Hello NPQ for SENDCOs - It's great to meet you!

Hello NPQ for SENDCOs – it’s great to meet you!

The level of interest in the new NPQ for SENDCos has been so exciting for the Church of England Education NPQ team. It feels like a time filled with potential to move SEND practice forward in schools. We know that supporting learners with SEND to flourish is extremely challenging in the current climate. Funding, resourcing, specialist training and meeting a wide range of needs are just a few of the challenges faced daily and can leave SEND practitioners feeling that there is no time or space to develop their own research-based practice.

We also know that the transition from the NASENCO to the NPQ for SENDCO has raised questions and concerns. I completed my NASENCO in 2016 and have been a tutor for the NASENCO ever since – although shortly to wave this goodbye. Being able to study at Level 7 has big advantages, but more and more, I have found that the NASENCO students I have supported have found its demands– overwhelming. I completed my NASENCO when I was working part-time in school - but in effect, I was working full-time to complete the award without the full-time salary. This was my choice, and I was fortunate to be able to be able to do this financially - but many colleagues, who would have made excellent SEND practitioners found the barriers to achieving the NASENCO too great. What a loss for schools and SEND learners.

Yes, in a perfect world being able to study at Level 7 and beyond is so rewarding and I am a passionate advocate for that (currently completing my own EdD). However, a glance at the available SENCO positions nationally, immediately shows that our schools desperately need confident and knowledgeable SEND practitioners who are not overwhelmed by the demands of study. This is the opportunity that we believe the NPQ for SENDCOs brings - as we develop a programme that is research-based, relevant to current and future practice and manageable for colleagues already in or considering SEND roles. Like the other NPQ programmes, the NPQ for SENDCOs will be based on “Learn That” (knowledge) and “Learn How To” (practice) objectives – clearly recognising the need for SENCOs to be knowledgeable, confident and experienced. Beyond that, we believe that the blended style of learning and the pace of the programme will recognise the demands SEND practitioners face and leave enough space to inspire rather than overload.

For us at the Church of England, we are excited to be delivering NPQ for SENDCOs as the aims of the programme fit so closely with our values. You may have heard of our Flourishing Schools Network and flourishing is really important to us in how we design our programmes. We want all learners in school to flourish – but believe strongly that schools only flourish when the adults in them are flourishing. Our programmes are designed by teachers for teachers, and this is particularly important for the NPQ for SENDCOs programme. We want to see SENCOs flourishing in schools and advocating for SEND learners with passion and the energy needed for that passion. This is how more practitioners will consider SEND specialisms so SEND learners are provided with all they need (people, knowledge, understanding and care) to flourish themselves. Our NPQ for SENDCOs programme is available to colleagues in all schools – faith-based or not. Please consider joining us – we would love to have you onboard for the start of something new and exciting.

A huge thank you to Hannah Baker, our Leadership Development Programme Officer for this fabulous post!