The School Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) Guide

SENCO stands for Special Educational Needs Coordinator.

A SENCO is a staff member at a school or educational setting who is responsible for overseeing provision for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The key roles and responsibilities of a SENCO include:

• Coordinating support and education plans for students with SEND
• Liaising with parents of children with SEND
• Advising fellow teachers on SEND best practices and strategies
• Managing teaching assistants and support staff
• Overseeing implementation of the SEND policy
• Monitoring effectiveness of SEND provisions
• Maintaining accurate SEND records
• Referring students for specialised assessments when needed
• Staying up to date on SEND developments and training
• The SENCO plays a critical role in ensuring students with special needs are identified, assessed, supported, and progressing effectively alongside their peers. They oversee SEND provision at an operational level within the educational setting.

Contents

• Policies and legislation
• The Role of SENCO
• Graduated approach to inclusion
• Graduated approach to inclusion for early years
• Four broad areas of need
• SENCO news updates and joint SENCO briefing slides
• Working with parents
• Applying for a statutory assessment
• Transitions 
• Person Centred Planning
• Secondary network meetings
• SENCO videos
• SEND Teams

Plymouth's Local Offer is organised into four main categories covering the following age ranges:

• Early years (0 to 5 years old)
• Primary (5 to 11 years old)
• Secondary (11 to 18 years old)
• Preparing for adulthood

 Plymouth Local Offer homepage

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