SENCO
Coordinate special educational needs provision across a school, ensuring pupils with EHCPs and additional needs receive the right support to learn and thrive.
Low
Very high
Usually reached after 3–5 years of classroom teaching experience. The NPQSENCO/NASENCO is completed in-role over 1 year part-time. New SENCOs without the qualification have 3 years to complete it.
QTS is required. SENCOs in maintained schools must hold or be working towards the National Award for SEN Coordination (NASENCO), a Level 7 postgraduate qualification (60 credits, typically 1 year part-time). The DfE's new NPQ for SENCOs (NPQSENCO) is replacing the NASENCO from September 2024.
What you do
A Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) leads SEND provision across the school. You maintain the school's SEND register, coordinate Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) processes, oversee the deployment of teaching assistants, liaise with parents, external agencies (CAMHS, speech and language therapists, educational psychologists), and the local authority. You advise classroom teachers on adaptive teaching strategies and ensure the school meets its legal duties under the SEND Code of Practice. SENCOs are a statutory requirement in every maintained school.
Why this career is resilient
Every maintained school in England is legally required to appoint a SENCO, making this one of the most structurally secure roles in education. Demand is growing: EHCPs in England reached 575,000 in 2024, a 9% annual increase. Experienced SENCOs are in short supply and have strong negotiating power for pay and conditions. The National Award for SEN Coordination (NASENCO) is a nationally portable Level 7 qualification.
A typical day
A day includes reviewing an incoming EHCP annual review, meeting with a parent to discuss their child's support plan, observing a TA in a classroom, attending a multi-agency meeting with a social worker and CAMHS worker, and briefing the headteacher on a pupil with escalating needs.
Routes in
Employer-funded training
Some employers — particularly the NHS, emergency services, and larger care providers — run their own funded training programmes. You apply for a job and train as you work.
Pay and costs
Earning potential: SENCOs are paid on the main or upper teacher pay scale (£30,000–£49,084 in England 2024/25), often with a TLR (Teaching and Learning Responsibility) allowance of £3,000–£8,000+ depending on school size and responsibilities.
Training costs: NPQSENCO is fully funded by the DfE for eligible teachers in state-funded schools in England. No additional cost for most candidates in state sector.