How I Became A SENCO (And How You Can Too)

In 2009 I decided I wanted to be a SENCO. Great. But what was to be my next step…?

I had no idea how I could progress from geography teacher to SENCO. I did some research online (in ye olde days, before AI could tell us the answer to almost everything) and there seemed to be no clear path.

Was there a qualification I could obtain? Was there a School for SENCOs? It would appear not.

Fast forward to 2026 and the route into transitioning from teacher to SENCO seems no more obvious. At least, not to me.

Yes, you can do the SENCO qualification, but it would be difficult to complete without being in post. I am drawing on my 2015-2016 experience, and I appreciate that the course has changed since then - going from the NASENCO qualification to The NPQ for SENCOs - but I feel the principle remains the same. It’s a bit of a chicken and egg scenario.

How to go from teacher to SENCO

So, What Did I Do?

My career has been full of twists and turns, so my journey is unlikely to be the same as yours. However, after I have indulged myself, reminiscing about my career, I will give some suggestions on how you could make the transition to SENCO today.

I completed my teacher training qualification in 2004-2005 at the University of Cambridge. It was a time of chalkboards, overhead projectors (the type where you write on acetates), students quoting Little Britain and singing The Streets’s Dry Your Eyes. The more orange your fake tan, the cooler you were. What a time to be alive. And to be teaching.

As I never like to make my life easy, once I had qualified as a teacher in England, I returned to Aberdeen, where I had been an undergraduate. I’d missed my friends, the endless granite and the cold, dark winter’s days (well, I did miss my friends).  I couldn’t get a permanent job on account of not holding a Scottish teaching qualification and having no experience beyond my PGCE, so I had to do supply teaching for just over two years. 

I was reluctant at first, but it turned out to be a blessing. I gained a wealth of experience in a variety of schools, teaching geography, doing general supply and working as a teacher in two Support for Learning (SfL) departments.

At the time (and this possibly is still the case) I felt that Scotland was head and shoulders above England in terms of support for learners with additional needs. Each school would have several qualified Support for Learning teachers, whereas my experience in the East of England, was that you would have a SENCO (who may have other teaching responsibilities, depending on the school) and teaching assistants. Many of the TAs I worked with were fantastic but as there was no TA qualification or standards to follow, there was no real quality assurance. Thankfully things have changed a lot since then. Oh, hold on…

My experience working in Support for Learning helped me realise that this was the career for me. However, I wanted to get some consistent classroom teaching under my belt, as I had just been picking up bits here and there. So, for the next few years I did exactly that.

Pictured with my cousin in 2008, when I was a geography teacher in Norwich, (as you can perhaps tell, I am not teaching geography in this photo - I am sitting in a beer garden)

By 2009, I was teaching geography in Norwich but my hankering to become a SENCO hadn’t diminished and I set up a quick meeting with the SENCO at the school there. She was helpful, telling me about her journey and how she had been a SEND teacher in Haringey, London before becoming a SENCO. Unfortunately, there were not many opportunities for SEND teachers in mainstream schools in East Anglia, unlike Scotland and London. So, with that in mind I swapped the medieval streets of Norwich for the mean streets of Whitechapel (actually, they weren’t that mean, it was a lovely place to live).

In 2009, there was a wealth of opportunity in teaching in London as the schools were well funded. Many were probably being compensated for years of neglect, especially in the East End, where I was based.

My first job was a year’s maternity cover as an English as an Additional Language teacher. Not the same as a SEND teacher but there are commonalities.

After a year I landed my first SEND teacher role, at a fantastic school in East London. I learnt so much there and made many lifelong friends. As it was Redbridge’s designated school for young people with physical disabilities, the SEND department was substantial and well respected within the school.

Living in my best London life in the early 2010s

It was an outstanding school that put much emphasis on developing its staff. As such, I was encouraged to deliver training, present ideas to all the teaching staff (extremely nerve-wracking at the time but it helped me overcome my fears) and attend lots of training and feedback to my colleagues. It all helped me come out of my shell and begin the journey from teacher to middle leader.

The school also offered in-house training – so I did a course on middle leadership which was enlightening; I still remember the ‘difficult conversations’ session to this day!

I was given leadership opportunities, which I grabbed with both hands. This included being the Student Leadership Coordinator for the school, as well as the Key Stage Three Lead for SEND Intervention. All of this set me on the path to becoming a SENCO.

I was a SEND teacher for five years before making the leap to SENCO. I may have made the transition sooner, had it not been for the fact that I loved the school I was working in and all the development opportunities it offered. But eventually I made the decision to leave and took a post as SENCO at a school in Tower Hamlets.

That was eleven years ago…

By 2015 I had my first SENCO position. Here I am with my mentor, Freddie the Rabbit.

Despite my experience in Scotland and working as a SEND teacher for five years, I felt like I had been thrown into the deep end. So much so that I wrote this article HERE for Tes – I might be biased but I think it still has some good and relevant advice. For some reason, it includes a photo of a classroom that looks like it was taken in 1985 – but I promise you that was a bit before my time. As a teacher in the classroom, anyhow.

My article for Tes about my first year as a SENCO

What Can You Do If You Want To Become A SENCO?

1.        Increase your SEND experience

As we know, all teachers are teachers of SEND but you will require experience beyond what the mainstream classroom has to offer. You could achieve this by speaking with your school’s SENCO. Would you be able to attend any annual review meetings, to see what they are like? Could you spend a day shadowing the SENCO? Or could you run an inclusive lunchtime club or a SEND intervention?

2.        Develop your knowledge

There are so many courses on offer; speak to your SENCO, I am sure they will be able to point you in the right direction. Usually, the local authority will offer a SEND training programme – see if there are any sessions you can attend. When I lived in London I would attend twilight sessions at the Institute of Education.

You can also expand your knowledge through reading, watching YouTube videos and listening to podcasts, as well as following fellow practitioners on X, aka Twitter. Here are my suggestions (I am bound to have missed people out – sorry!) to get you started:

Name	X Handle
Gary Aubin	@SENDMattersUK
Ginny Bootman	@sendcogirl
Sue Cowley	@Sue_Cowley
Nic Crossley	@Nic_Crossley1
Georgina Durrant	@senresourceblog
Sarah Johnson	@PhoenixEdSarah
Margaret Mulholland	@MargaretMulhol2
Natalie Packer	@NataliePacker
John Roberts	@JohnGRoberts
Jon Severs	@jon_severs
Special Needs Jungle	@SpcialNdsJungle
Tes Magazine	@tes

You can also follow me too (please excuse the shameless self-promotion!): @the_SENDCoach

Two excellent podcasts are SEND in the Experts with Georgina Durrant and the BBC’s SEND in the Spotlight.

3.        Get leadership experience

As I mentioned, I was the Student Leadership Coordinator and the Key Stage Three Lead for SEND interventions. See if there is anything you can lead on. You could even carry out a mini-research project around delivering an effective SEND intervention within your department or you could collaborate with the SEND department. Make it one of your Performance Management targets so that it becomes ‘official’ and you receive the necessary support and time.

If you attend any training, ask if you can feedback to all staff, so you can practice speaking to large groups (which can be a daunting aspect of leadership). Volunteer to deliver an assembly – it can be nerve-wracking initially but it’s invaluable experience.

4.        Look for assistant/deputy SENCO positions

If you do not feel ready to take the plunge in becoming a full time SENCO, they try an assistant/deputy position.  If your school doesn’t have such a position, speak to the SENCO and see if it is something that could be useful and then take it to SLT. This also gives you the opportunity to undertake the NPQ for SENCOs – should the school agree.  

It will be interesting to see what changes schools are facing with the Government’s imminent White Paper on SEND reform. I hope there is more investment in upskilling teachers and quality assuring TAs (and I hope they are remunerated for this as most TAs are underpaid and overlooked, despite the essential role they have). I also hope that the path to becoming a SENCO becomes clearer and that SENCOs are more supported in schools.

Fingers crossed…

If you would like any advice on becoming a SENCO, feel free to CONTACT me.

I also have a useful resource to help you prepare for your SENCO interview. Click HERE to access it.