This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament
Petition Require School SENCOs to be fully qualified for the role.
School senco's to be qualified before they take the role and they must have done in depth training on special educational needs. The current role can be filled by a person not qualified for the role and they have 3 years to qualify which is ridiculous.
More details
Change the qualification a teacher needs to be a senco so that they must have in depth training on special educational needs as well as training on the paperwork they will have to complete whilst in the role and this training must be completed before they can hold the position. Abolish the current system that allows a teacher to train for the role whilst holding the role and take 3 yrs to qualify.
This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months
Government responded
This response was given on 29 September 2021
Through the SEND Review, we are looking to improve the SEND system to ensure better outcomes for children and young people with SEND. Ensuring SENCOs are fully qualified is integral to this.
The Government is determined to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND and focus on preparing them for adult life. We have established the SEND Review, which aims to improve experiences of the SEND system, with services working in co-production with children, young people and parents, and ensure we target and distribute resources in a way that best ensures children’s needs are met quickly and effectively. Once finalised, proposals will be published for full public consultation.
All maintained schools must have a qualified teacher that is designated as the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO). In collaboration with the headteacher and governing body, SENCOs play a vital role in determining the strategic development of SEND policy and provision in the school. The SENCO has a key role in ensuring children and young people with SEND get the support they need as early as possible and are able to achieve the best outcomes. That is why ensuring SENCOs are fully qualified for their role is essential.
SENCOS must complete the National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination (NASENCO) within 3 years of appointment. This must be a postgraduate course accredited by a recognised higher education provider. To ensure that SENCOs receive the training required to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND, the National College for Teaching and Leadership has worked with providers to develop a set of learning outcomes. To achieve the award, SENCOs must be able to demonstrate to the provider that they are able to achieve the learning outcomes by the end of the programme. These learning outcomes can be accessed at www.gov.uk.
Through the SEND Review, this Government continues to prioritise the outcomes for children and young people with SEND and focus on preparing them for adult life.
Department for Education
Related activity
Share your views on Government's plans to improve support for children and young people with SEND
The Government has launched a public consultation on major changes it wants to make to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision (AP) system in England.
It wants to hear from:
- Children and young people
- Parents and carers
- People who work in the SEND sector
- Local and national system leaders
Find out more about the consultation and share your views: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-review-right-support-right-place-right-time
You can respond until 11.45pm on Friday 1 July 2022.
What changes is the Government planning to make?
The Government says that it plans to create a "single, national SEND and alternative provision (AP) system that will introduce new standards in the quality of support give to children across education, health and care".
The proposed changes include:
- Improving workforce training through the introduction of a new SENCo (Special Education Needs Coordinator) NPQ for school SENCos
- Increasing the number of staff with level 3 qualifications in early years settings
- A new legal requirement for councils to introduce 'local inclusion plans' that set out responsibility for young people with SEND among local services
The Government has announced additional funding to implement these proposals.
Find out more about the changes the Government is proposing: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ambitious-reform-for-children-and-young-people-with-send
Read a summary of the Government's SEND review: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-and-ap-green-paper-responding-to-the-consultation/summary-of-the-send-review-right-support-right-place-right-time
MPs questions Secretary of State for Education about the review
On Tuesday 29 March, the Government Minister responsible for education, Nadhim Zahawi MP, made a statement to the House of Commons about the review and consultation, and was questioned about this by MPs.
Read what he said and questions from MPs: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2022-03-29/debates/BA5ECF7C-E120-4602-8BCF-6DB70D9CFF40/SpecialEducationalNeedsAndDisabilitiesReview
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MPs discuss SEND and alternative provision improvement plan
On Monday 6 March the Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing, Claire Coutinho MP, made a statement in the House of Commons about the Government's new Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan.
The Minister updated MPs on the Government's progress to improve outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities or alternative provision in England.
She said the Government will:
- Develop new national special educational needs and disabilities and alternative provision standards to set out what support should be available.
- Establish local SEND and AP partnerships.
- Train thousands more early years special educational needs co-ordinators and 400 more educational psychologists.
- Invest £2.6 billion by 2025 in new special and alternative provision places, and improve provision.
- Publish guidance on ensuring effective transitions between all stages of education, and an effective transition into employment and adult services.
- Invest in supported internships.
- Expand school and college mental health support teams.
Following the statement the Minister was questioned by MPs.
- Read the press release announcing the SEND and alternative provision improvement plan
- Read the full SEND and alternative provision improvement plan
What are Ministerial statements?
Ministerial statements are a way for Ministers to bring an important matter to the attention of the House.
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Share your experiences: SEND workforce
On Wednesday 22 March, Geraint Davies MP will lead a debate in Parliament on the specialist workforce for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
To inform the debate, he would like to hear about your experiences of accessing SEND specialists. He would also like to hear from anyone who has worked with people with SEND. He may quote your contribution directly during his debate.
Find out more and share your experiences with him by midday on Tuesday 21 March:
Education and health policy are devolved matters, so the UK Government is only responsible for these policy areas in England, but he is interested in hearing from people across the UK.
Videos of the debate, the transcript of what was said in it, and other relevant material will be accessible shortly after the debate on this webpage.
What are Westminster Hall debates?
Westminster Hall is the second Chamber of the House of Commons.
Westminster Hall debates give MPs an opportunity to raise local or national issues and receive a response from a government minister. Any MP can take part in a Westminster Hall debate.
Debates in Westminster Hall take place on ‘general debate' motions expressed in neutral terms. These motions are worded ‘That this House has considered [a specific matter]'. This means that Westminster debates don’t end in a vote on a particular action or decision.
SEND provision and funding debated by MPs
On Thursday 11 January, Sir David Davis MP led a Backbench Business debate in Parliament on SEND provision and funding.
Along with other MPs, he spoke about the many people who have signed petitions on the issue.
He also quoted those who had shared their experiences to help inform previous debates on SEND provision and funding.
Watch or read the debate – and see the Government's response – on SEND provision and funding
What are Backbench Business debates?
Backbench Business debates give backbenchers (MPs who aren’t ministers or shadow ministers) an opportunity to secure a debate on a topic of their choice, either in the main House of Commons Chamber or Westminster Hall, the second chamber of the House of Commons.
MPs can make a request for a debate to the Backbench Business Committee, who hears requests and decides which debates to schedule.
Backbench debates can either be general debates (which do not end in a vote) or be on a substantive motion (which calls for an action and can end in a vote). This debate was a debate on a substantive motion.
Interactive explainer: Backbench Business debates
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