Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO)

Purpose:

• Strategic development of the school's Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision and oversight of the day-to-day operation of that policy with the aim of raising SEN pupil achievement.

Areas of Responsibility And Key Tasks: 

• Put provisions in place to ensure that progress of pupils with SEN improves relative to those without SEN.
• Ensure that the school carries out its statutory responsibilities regarding all students with a Statement of Special Educational Needs.
• Support all staff in understanding the needs of SEN pupils.
• Support departmental developments of SEN provision.
• Monitor progress towards targets for pupils with SEN.
• Liaise with the School Psychologist regarding pupils with SEN and their parents/guardians.
• Liaise with staff, parents, external agencies and other schools to co-ordinate their contribution, provide maximum support and ensure continuity of provision.

Teaching And Learning:

• Support the identification of and disseminate the most effective teaching approaches for individual pupils with SEN.
• Collect and interpret specialist assessment data to inform practice.
• Undertake day-to-day co-ordination of SEN pupils' provisions through close liaison with staff, parents and external agencies.
• Work with Principals, teachers, key stage coordinators and pastoral staff to ensure all pupils learning is of equal importance and that there are high and realistic expectations of pupils.
• Monitor the progress of SEND students and ensure that actions taken have a positive impact on the progress of SEND students so that it is good or better.

Leading And Managing:

• Provide professional guidance to staff to secure good teaching for SEN pupils, through both written guidance and meetings
• Lead on the performance management process for SEN teachers and Support Assistants
• Advise on and contribute to the professional development of staff, including whole school INSET provision
• Provide regular information to the school principal on the evaluation of SEN provision

Effective Deployment Of Staff And Resources:

• Advise the head teacher and governing body of priorities for deployment of staff, and utilize resources with maximum efficiency
• Maintain and develop resources, co-ordinate their deployment and monitor their effectiveness in meeting the objectives of school and SEN policies
• Work with external agencies to maximize resources made available.

The SENCo is expected to have knowledge and understanding of:

• The characteristics of effective teaching and learning styles, including the main strategies for improving and sustaining high standards of student achievement and how those strategies can be used to support students with SEND.
• How information and communication technology can be used to help students gain access to the curriculum, as an aid to teaching and learning and as a means of communication between those teaching students with SEND.
• Relevant research, national inspection evidence and legislation, including the SEND Code of Practice and equal opportunities legislation and how these apply to students with statements as well as those without.
• The requirements to communicate information effectively to LAs, external agencies, parents and other schools on transfer.
• How to contribute to the professional development of other staff in relationto students with SEND; including how to recognize and deal with stereotyping in relation to disability or race.
• The purpose of individual education plans, including leading their formulation and planning their implementation and review.