A SENCO is a teacher with responsibility for co-ordinating special needs support within a school. Fielder 2008 claims that “the modern SENCO has to be able to bridge the gap between professionals, carers and students with SEN”.
According to Cowne and Jones 2001 a SENCO can be looked upon as a main figure in making institutional change, and is also seen as a leadership role within a school community.
Supporting this is Mckenzie 2007 who also points out that the role of SENCO undertaken by a senior member of staff is more effective as they have a voice as member of senior management team.
Government and legislative documents emphasise the high level of expertise that is required for SEN Coordinators (SENCOs) to carry out their increasingly complex role.
The 2001 Code of practice says that he SENCO should take the lead in further assessment of the child’s particular strengths and weaknesses; in planning future support for the child in discussion with colleagues; and in monitoring and afterwards reviewing the action taken. The SENCO should also ensure that appropriate records are kept including a record of children at Early Years Action and Early Years Action Plus and those with statements.
From the SEN Code of Practice 2001 the role of the educational needs coordinator in school has attracted a good deal of attention since the Code of Practice on the identification and assessment of SEN was introduced in 1994. Not only did the code make it a requirement for all schools to have a named coordinator for SEN in place, it prescribed a considerable range of duties and responsibilities, described as ‘onerous’ and ‘breathtaking broad’ (Gains 1994).
The role of SENCO has developed considerably since the