Written to Support the PGCE Primary SEND Enhancement (January 2018) at The University of Wolverhampton 
The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice (1994) was the first document to mention the management of SEN provision and formalize the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) role and a change in statue law (Regulations 2008) stated that a SENCO, should be a qualified teacher and from September 2009, undertake a National SENCO qualification (NASENCO), within three years of appointment (unless the post was held prior to 2009).
The NASENCO is the only school based role after QTS, where further study is required, as the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) was removed as a statutory requirement for Headship in 2012.
The SENCO role that has been evolving over time and its evolution is well documented. (Robertson & Morewood 2011, Rosen – Webb 2011 & Done et al 2017) SENCOs who were once considered to be an ‘in house’ expert on all SEND provision for all pupils with SEND, now have wider remits of Middle or Senior Leadership responsibilities which can include organizational overviews, identification of continuing professional development (CPD) requirements, managing staff, and completing performance reviews.
However, it was not until 2014 and the revised SEND Code of Practice (2014) and subsequent SEND Reform that the new stance was fully recognized and a new phase was introduced, ‘every teacher is a teacher of SEND’. Throughout chapter six, the SENCO role is referred to as a Leadership and Management role, notably, ‘the SENCO has an important part to play…in determining the strategic development of the SEN policy and provision in the school. They would be most effective in that role if they are part of the School Leadership Team’ (6.87)
Total jobs (totaljobs.com) outline a SENCO job description, in which the person holding the SENCO position is responsible for some of the ‘most challenging pupils in a school, needing patience and the normal skills required of a teacher, however the SENCO role can vary from school to school and can be a different role in each.
Daniel Sobel writing on the changing role of the SENCO in (Sec-ed.co.uk) describes two types of SENCO; the Traditional SENCO and the New SENCO. The Traditional SENCO has been able to withdraw pupils from classes and provide intervention by delivering it themselves or deploying qualified Teaching Assistants to undertake one to one or small group sessions. Whereas the New SENCO is considered to be more strategic, a member of the Senior Leadership Team and focused on whole school rapid and sustained progress.
In reality, it’s likely that a SENCO is a hybrid of the Traditional and the New, sitting between a middle and senior leadership role.
In embracing ‘every teacher is a teacher of SEND’ the hybrid SENCO could be overseeing the day to day running of the SEND Policy through,

• Supporting all teachers to meet the diverse needs of the learners in their classrooms, through a range of strategies including differentiation and personal interventions

• Managing the school policy around identification, assessment and intervention

• Managing provision and deploying staff

• Monitoring pupil progress using a range of methods such as, learner observation, learner focused interviews. learner voice, book scrutiny and assessment outcomes

• Developing and regularly reviewing an action plan to be part of the annual school development plan

• Providing regular feedback to the Senior Leadership Team

• Regularly meeting with the SEND Link governor

• Organising and running relevant INSET Training

• Having an overview of the School Information Report, website information and link to Local Offer

• An understanding of statutory responsibilities and making applications for Education Health and Care Plans (EHCP)

• Arranging and running annual reviews for EHCP

• Linking with outside agencies such as the Educational Psychology Service

The Educational Landscape is ever changing, and with it the role of the SENCO, but paramount to the role will always be managing provision in schools for learners with SEND and as long as a SENCO is supporting ‘every teacher’ to be ‘a teacher of SEND’ it can be a hybrid between traditional and new and look different in every school.

Further Reading
DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION/DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (DfE/DoH) (2014) Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice, London : HMSO
DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION AND SKILLS (2001) Special Educational Needs: Code of Practice. Annesley : DfES Publications

DONE, L, MURPHY, M & WATT, M Change Management and the SENCO role: developing key performance indicators in the strategic development of inclusivity. Support for Learning, Volume 31, Number 4, 281 – 295

MOREWOOD, G, D & ROBERTSON, C (2012) Editorial. Support for Learning, Volume 27, Number 2, 51 – 52

ROSEN-WEBB, S, M (2011) Nobody tells you how to be a SENCO. British Journal of Special Education. Volume 38. Number 4, 159 – 167

See also
Statutory Instruments 2008. No 2945. Education England.
The Education (Special Educational Needs Coordinators) (England) Regulations

Click to access uksi_20082945_en.pdf