Guidance

Mandatory qualification for SENCOs

Information about the mandatory qualifications special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) must gain within 3 years of taking up their post.

From:
Department for Education
Published
5 July 2023
Last updated
2412 AprilSeptember 2024 — See all updates

Applies to England

Documents

National award for special educational needs co-ordination learning outcomes

PDF, 159 KB, 9 pages

TransitionAdditional toguidance nationalon professionalthe qualificationmandatory requirements for specialSENCOs educationaland needs co-ordinatorsschools

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Details

Special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) lead and co-ordinate a school’s provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

The ‘NationalNational awardAward forin specialSEN educationalco-ordination needs(NASENCO) co-ordination’ was documentreplaced explainswith thea qualification that every new leadership-level SENCO in a mainstream school must currently gain within 3 years of taking up their post. This was published in 2014.

A national professional qualification (NPQ)).

The forgovernment SENCOshas isamended replacingThe theSpecial existingEducational qualification,Needs asand announcedDisability in the (SEND) andRegulations alternative provision improvement plan2014. Teachingto ofintroduce the NPQ willas beginthe inmandatory autumnSENCO qualification from 1 September 2024.

TheSchools ‘Transitionand toSENCOs nationalshould professionalconsult qualification’the documentSEND hasRegulations more2014 informationto aboutensure thisthey newenrol qualificationon and the requirementsrelevant that SENCOs must meet.qualification.

Updates to this page

Published 5 July 2023
Last updated 2412 AprilSeptember 2024 + show all updates

  1. Updated 'Transition to national professional qualification for special educational needs co-ordinators' to reflect that the NPQ is now the mandatory qualification for SENCOs, and renamed to 'Additional guidance on the mandatory requirements for SENCOs and schools'.

  2. Updated 'Transition to national professional qualification for special educational needs co-ordinators' with information about the changes to the SEND Regulations 2014. These changes will come into effect from 1 September 2024.

  3. Updated 'Transition to national professional qualification for special educational needs co-ordinators' to reflect the fact that further details of the NPQ for SENCOs are available.

  4. Updated 'Transition to national professional qualification for special educational needs co-ordinators': changed a subheading from 'Appropriate qualifications for a SENCO' to 'Requirements for SENCOs', and segmented paragraphs to clarify who the information is aimed at. Moved information about updating the page and Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 to the top of the page.

  5. Clarified information about which qualification SENCOs starting in post in academic year 2023 to 2024 must take to meet the mandatory requirements for the role.

  6. Added information about NASENCO for the 2023 to 2024 academic year and NPQ for SENCOs for the 2024 to 2025 academic year.

  7. First published.

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