Course summary
The National Award for Special Educational Needs Co-ordination (NASENCO) is a legally required qualification for all new Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs). This course will support you to improve your knowledge of current legislation, theory and practice in Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) provision in schools/colleges and your skills in meeting those needs. This course will assist you to fulfil your leadership role as outlined in the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice for 0 to 25 years (DfE, 2014):
- Overseeing the operation of the institution’s SEN policy
- Coordinating provision for SEND
- Liaising with the relevant designated teacher where a looked after pupil has SEN
- Advising on a graduated approach to providing SEN Support and effective deployment of the institution’s delegated budget and other resources
- Liaising with families of children with SEN, other schools and relevant external professionals/ agencies
- Liaising with potential next providers of education and consulting young people and families to ensure a smooth transition is planned
- Working with the headteacher and school governors to ensure that the school conforms to the Equality Act (2010)
- Ensuring that the institution keeps records of young people with SEN up to date.
- Study on a course designed for to develop SENCOs’ professional attributes and knowledge, understanding and skills, to enable you to fulfill the leadership role set out in the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice for 0 to 25 years (DfE, 2015).
- Explore course content highly relevant to mainstream and special school practitioners alike, focusing on issues related to literacy difficulties and dyslexia in schools, and how potential barriers to learning can be removed
- Develop your understanding of concepts, theories and approaches to literacy difficulties, including dyslexia, and inclusion in schools, and on your potential for influencing change
- Gain insight into the learning of dyslexic and other pupils/students who experience difficulties in literacy development/specific learning difficulties, and ways in which learning might be more effectively supported
- Benefit from a qualification that could be used as the basis for a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) claim into an MA Education course (Level 7).
Modules
Introduction to special educational needs co-ordination in schools, Further development of special educational needs co-ordination in schools
Assessment method
There are six assessments, three for each of the two units that comprise the award. The first assessment in Unit 1 requires application of personal understanding of current legislation to individual contexts and critical reflection on the extent to which current school/institutional practice is inclusive and compliant with the law. Assessments then focus on critical application of assessment theory to individual learning and behaviour needs, the design, development, and implementation of an individual plan linked to needs, and critical analysis of the effectiveness of this, with implications for future plans. Assessments in Unit 2 relate to institutional level: analysis and reflection on current school/college policy in SEND and inclusive practices; analysis of areas for improvement in institutional SEND provision; the design, development, implementation, critical evaluation, and reporting on a small-scale practitioner research project focused on achieving the desired improvement.
Entry requirements
Applicants should have a good undergraduate degree at Honours level, or equivalent. In addition applicants will need to have Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and be practising teachers working in the area of special educational needs provision in schools.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
No fee information has been provided for this course
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
For information on the 2024 fees please refer to our website, https://www.beds.ac.uk/howtoapply/money/fees/
Sponsorship information
For information on postgraduate funding, please visit: https://www.beds.ac.uk/howtoapply/postgraduatestudy/postgraduate-fees-and-funding
Provider information
University of Bedfordshire
Park Square
Luton
LU1 3JU