Advice wanted on moving into a SENCO role

[PinoPinguino]

Hi,I am a qualified teacher with strong SEND experience across a range of educational contexts i.e mainstream, specialist secondary and FE. I have some questions that you may be able to help with and I look forward to hearing all of your responses.

Firstly, I am interested in becoming a SENCO. Whilst I teach SEND students and have tons of teaching experience, I don't have the opportunity to shadow any SENCO's. I have completed relevant CPD and qualifications for this role but I do not have the NPQ for SENCO or NASENCO.I have applied for a few roles this year such as SENCO, Deputy/Assistant SENCO and have not always been shortlisted for interview.
When I have been shortlisted for interview, I have been unsuccessful.

Feedback has been around offering the job to someone who is a better fit for the team, or they want someone to immediately run with things and focus less on developing provision or the role has been offered to someone already doing the role. Am I wasting my time?

Secondly, I am waiting to hear if I have been shortlisted for another position and the closing date was early-mid August. The role was readvertised but I didn't apply the first time around. The setting sound like they are keen to appoint as noone is currently in post. However, although I do not meet the essential qualification criteria, I have completed a different qual at a similar level with some crossover/relevance.

How likely is it that I will secure an interview if my application highlights competence/experience? How long would you leave it before you chase up?I'd really appreciate your thoughts.

Finally, I'd like to add I've sat in on several EHCP reviews and have substantial experience dealing with parents of SEND young people. In addition I am familiar with the NPQ for SENCO framework, hence why I know there is some crossover with my postgraduate qualifications.

I’m a qualified and experienced SENCO - I’ve been working in this roll at my current school for 10+ years. There aren’t many SENCO jobs advertised where I am but I’ve been short listed and interviewed for the 4 I’ve applied for in that time.

Without fail, each time the role has gone to someone already on staff, even if they aren’t qualified or as experienced as me. My feedback has always been “you were excellent, we just decided to go with someone already working here”.

I think so much of the SENCO roll is about working with the students and their families, as well as working within each school’s unique character/experience/catchment/mentality that often, it feels like going for someone who already knows the above is better for the school - even if the school will need to invest in training and qualification.

One day, I hope to find the school that really is ready to be brave and take a chance on someone new… and I hope you find a school to do the same. I don’t think either of us are wasting our time, but, the combination of “dead man’s shoes” AND understandable nervousness on the part of schools means we may be looking a lot longer than other rolls!

This is a really insightful post. Thank you so much for this.

Hi,
How would I get around this? Would you recommend I apply for a role a school would be more likely to hire me for and hope a senco vacancy arises?

I’d probably go for finding the right school, and making it clear there that SENCO/SEND provision is the direction you want to move to - All the SENCOs I’m in touch with locally have either started the roll in the school they are at or have moved around the same trust locally.

I know of one assistant SENCO who was hired despite her having no SENCO experience but a lot of willingness. She’s found it really hard as both SLT and other staff expect her to know it all already - which isn’t realistic or fair… but she was cheap(er), and probably reflects the pressures in schools accurately.

I know a number of schools locally that have a named SENCO as a member of SLT but an assistant SENCO (paid abysmally on the support staff grade) who do most of the day to day work - don’t touch those “opportunities” with a barge pole, no matter how much you want to move in to being a SENCO. You simply get all the responsibility and accountability but no power to make meaningful changes.

Any other SENCOs want to chip in? Maybe I’m just in a very “unique” area in terms of SENCO roles!

Also, I’ve just realised how much I’ve written “roll” instead of “role” in my above posts. Mortifying.

Yes, I have secured some interviews falling into the aforementioned category, but luckily I think I give off a certain vibe which means I wouldn't be agreeable!

I agree entirely with this perspective and might have to change strategy slightly just to get into the right school. I have considered this but wondered if it could be risky given that I've known some staff to be in the same role for 10 years+.

Also, I've noticed that many roles in SEND are now at support staff payscales. I understand why schools do this, but my concern is that cost becomes more important than quality. Not only that, it makes assumptions about SEND children, categorising them into low ability when we know this simply isn't true. It also implies behaviour management is required and expensive staff can be better utilised elsewhere. But SEND children deserve a quality experience too, but this might look different.

Thanks for your perspective. I honestly don't know what to do!

Anyone can make a mistake, it's how we learn from it that makes the difference.

Hi,
Another question, what sort of role would you recommend I apply for? A subject teacher? I had considered this, but I thought it might be better to apply for a role teaching SEND in mainstream. For example, within a specialist hub. However, many of these roles are currenrly filled by unqualified staff. I will definitely search around for the right role in the right school, but so far this has proved fruitless.

But it will shortly be the start of a new academic year and hopefully schools will know more about what changes are required as a result of the SEND reforms. So I am hoping there will be some new opportunities.

Thanks so much for your input, it's been great to hear another perspective.

I’m Aspiring Sendco and I have done my NPQSENDCO. Why don’t you do the qualification?

I’d meet with the HT and ask for opportunities and if they would support the qualification. What is your current role? how long have you been teaching?

it really depends on current set up and your lersonal
morivation for becoming a Sendco. There is a huge ofsted focus on send reform And qualified Sendco are a necessity. LSA are essential but should they be the main educators of SEND students? What do teaching think about SEND?

aspiring sendco support the sendco and I get 2 hours to do this and 2k per year. I have a year group as my work load and do all the APDR for non EHCP and the this 50% of my work load and the other is lot of other things.

The other thing is to find out from the LA if there is a new and aspiring Sendco course they run and if you can join or get contacts to network meetings. Again it depends on the set up.

The NPQ also need an implementation plan to implement a new initiative and evaluate the impact. So again more experience.

I’ve been teaching 22 years and loved the course some much - it was breath of fresh air!

What can you bring to the table? for my interview I had to do a presentation on what makes a good Sendco and the this was really interesting and I I still reflect on it now so it may be worth while having a look at that. There are so many people that you need to relate to.

Hi,
Thanks for your thoughts. Really interesting! Unfortunately, I don't work in a context that would support me doing the SENCO qualification, so I need to find one that would.

I am clear on my motivations for applying, I just need to move into the right setting. Thanks for the insight.

The DfE are funding NPQ SENDCO through Best Practice at the minute. All your workplace would need to do is agree and cover you on the face-to-face days (I think it is 4) so it is worth exploring this.

Hi thanks,
Yes I am aware...one of the modules is about monitoring the effectiveness of interventions. My line manager also needs to sign to say my workplace will support me with this training. I know my manager wouldn't do this, but I can ask. I did check this with my chosen DFE funding provider and it is a pre-requisite of the course. You have to have permission from your workplace and your line manager has to sign permission for you to attend.
But thanks for your input.

If you work in a school as a teacher you could simply set up a subject intervention for SEND and evaluate that.

It doesn’t have to be your line manager it can be anyone in the school but the head has to be agreeable.

My experience of the course is it isn’t that deep and you don’t have to tick fully every box- there are ways to circumvent obstacles.

Hi,

Thank you for your perspective. I work in a context where they would not support me in this. I do not work in a school, but I do teach SEND young people. It's hard to explain without giving more detail, but there is an interesting organisational culture and structure which doesn't quite work for me!

All the usual qualifications you would expect an educational context to support doesn't go down well in my context. There are strict internal rules around the roles and subsequent quals/training that my setting will support. There is also a bigger picture around internal politics.

Personally, I don't get it. It's not like there would be a financial cost if I am eligible for funding. But it is one of several reasons for me looking elsewhere.

In case it helps, I am pretty sure it is your headteacher who has to sign-off the form. Because this qualification is now mandatory for SENCos in mainstream schools, academies, and free schools, you would ideally have this qualification or be working towards this when applying for SENCo jobs. If your work won’t support the NPQ then you could consider applying for jobs as a SEN specialist teacher or Deputy SENCo for example in a mainstream school, then work up to SENCo from there.

Thanks for the advice. That's kinda where I'm at with things. It's great that you have all confirned what I had suspected. It's been really useful gaining all of your interesting perspectives. Thank you everyone!

Good luck with this.
My 2ps worth is to say make sure you know what you are getting yourself into. Probably the hardest job in education if a school has lots of high needs.
My partner has just got out of being SENDCO as the job has become untenable.
That being stated, if you get the right school with great support, I’m sure it would be very rewarding.

Hi,
Thank you for this really pertinent point. It's a really important considetation. That's why I've been finding the job search so difficult. Firstly, there is a lack of local vacancies and secondly the roles I have applied for have probably not been quite right for me. It is a serious concern of mine having worked in many settings with a blame culture.
It's exactly why I see any rejection as a blessing/learning point.

This. I'm a SENCO in such a school and I'm despairing. It just keeps on getting harder. 55-60 hour working week and still not getting everything done. Constant thoughts of wondering what I've missed and which plate I've dropped - and for what it's worth I'm viewed as organised and efficient. I've worked today as usual but I'm damned if I'll work on a Sunday even if it would chip away at more of my endless list of tasks. Be very careful of what you wish for.

Thanks for your reply. I'm genuinely sorry to hear this. You have raised a really important point and it is one I have to think about very carefully.

Thus far, I have seen so many different variations of the SENCO role as well as expectations of what the role involves that it is making the job search an interesting one and not very straightforward.

Without going into too much detail, having had previous experience around the issue you have raised, it's crucial I move into the right setting. To address this, I have come up with a list of questions to ask during interview that I hope would be answered honestly.

Sometimes some roles in education get forgotten about when considering the wellbeing of staff. Being a SENCO is one of them as usually it's a role teachers go into to do the right thing, often attracting someone very caring. It takes a particular type of person to do the role which can be thankless.

What do you think should be key questions to ask at interview that would indicate whether the setting is right for me?

My key question would be about the teaching commitment. However it's a pointless question to ask as things change over time. I started with a day and a half cover in two different classes. Due to budget and needs of children changing I now teach every morning and cover half of lunchtime and am responsible for the planning and resourcing for that class in the afternoons as well as displays/ parent meetings / etc. And across school we went from two children with EHCPs to fifteen children.
And things change in your home life too, when I started this job my parents and DH's parent were in good health, now they're older and aren't so that's a significant strain/ guilt feeling as I can't give them the time I want to. If you have or have children they go through needing you to different degrees.
The job is a constant juggle of stretching insufficient resources and saying no to people because of this and asking your colleagues, who are already working hard, to do more. And lots of chasing of both parents and colleagues for completed paperwork or signatures on forms.
So my most useful key question would be do you really want this.

I really appreciate your honesty. I guess I would be looking for a school which has an assistant and/or admin person. It sounds as though you are stretched very thinly. May I ask if you are in primary or secondary?
Although going from 2 to 15 children with EHCPs is a big jump, I am used to contexts with hundreds.

You are quite right about asking questions around teaching commitnents, though I have found from interview to starting a job that things are fluid and do not always accurately reflect conversations had at the time.

I very much appreciate your reflections. I know it's no easy task. I have had to take career breaks in the past due to family circumstances as some contexts are not supportive and I recognise that constant heart/mind pull.

Primary. Only 15 EHCPs but lots and lots of children on the steps before that who need support without additional funding in classes where there is only sometimes a TA.
I did twenty years working in specialist provision (broad spectrum so PMLD, SLD, MLD & ASC.). So I'm very used to high levels of need. In specialist provision you're part of a team who really want to work with pupils with additional needs. In a mainstream school there is only one SENCO.

Thanks for your reply. Yes it's those emerging needs that are often the most challenging to meet.
I will take some time to reflect on your comments and consider what must haves need to be in place for me to consider applying for a SENCO role.

I had this firmly in mind when I saw a recent post advertised. I scanned through the job description and person specification and decided to give this one a miss...
It was for a part time senco who can cover classes when needed but can also go over and above by doing extra hours/days in line with organisational requirements.
Isn't that a full time role for a part time salary?