The providers chosen to deliver the new national professional qualification (NPQ) for Sendcos later this year have been named.
Ambition Institute, Best Practice Network, Church of England, National Institute of Teaching, Teach First and UCL Institute of Education will be delivering the new course, the Department for Education has announced.
The government has published a document today outlining more details of what the new qualification will involve.
The government is introducing the NPQ as the mandatory qualification for Sendcos from September 2024.
The new qualification has been designed to enable Sendcos to coordinate a school’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision and to allow people to work alongside other leaders “to build a school culture in which pupils with SEND can participate meaningfully in the full life of the school”, the DfE said.
The government’s planned SEND reforms include creating national standards for mainstream schools on how they should meet the needs of pupils with SEND early so they don’t escalate.
Mandatory Sendco qualification
In today’s update, the department said the new NPQ will take between 18 and 22 months to complete (18 months taught and a three- to four-month assessment window).
To gain an NPQ accreditation, candidates will need to complete the course and pass a written assessment of between 1,500 and 2,500 words.
The course is designed for Sendcos, teachers interested in developing expertise in SEND to take up a Sendco role in the future and school leaders.
All mainstream schools must have a Sendco who is a qualified teacher or headteacher working at the school.
The teaching of the new NPQ will start in autumn 2024 and replace the National Award for SEN Coordination (NASENCo) qualification currently in place.
The existing three-year window to complete the mandatory qualification for taking up a Sendco post will remain in place.
What does the Sendco NPQ include?
The course includes eight topics: school culture; statutory framework; identification of need; teaching; behaviour; leading and managing provision; professional development; and implementation, as set out in a Sendco NPQ framework last year.
Hilary Spencer, CEO of Ambition Institute, said: “SEND is crucially important, and this leadership-level qualification will help support Sendcos to be strategic leaders within their schools, strengthening inclusive teaching for all pupils.
“Bringing a Sendco qualification into the NPQ suite will help to create coherent progression routes, and evidence-based, practical training for Sendcos, aspiring Sendcos and school leaders.”
The new NPQ was one of the planned reforms announced in the government’s SEND and alternative provision improvement plan.
The DfE said last year that Sendcos who have already obtained the NASENCo qualification do not need to complete the new NPQ.
But from September 2024, all current and aspiring Sendcos will need to take the NPQ if they have not completed or started the NASENCo.
Sendcos appointed before 1 September 2009 are not required to take the NPQ.
