National Award for SEN Co-ordination, Postgraduate Certificate

It is now statutory that all new SENCOs to post, working in maintained schools must attend and complete the National Award for SEN Co-ordination. The National Award for SEN Coordination is a one year, part time postgraduate certificate course, which, on successful completion of the assessed work will give SENCOs 60 Masters level credits (the equivalent to a third of a full Masters). Please note: If you are not the named SENCO at the school, then we are unable to award you the full National Award for SEN Coordination. You will, however, still be able to attend all sessions and on successful completion of the 3x20 credit modules, will be awarded the Postgraduate Certificate in Special Educational Needs. If you later become the SENCO (within 3 years of enrolment) it is possible to submit a Portfolio of Learning Outcomes specific to the SENCO role. When this Portfolio is combined with the 3x20 credit modules, you will then be awarded the Postgraduate Certificate in Special Educational Needs and the National Award for SEN Coordination. The Faculty of Education at Canterbury Christ Church University is one of the University’s leading edge academic units and is recognised nationally as a centre of excellence for teacher education and whole school development. What are the potential benefits? Having now worked with over 1100 SENCOs from maintained, specialist and independent sector settings, we have clear evidence of the impact that this training programme has had upon not only the SENCO, in terms of developing confidence and understanding of current legislation and the impacts that this has for practice; but also upon the school itself: as capacity and strategic leadership is developed within the school. All schools are noticing an increase in the number of complex educational needs that staff are needing to understand and manage, and this course therefore provides SENCOs with up to date information about a range of best practices, in terms of the understanding and identification of need, as well as effective processes and practices to support a strategic rather reactive approach to meeting needs. SENCOs also have the benefit of studying within localised cohorts of around 20: this provides a supportive network, and enables the SENCO to gain first hand understanding of the wider context of SEN, and alternative ways to approach the meeting of needs.