a deferral would take you into the first week in January 2026. The tutors are not teaching the course so a deferral might be possibility. It is worth pursuing in my opinion.