This course has been developed for those who are currently working as special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs) and is mandatory for all SENCOs appointed since 2008. This course will enable you to meet the learning outcomes as prescribed by the government.
You about skills and approaches to leadership; and to develop and evaluate inclusive cultures, systems and approaches to education. These new skills help you to make a difference in your school and to the wellbeing, participation and achievement of children and young people who have special educational needs and disabilities.
You reflect on, analyse and respond to current issues of practice through professional learning in the workplace and you are supported by experienced local special educational needs and disability (SEND) professionals as well as a mentor in your own school.
You develop
You have access to current SEND practitioners and experts in the field who share up-to-date practice. Your university tutors specialise in SEND and have complementary experience across age phases and special and mainstream schools. Their expertise supports your understanding of inclusive principles and practice, using research and theory to support your reflections, enquiries and study skills.
You complete a number of assessments that are focused on the development of effective practice in your school. Assessments consist of two practice-based portfolios
Portfolio 1 – SENCO as manager
This consists of
Portfolio 2 – SENCO as leader
This consists of
Further information
For more information regarding our routes into teaching, including funding, placements, QTS skills tests and career prospects visit our teach site.
12 months part-time
You attend up to ten teaching/tutorial/study days which are spread over the course duration.
Core modules
This module enables special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs) to engage critically with their management role evaluating, reporting on and developing policy, systems and provision in the context of national legislation and guidance, current knowledge on effective practice and wider equality and human rights agendas.
This module enables special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs) to engage critically with their leadership role in the context of the principles of inclusion, person centred planning and working in partnership with colleagues, children and young people and their families.
Modules
Modules cover • inclusive principles and values • social and medical modules of disability • the role of the SENCO in analysing organisational needs and managing change • the national policy context for SEN and disability including the SEN Code of Practice • equality and data protection requirements • formulating and reviewing policy • accessing and interpreting school data - tracking progression and participation • provision mapping • designing, evaluating and reporting on systems and provision • lesson study and action research methods • rights and duties under equality legislation • person centred planning and partnership working • the local context for the implementation of Child Assessment Framework (CAF), school support and Education Health Care Plans (EHCPs) • leadership • role of the SENCO in leading professional learning • holistic assessment • researching and evaluatiing current knowledge and debates regarding high incidence special educational needs and disabilities • theories of learning and development • identifying needs and barriers to learning and participation • systematic evaluation in professional contexts
Portfolio 1 – evaluation and review of policy, and analysis of additional provision for children and young people with SEN.
Portfolio 2 – evaluation of partnership with stakeholders, and planning for strategic professional learning.
This course enhances your skills as a special educational needs co-ordinator so you can continue to improve the school experience for children with SENs or disability and to support the developing practice of other professionals working in your school or setting. It also develops your leadership skills, enabling you to explore whole issues and development. It is also suitable if you want to work in an advisory or support role in the area of SEND.
Academic credits gained by successfully completing this course can be used towards a masters degree.
This programme is mainly aimed at qualified teachers who want to gain a deeper knowledge of special educational needs (SEN) to develop effective teaching and learning strategies.
You’ll choose whether to focus on SEN issues in England or internationally so you will either study areas such as inter-agency working under Every Child Matters or how SEN provision compares between different countries. You will expand on this knowledge when you choose from our optional modules, allowing you to focus on topics that interest you or are relevant to your career.
You could study developmental disorders and inclusive provision, and you’ll benefit from sharing the ideas and experiences of teachers from around the world as well as the local area. This programme will give you an understanding of the latest concepts approaches to effective, inclusive approaches, while equipping you with the skills to analyse the evidence that informs them.
You’ll be taught by members of the Childhood and Youth research group, which has a long-established, international reputation for research. The course distils the expertise within the team and draws on research that we have conducted, funded by agencies such as the ESRC, Action Research, and private and charitable UK organisations that work with children.
We offer students a vibrant intellectual and academic experience. Not only will you benefit from weekly research-led teaching, but you’ll have the chance to attend seminars with leading academics, hosted by the School of Education or other departments.
You can also apply for the PGCert in Provision for Children with Developmental Disorders that allows you to study the modules on developmental disorders from the MA Special Educational Needs. If you decide to move on to this MA programme afterwards, you can use the credits gained from the PGCert to count towards your MA.
From the start of the programme, you’ll build your understanding of the context of SEN education. You’ll complete one core module, allowing you to focus on SEN provision within England and worldwide, and consider issues such as inclusive education, how schools and local authorities interpret national education policy, and the ways that SEN provision differs between countries.
This lays the foundations for the rest of your studies, which will allow you to choose from a range of optional modules. You could focus on developmental disorders, or complete a directed study on a topic relevant to your interests and experiences.
Throughout the year, you’ll develop sophisticated skills in research and analysis that you’ll apply to your critical study – an independent piece of research you’ll submit by the end of the programme, on a topic of your choice which may be related to the needs and priorities of your school.
If you choose to study part-time, you’ll study over a longer period and take fewer modules in each year.
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
We use a range of teaching and learning methods. For this course, most modules are taught with a combination of lectures, seminars and tutorials, which will take place in the evening. However, independent study is crucial to this degree as it allows you to build your skills, prepare for lectures and pursue your own interests more closely.
These are no exams on this course. Instead, assessment works through written coursework such as essays, case studies and other assignments.
Teachers and specialists take this qualification at different points in their career and their motivations and ambitions vary.
For some teachers, it helps them to critically reflect on classroom activities and enhance their teaching practices; for others, it provides the foundations for moving into a more specialist role or opens up the opportunities for progress onto doctoral studies.
We encourage applicants who are not in full-time work to undertake some volunteer placements to help them to contextualise their studies and strengthen their CV.
Gain the qualification you need to teach in the area of special educational needs in Post-16 and Further Education, previously known as Post-Compulsory Education and Training (PCET), and including 14-19 provision.
It is suitable whether you are new to teaching and need us to find you a placement, or if you are already working as a teacher or trainer within the SEN context and want to become qualified.
The course maps to the national framework for teaching qualifications in Post-16 and Further Education, the new Diploma in Education and Training for Disabled Learners (DET, previously DTLLS). The course is recognised by the professional body, currently the Institute for Learning (IfL) and sector body the Education and Training Foundation (EtF). It enables you to apply for Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status for Post-16 and Further Education, which is equivalent to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in schools. QTLS is currently awarded by IfL who charge a fee for membership and QTLS registration. An employer may be willing to pay the fee for you.
On the course, you
You apply the course theory through your teaching practice. This consists of at least 120 hours teaching over either one year or two. During the course, University staff and your placement or workplace mentor assess your teaching practice eight times.
Key areas covered include • planning and preparing to teach • assessment for learning • teaching methods • behaviour for learning • using technology in teaching and learning • progression against the professional standards • understanding your wider professional context.
Settings of Post-16 and Further Education and Training include • further education colleges • school sixth forms • higher education institutions • adult and community learning providers • private training companies • public services • 14-19 educational providers.
After successfully completing the course, you gain a level 7 qualification equivalent to DTLLS or the new Diploma in Education and Training, but at masters level, and you can use these 60 credits towards a masters course.
We have partnerships with a range of settings across the Post-16 and Further Education sector, who provide you with a wide range of placement opportunities.
If you do not have an undergraduate degree or equivalent and need an initial teaching qualification, you can study our CertEd Post-16 Education and Training. This route is not available with the special educational needs specialism.
Further information
For more information regarding our routes into teaching, including funding, placements, QTS skills tests and career prospects visit our teach site.
Professional recognition
The course is recognised by the Education and Training Foundation (EtF).
Modules
We have an excellent graduate employment record. On average 95% of our PGCE graduates are teaching or in further study within six months of graduating.
Previous students have gone on to teach in • further education colleges • sixth form colleges • schools • public services • private training organisations • voluntary sector.
Others work as educational development officers or similar for local education authorities, non-governmental organisations and charities.
