Support for SEN in schools

The Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) is responsible for the arrangements in the school / setting for children with SEN and / or disabilities.

The SENCO is responsible for:

• making sure all practitioners in the school / setting understand their responsibilities to children with SEN, and their approach to identifying and meeting special educational needs
• co-ordinating support for children with SEN
• advising and supporting colleagues
• overseeing the day-to-day operation of the school's SEN policy
• helping to identify children with special educational needs
• making sure parents are closely involved, and their insights inform the actions taken by the school / setting
• working with other providers, outside agencies, educational psychologists and external agencies, particularly for children getting support
• making sure that the school keeps the records of all pupils with SEN up-to-date
• helping to plan for children with SEN to transfer between early years and schools

Contacting your child's SENCO

If you feel that your child is not making the expected progress, you should discuss this with their teacher and / or the school SENCO initially.

The SENCO may observe your child, discuss progress with other staff, and look through their records to identify any areas of need.

You can ask for a meeting with the SENCO and teacher to discuss any concerns and observations you have.

If it is felt that a SEN Support Plan is necessary, this will be discussed with you.

You will meet regularly with the SENCO. This is usually once a term, but may be more or less often, depending on the needs of your child, and what support and strategies are being used.

You can request a meeting with the SENCO at any time, but you should be mindful that most SENCOs are required to carry out teaching duties and may not always be available straight away.

It is a good idea to check with the school / setting the best way of getting in contact with the SENCO, and what the response time is expected to be.

SENCO support in schools / settings

• Mainstream schools / settings
  All mainstream schools / settings must have a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) who is a qualified teacher.
• Nurseries
  A maintained nursery must make sure that there is a qualified teacher designated SENCO to make sure there is support for children with SEN. The SENCO should have the qualification for SEN co-ordination, or relevant experience.
• Childminders
  For accredited childminders who are registered with a childminder agency, or who are part of an approved network, the SENCO role may be shared between childminders and the agency or coordinator of the network. Early years providers should also have a SEN policy which should include the name of the SENCO.