The SENCO Role: What Your School's SEN Coordinator Must Do

Every maintained mainstream school in England must have a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator. Not every parent knows what a SENCO is actually required to do, how much bandwidth they realistically have, or how to work with them productively when things are difficult. This post covers all three.

What the SENCO Is Required to Be

The SENCO must be a qualified teacher. That is a legal requirement, not a preference. In maintained schools and academies, the role cannot be filled by a teaching assistant, a learning support manager, or an administrator, regardless of how capable they are in practice.

If someone is newly appointed as SENCO, they must achieve the National Award in Special Educational Needs Co-ordination — a postgraduate qualification — within three years of appointment. In many schools, the SENCO is also a member of the senior leadership team, though this is not a legal requirement.

What the SENCO Is Responsible For

The SEND Code of Practice sets out the SENCO's responsibilities clearly. They are the school's strategic lead for special educational needs and disabilities. Their responsibilities include:

Overseeing the SEND policy and its day-to-day operation. The SENCO does not typically deliver direct teaching support themselves — that is the class teacher's responsibility. Instead, they advise, coordinate, and monitor.

Supporting the implementation of the graduated approach. The Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle for every pupil receiving SEN Support is coordinated by the SENCO. They ensure reviews happen on time, that progress data is being collected, and that interventions are adapted based on evidence.

Liaising with external professionals. When a child's needs require input from an Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapist, Occupational Therapist, or other specialist, the SENCO is the coordination point. They manage referrals, share reports, and translate specialist recommendations into school-based provision.

Advising and supporting class teachers. Class teachers retain primary responsibility for pupils with SEND — the SENCO supports them with strategies, training, and expertise rather than taking over the responsibility.

Contributing to EHC needs assessments and annual reviews. When a child is going through a statutory assessment or has an existing EHCP, the SENCO writes the school's contribution, coordinates professional input, and attends review meetings.

Maintaining records. The SENCO keeps the school's SEN register and the records of provision for each child, including provision maps and APDR documentation.

The Gap Between What the Role Requires and Reality

Here is the honest version: SENCOs are frequently overstretched to the point where the role cannot function as intended.

Many SENCOs manage 50 or more pupils with identified SEND while simultaneously covering a teaching timetable, managing staff, handling parental queries, chasing external agency referrals, and completing the administrative load of annual reviews and statutory assessment contributions. The 2023 research by the Education Policy Institute and others has consistently documented that SENCOs are one of the most under-resourced and over-burdened roles in English education.

A good SENCO who wants to advocate for your child may genuinely be unable to give their full attention to your case because they are managing dozens of others in crisis simultaneously. This is not always a sign of bad faith — it is a systemic resourcing problem.

That said, a SENCO who consistently fails to hold review meetings, who cannot produce a provision map when asked, or who repeatedly misses their own response deadlines is a different problem. You have the right to expect the statutory processes to be followed.

How to Work With Your SENCO Effectively

The most productive approach is to treat the SENCO as a potential ally within a system that is under-resourced, rather than as an adversary. They will respond better to a parent who comes prepared with specific questions and documented evidence than to one who arrives frustrated and making general accusations.

Before any meeting with the SENCO, prepare:

• A written summary of your specific concerns, with dates and concrete examples
• Any written evidence you have: school reports, professional assessments, examples of work
• Specific questions: What interventions are currently in place? What are the targets? When was the last APDR review? What is the next review date?

Ask for a provision map in writing if you haven't seen one. Request that meeting outcomes are confirmed in writing within a set timeframe.

If the SENCO's responses are consistently vague, unresponsive, or contradictory, escalate to the headteacher. If that doesn't move things forward, SENDIASS or IPSEA can advise on formal next steps.

The England EHCP & SEN Blueprint includes meeting preparation checklists and communication templates designed to make every SENCO interaction more productive — including scripts for asking the right questions and requesting the right documentation.

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