Welcome to the SENCO support page by Integrated Treatment Services in conjunction with Lorraine Petersen OBE.
Being a SENCO – The SENCO role was established nearly thirty years ago in the SEN Code of Practice 1994 where it stated that all mainstream schools must have a SENCO responsible for coordinating services around children with SEN. This was reiterated in the Code of Practice in 2001. The most significant change in the SENCO and their role was brought about by the SENCO Regulations in 2008. These regulations reflected the increased expertise and experience required to do the role by mandating that the SENCO must be a qualified teacher working at the school and a newly appointed SENCO who has not previously been the SENCO at that or any other relevant school for a total period of more than twelve months must achieve the National Award in SEN Co-ordination within three years of appointment.
In more recent times the role of the SENCO was embedded in Chapter 6 of the SEND Code of Practice 2015.
It is the most rewarding role in the world, especially when you are able to access the right provision for a child and you watch them flourish and progress. It can also be the loneliest role in the world as in most schools there is only one of you. With the increase in numbers and complexity of the children and young people with SEND in our mainstream schools it is really important that the SENCO has as much support as possible to ensure they can carry out their role as effectively as possible given all the other constraints that they may encounter.
On this page you will find links and resources that we think you will find useful – we would also like to hear from you. Please tell us what you would like information about or what resources you would like to see us produce.
Supporting pupils with SEND as we move forwards after lockdown
Message from Lorraine Petersen OBE, Educational Consultant
In this video Lorraine outlines the key points that have been highlighted in various government guidance documents about their expectation of all children and young people returning to school following the recent lockdown.
Lorraine then looks at the key priorities for schools, SENCOs and teachers in relation to pupils with SEND. This includes information about the curriculum and additional support from both internal and external providers. Finally, Lorraine looks at the funding streams that schools might be able to use to provide the support our SEND learners require post-lockdown.
Lorraine has written a blog to coincide with the video detailing the catch-up for children with SEND. Read more ….
Lorraine Petersen and our SEND webinars
Supporting children’s mental health & wellbeing during summer term – The pandemic has brought with it many challenges for children and young people. During this webinar Lorraine will consider the impact of the last twelve months on student’s mental health and wellbeing and she will describe some of the signs and symptoms of mental ill-health that you might see in school. To register on this webinar – click here
We are passionate about sharing information with others. You can read about new approaches and the latest developments through our news section on our website.
To find out about our latest centralised and on site training, including Colourful Semantics, read our training and events page.
We also share a wealth of free downloadable resources on our website, and social networks which we hope you will find really useful.
About Lorraine Petersen OBE – Educational Consultant
Lorraine worked for 25 years in the mainstream school environment as a teacher and Head Teacher. From 2004 – 2013 Lorraine was CEO of nasen, a charitable organisation supporting all those who work with children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. In 2009 Lorraine was awarded an OBE for her services to education. In 2013 Lorraine established Lorraine Petersen Educational Consultancy and currently works independently, delivering training and supporting schools and local authorities with their SEND and mental health and wellbeing policy and practice. Find out more about Lorraine here …
