Teach Secondary -Issue 15.1

SENCos on the Edge In the first installment, of a two-part feature, Professor Geoff Baker , Craig Lomas and Angela Scott explain why the existing SENCo model simply isn’t working… T he role of the special educational needs co-ordinator has its roots in the 1993 Education Act and the first SEN Code of Practice published in 1994. While the education landscape has changed significantly since then, the core principles for supporting children and young people with learning difficulties have remained remarkably consistent. The original description of the SENCo’s role – as detailed in SEN Code of Practice, paragraph 6.7 – defined it as having responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the school’s SEN policy, and for co-ordinating provision for pupils with SEN. That word, ‘co-ordinating’, was central. The SENCo was intended to bring people and activities together, so that provision could work smoothly. In essence, the role was imagined as the person at the centre of a web of activity, empowering colleagues to make decisions, take ownership and work collectively toward a shared goal. However, the introduction of the SENCo role has had several unintended consequences, and in some respects, has never quite lived up to its promise. Dependency culture In this two-part article, our aim is to open up the conversation around what the SENCo role could be, helping schools rethink how the position can be understood and used. We want to bring together strategic, big-picture ideas with some practical suggestions that could make a real difference in day-to- day practice. Although the SENCO role is essential for promoting inclusive practice and meeting statutory expectations, the current model inmany schools is showing real signs of strain. These pressures aren’t caused by individual shortcomings, but by wider cultural and structural issues that are pulling the role away from its strategic purpose. One of the most persistent problems surrounding the role of the SENCo is a dependency culture that exists inmany organisations, where responsibility for pupils with SEND falls disproportionately on the SENCo. Instead of fostering distributed expertise and shared responsibility, schools have shifted ownership of SEND almost entirely onto their SENCos. Over the years, this has left some SENCos feeling professionally isolated and overwhelmed, while reducing the confidence, autonomy and problem-solving skills of the wider workforce. When teachers become less inclined to ‘own’ every learner in their class, the culture of critical thinking that underpins inclusive practice can be weakened. The end result is that the SENCo role can feel unsustainable, at a time when the capacity and confidence of classroom teachers is continuing to narrow: ultimately affecting the life chances of the 1.7 million children with SEND. Firefighting as the norm Research and school feedback suggests that teachers – who we knowwill often be juggling heavy workloads and lacking confidence in adaptive teaching – can start to view the SENCo as the primary, or even sole owner of SEND provision. This is unrealistic, unsustainable and risks detaching SEND from daily classroom practice. When SEND is treated as something ‘extra’, rather than as a whole-school priority, ownership quickly fades. As a consequence, teachers inmany cases may adopt a ‘referral’ mindset, rather than feel responsible for adapting their teaching in the first instance. This over-reliance on SENCo expertise also limits staff development. If the SENCo comes to be seen as ‘the SEND expert’, classroom teachers may invest less time in building their own understanding of areas such as autism spectrum conditions or speech and language needs. This can lead to a workforce that will often feel under- prepared, or lack the confidence needed to respond to classroom challenges. We should be aspiring to create truly inclusive classrooms that adapt to the needs of all learners. Confidence gaps run directly counter to this, resulting in lower expectations for certain pupils, increased reliance on TAs and missed opportunities for using adaptive strategies that may benefit all learners. If left unaddressed, inclusive practice can become inconsistent across the school over time. “Over-reliance onSENCo expertise limits staff development” 22 teachwire.net/secondary