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Unveiling the Role of a SENCO: Following the Career Journey of a SEND Professional

By Richard Shorrock & Nicole Sherwood

In this blog, you will learn:

• The many roles and responsibilities of a SENCO.
• Valuable lessons to keep up to date in the SEND industry as a SENCO.
• How to find and apply for the best SENCO jobs .

Considering a career as a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENCO), but unsure about the different challenges and responsibilities that come with the role? In this interview we unveiled the role and career journey of SENCO Abbie Simmonds who shared some valuable career tips and advice.

Abbie has worked as a qualified Teacher for over 15 years and began her career in a mainstream school. After realising that she really wanted to support children and young people with SEND in their education journey, Abbie made the decision to move to a specialist school and hasn’t looked back since.

Abbie has been a SENCO since 2021, and has also worked as an established Headteacher , helping to lay the foundations of a new independent special school. Abbie holds an National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership (NPQSL) and a National Award for SEN Coordination (NASENCo).

With plans to return to senior leadership roles, Abbie is hopeful that she can continue to make an impact in the education and SEND sector. 

Tell us about your career journey so far

I started as an English Teacher back in 2008 and found myself on a rapid career journey to Head of Drama by the end of my year as a Newly Qualified Teacher. As the years passed I realised that whilst I enjoyed my subject, my real interest was in making education accessible and enjoyable for all, particularly those displaying challenging behaviour.

I made the move into specialist schools full time in 2014. I supported a whole range of young people from KS2 to KS5 and learnt so much about disabilities and additional needs and how to support them in education.

I also began to do more at a whole school level, introducing new assessment systems and curricula, monitoring and tracking, and supporting child protection cases, whole school training and contributing to school improvement plans. I love problem solving and identifying issues or areas for development in systems and processes.

Tell me about the different roles you’ve had in your career

Learning more about the SEN system from the inside eventually led towards me becoming a SENCO. I recognised my ability to identify issues, find solutions as well as explain and simplify complex legal, diagnostic and education processes. 

I gained my NASENCo after having been in post for a few terms, giving me a deeper, academic understanding of the complexities of disability, equality and inclusion.

In 2023, I was offered a position as the establishing Headteacher for a new independent special school run by a small company. I worked with two education consultants to develop all the necessary policies, procedures and curricula to enable us to successfully pass a pre-registration Ofsted inspection in the autumn of that year.

Although I ultimately made the choice to part ways with the company, I learnt an enormous amount and gained invaluable insight into the independent sector and local authority processes. I learnt how to build a school from scratch, from uniform to behaviour, teaching and learning approaches to therapists and Teachers.

It was a really wonderful experience to see a school emerge from nothing and I gained a thorough understanding of school standards and how to meet them. 

It also reinforced my commitment to working for equality, inclusion and compassion in education. In 2024, I returned to a SENCO position on an interim contract to put my skills to good use.

What does your role as an interim SENCO consist of?

A SENCO’s role is incredibly varied and I consider it to be one of community and vision building. Put simply, I am responsible for the operational and strategic management of SEND provision across the school.

I am usually the most experienced SEN professional in the school and as such it’s my job to set the tone for inclusion, challenge where I see exclusion or inequality and to promote acceptance of and empowerment for all students with disabilities or additional needs.

From an operational standpoint, I manage the development and deployment of Teaching Assistants , manage interventions and identify special needs through assessment and data analysis. I also coordinate interventions for pupils, complete referrals, and write and manage education, health and care plans.

Strategically, I support the wider management team to ensure that the school is inclusive. This involves contributing to whole school improvement plans, working with middle leaders to develop inclusive practice and regular communication with the local authority special needs team.

On top of all of this, there are regular administration jobs such as updating central records, filing new reports on individual students and access arrangements for exams. 

Finally, there’s actually teaching lessons and supporting young people when they are struggling alongside any personal training or development I need to undertake!

What does a typical day look like for you?

I get to work an hour before school starts to set myself up for the day. I fill in a briefing document to update my support team on the business of the day. This includes checking in with my assistant SENCO who manages the Teaching Assistant timetable, factoring in any staff absences and covering where necessary.

During tutor time, I often have scheduled parent meetings but if not I check my emails, update any admin jobs or work directly with students who need additional support to help settle them in for the day. 

On a typical day I would be teaching for two or three lessons and the rest of the school day is taken up by learning walks, assessing students, management meetings or completing paperwork.

At the moment I have several Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) applications each of which take around 3 days to write. It can be challenging to find the time, alongside problem solving for students who may be emotionally dysregulated. 

I meet with support staff at the end of the day to make sure everyone is ok and to address any problems that have arisen. Then there are curriculum meetings, staff training and pastoral meetings to attend, and the continuation of paperwork.

The paperwork can seem endless at times, but (much to my own surprise) I get a lot of satisfaction from a completed application or a spruced up spreadsheet! 

I deal with an enormous amount of data and I am responsible for ensuring that others can navigate the relevant bits with ease. After school, when there are no new teenage dramas, is the best time to tackle the admin!

How do you keep up-to-date with changes in the SEND industry?

There’s a lot of noise in the SEND industry including endless adverts promising amazing improvements in learning and academic research and news reports and updates to keep on top of from official bodies and local authorities.

It’s important to choose your information channels carefully and to not be swayed by slick advertising or overly optimistic small scale research. I find the NASEN to be an invaluable resource for keeping up-to-date with key updates and I am signed up to the gov.uk for key governmental releases.

As a secondary SENCO I need to keep up to date with the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) access arrangements, so I am also signed up to the Professional Association of Teachers of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties (PATOSS) for the latest news. 

It’s important to be in touch with your local special needs team and SENCO forums. I make an effort to forge links with local parent and carer groups and charities to give me insight into local issues and provisions.

For ideas and sharing good practice, I enjoy podcasts and I am a regular listener to the SENDcast which I often recommend to my colleagues. 

My most frequently used resource is probably social media; I am an active member of several SENCO forums online and find these invaluable to get advice, guidance and real-life experience of changes to the wider system. 

What’s the most valuable lesson that you’ve learned in your career?

The most valuable lesson I have learned is the importance of compassionate communication. When you work in special schools, particularly where there may be medical needs, the relationship with parents changes. 

I began to really listen to the stories the parents were telling me: of the struggles to get diagnoses, enduring painful medical appointments, fighting for adequate provision and the daily reality of supporting a child who was struggling.

Parents have a unique perspective on their child and other than the child themselves, they are the experts. I realised the importance of giving parents the space, time and attention they needed to share their perspectives and have their experience validated by a professional.

It takes an awful lot of time, energy and resilience to manage as a parent in the special needs system. They have often had negative experiences with professionals and I’ve worked with parents whose cries for help have been ignored, down-played or dismissed and so they have been forced to grow a hard outer shell so they can keep fighting for their child. 

So, the most valuable lesson I have learnt is to listen with compassion to the lived experience of parents and students. Don't argue against, but accept their reality and work with them to achieve the best possible outcome.

How have things changed or progressed in the SEND sector since the start of your career?

Things have shifted a lot in the past few years, particularly since the SEND reforms in 2014. At the start of my career, the special needs department was quite separate from the rest of the school and there was absolutely no training in how to address different needs, outside of the odd session on dyslexia. A child’s special needs were shared briefly with us as main school teachers, but they weren’t really our concern.

Government guidance now states that every Teacher is accountable for the progress and development of SEN students in their class. Similarly, the SENCO has become a more strategic role that supports whole school provision, not just specialist interventions.

There has been a huge acceleration in our understanding of neurodiversity and disability in the last 20 years which has been a driving force in reforms and improvements to interventions and classroom teaching which has led to more acceptance and inclusion.

Unfortunately we are also seeing disproportionate numbers of children with additional needs experiencing severe mental illness and school avoidance, combined with a shortage in specialist provision and continuing inflexibility within mainstream schools. This highlights that we haven’t gone far enough to ensure that access to appropriate education is a reality for all.

What is the most challenging part of your job?

The most challenging part of my job is managing the feeling, and reality, that we cannot give every child what they need. I think it is this drive that can lead SENCOs to burnout. On a practical level we often do not have enough time to complete all our tasks, but even when we do we are working within a structure that is letting down our young people.

Schools and special needs in particular are underfunded, specialist provision is oversubscribed and many alternative provisions are inadequate. Due to benchmarks like Progress 8 and budgetary constraints, schools struggle to offer the flexibility required to be truly inclusive and the numbers of pupils that a single school has to accommodate makes supporting the 17% of SEN students and 0.4% of EHCP students a real challenge.

So even though I have worked incredibly hard, I have seen children be permanently excluded and for some of our most vulnerable, remain without education for months and even years. 

I will never forget those children and I will never stop wondering if there is anything else I could have done. I have to remind myself that I am only ever a part of the story and can only do what I am able to do with the time and tools I have available.

What do you feel can be done to better support the needs of children and young people with SEND?

All children deserve the same attention, understanding and care. Some children require something slightly different, or may be more sensitive to an environment that works for most people, but they are no less deserving of the opportunity to learn and grow. 

We need to take the time to find out who they are, what they need and then do what we can to create the optimum conditions for them to bloom into their own unique selves.

What would you say has been your biggest achievement?

I’m proud of a number of achievements over the years from building amazing teams of Teaching Assistants and Higher Level Teaching Assistants, to passing a pre-registration Ofsted on the basis of policies and procedures I designed. 

Introducing new assessment and curricula in special schools and building up positive relationships with students and parents would certainly be included in my top 10. But truthfully, I think my biggest achievement lies ahead of me.

Do you have any tips or advice for anyone considering a career in SEND provision?

If you are interested in becoming a SENCO, join a forum on social media to get real insight into what we do, what we know, and what we don’t know! Don’t feel that you need to know everything about disability and differences.

SEND provision is complex and you will find yourself encountering all sorts of needs and disabilities. Just be open, curious and prepared to ask questions. Visit a special school or a SENCO and ask if you can shadow them for a day to get a real sense of what the job entails.

What are your plans for the future?

I want to work in senior leadership, ideally an Assistant Headteacher role for inclusion in secondary schools where I can put my knowledge, understanding and leadership skills to good use.

I’m really interested in school improvement; my dream job would be to work across several schools, supporting SENCOs and leadership teams to create inclusive and outstanding provision for all children.

If you’re searching for your next SENCO job , why not take a look at the latest vacancies, or simply upload your CV to be notified when a relevant position becomes available. 

SENCO recruitment services

As specialist local authority SEND recruiters , we support local authorities and schools nationwide with their temporary, interim and permanent staffing needs. 

If you’re struggling to recruit, we have exclusive access to some of the most experienced SENCOs in the UK.

If you’re struggling to fill a vacancy, why not get in touch with one of our team to see how we can help?

Share your experience

Every individual brings a unique set of experiences, thoughts, and insights to the table. We believe in giving a voice to a community of professionals to inspire positive change and champion reform in the SEND sector.

If you work in the SEND sector and would like to share your own personal and professional experiences, we’d love to hear from you. Perhaps you have a different perspective, could offer a fresh angle, or want to challenge assumptions. 

Simply reach out to our Head of Content, Nicole Sherwood , to discuss a collaboration which makes your voice count.

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Special Education and Inclusive Learning

The SEND Interview Teaching Activity

Lessons and activity ideas for an sen teaching interview.

Our recruitment and interview process posts are very popular. However we haven’t talked about the teaching interview activity. One of the questions we get asked is around the teaching side of the interview process. Candidates for teaching positions almost always have to demonstrate their teaching skills through an observed teaching activity. During the interview process for SEN teaching positions, this is usually between 15 and 30 minutes. If you are applying for a leadership position in a Special school you may be asked to observe a lesson and give feedback to a panel. During the current Coronavirus pandemic, these interview activities and lesson observations are often done remotely. As if it wasn’t stressful enough!

The short amount of time you get to teach a small group of unfamiliar children is a challenge. I have found that the explanation of the children’s additional needs is limited. I hope the tips for successful SEN interview teaching activities below will help. Please consider sharing this page if you find it useful.

Great SEN Teaching Interview Activities

Before you start I recommend you plan and structure the session to make sure great teaching is at the core. Yes there needs to be learning but it is your teaching under observation. This applies to whatever length of the session or pupil needs cohort. Start with the Sutton Trust Report on great teaching. The benefit of using this is you can use it during the interview if you are asked about your lesson. SLT love research-based practice. Or they should!

Here is a summary of the key findings that you can apply in your interview activity:

• Show your content knowledge.
• Show you understand how students think about a subject. What are their experiences of it?
• Identify any common misconceptions
• Use high-quality instruction, include strategies like effective questioning and a way for all pupils to answer.
• Assess where the pupils are and respond, this flags your assessment to the observer.
• asking questions throughout and checking/acknowledging the responses of all pupils.
• Finish with a knowledge check of some sort. Embed a key fact or skill.
• Use praise only when appropriate and be specific about what they did. No “Good Job!”
• Avoid grouping pupils by ability – try to ensure pupils have a communicative partner in the interview activity.

Pre-interview Lesson Research

You need to gather as much information as possible during the recruitment process. Knowledge of the context of the interview and teaching activities is essential in creating an effective interview activity session. If you do a pre-interview visit try and note the following things. If you do not get to visit phone up and ask.

Are there visual schedules in the classrooms? what do the pupils have on their desks? Now and Next boards and visual schedules are common. What symbols do the school use – Widgit, Boardmaker, Twinkl? Do the school prefer symbols or photos in their visuals? Are the words below or above the images? Try and ensure your visuals are as similar as possible – if not you can explain why, they won’t expect perfection as you may not have the software but it looks good if you acknowledge you have noticed.

Does the school use Makaton, PECS or other recognised systems? If so brush up on a few key signs . If you are unsure you can always ask the pupils to show you during the interview activity. The school website should provide this information. If there are photos on the website have a look at the details. Do the staff have symbol key rings or on lanyards etc. If there are visually impaired pupils can you find out what format their work is presented in?

Encourage pupil voice wherever possible. Look for the disengaged pupil and find a way to encourage them to interact. Give them a role and show you value them.

Logistics of the Interview Lesson Activity.

Time is short and a precious resource. Don’t waste time with the lesson logistics, moving desks, arranging lots of resources. Finding things you need in your bag etc. This also goes for the end of the lesson/ interview activity too much tidy-up time takes away learning time (or direct instruction, interaction time. The pupils might enjoy putting any equipment into your bag for you etc.

Take anything you might need just in case – you don’t want to be scrabbling around or sending people looking for things. The best way is to take as few resources as possible and have them sorted in a box or bag you are familiar with. You can extend the logistics element to ICT equipment. Use the minimum, use only technology you are familiar with and try it beforehand. If you want to use a short video clip or music download it do not presume youtube etc will be available.

If you are doing a video or virtual interview activity make sure the software is fully updated. Familiarise yourself with the software and stop anyone streaming anything in your house before you start. No netflix etc for family!

Teaching Interview Activity Tips

You have about 5 minutes max to introduce yourself and have a positive interaction with each child. Think about how you will learn and remember their names. A quick seating plan sketch you annotate at the beginning may well pay off! The children need to know who you are and the observers need to remember you. Take a “ hook ” that means they will remember your name. It could be your name written in glitter, an oversized LED name badge, or some other gimmick – but make it a memorable one.

15 Minute Lesson Plan For Interview

You only have limited time – this means you should plan an activity to fit into this time, not try to squeeze a long activity into a shorter time frame. 15 minute lesson plans seem common. You want to appear calm and in control, not rushed or flustered.

Keep your pace and communication appropriate. Allow processing time and reduce language, keep it simple and back up with symbols/visuals . A more considered pace shows awareness of the need for meeting sensory needs/ brain/ movement breaks.

Even in short teaching activities breaking tasks into small short pieces of learning is a good idea.

Find out immediately how the children initiate conversation and answer questions. Use a generic communication board to allow the children to respond to questioning with vocabulary linked to your lesson plan.

Effective SEN Teaching Activity Ideas

Scavenger hunt – The board above is from our Mr Potato Head activity. You hide the pieces and then build, this uses teamwork and AAC users can take full part.

Storytelling – Read a book and use it to highlight vocabulary or actions. I.e You Choose. What would they choose and why? Can they spell the chosen item, can they categorise it?

Sensory Stories – These can be bespoke to the session or adapted key texts from the topic or curriculum area . Again the school website might help see if the class/year group has a newsletter that tells you the current topic. Have a look at our free Sensory Stories here .

Stories with actions – there are loads of these on youtube. Get the pupils moving. Think about how to encourage those with limited mobility.

Attention Autism – This is a specific intervention designed by Gina Davis. If you haven’t been trained you can use the ideas behind it but don’t call it attention autism unless it is. Try attention bucket, joint attention or topic box as a title for your session. At it’s heart you build anticipation by removing items with a common theme from a container. Some you have control of others are passed around. These should be highly motivating.

What’s in the box? Wrap some boxes containing different sensory stimuli such as bells, beads etc. The pupils can unwrap and use them. This is great for requesting and sharing. They could guess or find uses for each item.

Character description – elements of the Gruffalo for example have tactile resources ready for the pupils to retrieve or find.

A Practical task – broken down small steps, maybe building a tower or cake toppings but check allegies first.

For older SEN pupils try a session that focuses on social skills, preparation for adulthood, employability or community inclusion. Create clear step-by-step instructions which indicate the start and end aim. Can they quickly sort and package some products?

We hope this guide to SEN Interview lessons is useful. Good luck in your interviews and please add your ideas in the comments below.

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SENCo SENDCo Interview Questions and Answers - Interview Support - Interview Preparation

Subject: Pedagogy and professional development

Age range: Age not applicable

Resource type: Other

Last updated

17 March 2024

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In this resource, we explore 10 questions you might be asked on a SENCo interview and 10 detailed possible answers. This resource is 7 pages long.

This is a complimentary resource to the set 1 and set 2 SENCo questions listed in my shop. It can be used in conjunction or on its own to help you prepare for interview.

We answer the questions:

• Why are you interested in the role of SENCo?
• What skills could you bring to our SENCO role?
• Give us a summary of your understanding of the Code of Practice:
• How would you use data to inform this role?
• How would you demonstrate value for money in this role?
• Tell us about your ability to work under pressure.
• A parent arrives in reception angry about the support their child with SEN has received. What do you do?
• How would you time manage as a SENCo?
• A student with ADHD is struggling in their English lessons – they are not making expected progress and the teacher is challenged by their behaviour - how would you support the teacher to help the student?
• Why have you chosen this school to apply to as SENCo?

Please note: whilst the questions are detailed and thorough, they are NOT a definitive list, and the answers are not exhaustive. You may want to select parts of the answers which apply best to your knowledge. You should also add to your answers using experiences of your own and include your learning from these experiences that you would take into the new role. You should never use generic answers in an interview setting. Always link your answers with what you know about the school and their priorities.

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Get this resource as part of a bundle and save up to 19%

A bundle is a package of resources grouped together to teach a particular topic, or a series of lessons, in one place.

SENDCo SENCo SEN Coordinator Application and Interview Bundle -

In this bundle you will find 8 resources: 1) 2 x SENCO application letter/covering letters 2) 2 sets of questions which may be asked at a SENCo interview 3) 10 questions with thorough and detailed answers to interview questions (compliment the sets above) 4) SENCo specific guidance on a prioritisation task in tray, including lots of top tips and an example for practice for a common task on interview 6) a general document giving guidance on touring and visiting schools (non-specific) 7) a general document on acing student panels (non-specific)

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