How to become a SENCO

The special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) has day-to-day responsibility for the school's SEN policy and for coordinating support for pupils with special educational needs. The SEND Code of Practice says the SENCO should work with the headteacher and governing board as part of the school leadership team. In practice the role covers:

• Overseeing the identification of pupils with SEN and the graduated approach of assess, plan, do and review
• Coordinating provision for pupils with SEN, including those with education, health and care (EHC) plans
• Advising teachers and support staff and helping them meet pupils' needs
• Managing the school's SEN budget and resources, often alongside a team of teaching assistants
• Working with parents, educational psychologists, health and social care, and the local authority
• Preparing evidence for EHC needs assessments and leading annual reviews
• Keeping SEN records up to date and contributing to transition when pupils move schools

In a small primary school the SENCO may also be a class teacher or deputy head. In a large secondary school it is often a full-time leadership post with a team behind it.

Yes. The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 require the SENCO in a mainstream school to be a qualified teacher working at the school, or the headteacher or acting headteacher. The requirement applies to maintained schools, academies and free schools. Special schools aren't covered by the same statutory requirement, but most still look for an experienced qualified teacher.

From 1 September 2024 the government made the NPQ for SENCOs the mandatory qualification for new SENCOs, replacing the NASENCO award. The DfE's guidance on the mandatory requirements says SENCOs must gain the qualification within three years of starting the job. The NPQ is a leadership-level qualification taught by accredited providers, usually over about 18 months alongside your job.

You don't need to take the NPQ if you were appointed as a SENCO before 1 September 2009, or if you have already achieved the NASENCO. If you started the NASENCO under the old arrangements, check the DfE guidance on which qualification counts for you before enrolling on anything new.

There is no single route, but most SENCOs build experience in some of these ways:

1. Teach for several years and become confident with adaptive teaching for pupils with SEND.
2. Take on SEN responsibility, such as leading interventions, coordinating TAs or acting as an assistant SENCO.
3. Work in, or spend time in, a special school or resourced provision.
4. Lead annual reviews or contribute to EHC needs assessments.
5. Complete the NPQ for SENCOs, or plan to start it as soon as you're appointed.

Some SENCOs come from a specialist background, such as teaching pupils with hearing or visual impairment. Those posts need their own mandatory qualification and attract an SEN allowance.

SENCO pay depends on how the school structures the role. The 2026/27 national figures are set out in our pay scale pages, which are the single source of truth for pay on this site:

For what schools are advertising right now, see our SENCO salary guide, and use the teacher pay calculator to work out take-home pay.

Interviews usually include a panel, a data or case-study task and sometimes a meeting with parents or pupils. Expect questions such as:

• How would you make sure every teacher is responsible for pupils with SEN in their class?
• Talk us through how you'd prepare for and run an annual review.
• How would you decide whether to request an EHC needs assessment?
• How do you measure whether an intervention is working?
• How would you deploy teaching assistants to have the most impact?
• Tell us about a time you worked with a parent who disagreed with the school.
• How would you manage the SEN budget if funding was cut?
• What is your plan for completing the NPQ for SENCOs?