What does a SENDCO (Special Educational Needs & Disabilities Co-ordinator) do?

Every mainstream school must make sure that there is a teacher who is the Special Educational Needs & Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENDCO) for the school. The main responsibilities of a SENDCO may include:  

• co-ordinating provision for children with Special Educational Needs (SEND)  
• talking to the parents of pupils with SEND  
• talking to other schools where a child might be coming from or going to about the support and help they need 
• being a key point of contact for educational psychologists and other support services, health and social care professionals  
• ensuring that the school keeps the records of all pupils with SEND up to date  
• advising school staff on using the graduated approach and providing SEND support in the classroom 
• working with the Headteacher and governors to develop the SEND policy and to oversee the day-to-day operation of the policy  

Inclusion Support Offer (ISO)

The Local Offer has a service called the Inclusion Support Offer (ISO) which provides support for all educational settings from 0-25 to help to make sure they are doing everything they can to support children with SEND, without necessarily looking at additional funding or making referrals to assessed services. 

You can find more information about this service on our ISO information page.   This service is for schools use only, they do not take calls from parents or carers, but you can mention it to your child's educational setting and ask them to get in touch.