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‘Small successes make it worthwhile’: The rewards and challenges of the SENCo role in a primary school in England

Solvason, Carla ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3072-0079, Sheehy, Amanda ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9108-7759, Osuki, Amaechi and Winwood, J. (2024) ‘Small successes make it worthwhile’: The rewards and challenges of the SENCo role in a primary school in England. Support for Learning, 39 (3). pp. 104-115. ISSN 0268-2141 (print); 1467-9604 (web)

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Abstract

Previous research by the authors of this piece hinted at the heavy workload of Special Educational Needs Co‐ordinators (SENCos) within settings in England, and their ever‐mounting challenges in the context of reduced local government services and cuts in funding to schools for their children with Special Educational Needs. As a result of these findings, the aim of this research was to focus exclusively on the lived professional experience of the SENCo in primary schools in England. Through anonymous survey, we asked SENCos to share with us their perception of their role and the responsibilities that it included. Although our sample of 20 was relatively small, it provided rich data about the preparedness and the perceived competence and confidence of those in this role. Workload, and the erosion that excessive demands caused to the well‐being of SENCos dealing with complex systems, was prominent in the data we collected, in line with most recent investigations of the educationalist's experience in England. However, our data also raised questions about the status, or lack of, of the SENCo in settings, the way in which the nationally recognised qualification associated with the role is delivered and sources of support available to those in the role.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Discrete Keywords: SEN, training, SENCo, confidence, well‐being
Divisions: College of Arts, Humanities and Education > School of Education
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Copyright Info: © 2024 The Authors. Support for Learning published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of National Association for Special Educational Needs., This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium,provided the original work is properly cited
SWORD Depositor: Prof. Pub Router
Depositing User: Prof. Pub Router
Date Deposited: 21 May 2024 14:32
Last Modified: 19 Aug 2024 14:13
URI: https://worc-9.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/13928

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