New SENCO qualification coming in Autumn 2024
In March 2023, the Government announced that a new mandatory NPQ SENCO qualification will be replacing the current NASENCO award. This will come into effect from September 2024 as part of its SEND and alternative provision improvement plan.
This represents a significant change to the current SENCO training landscape and will bring the NASENCO away from being a standalone qualification, aligning it more closely with the other leadership NPQs. The Government has now confirmed that the NPQ SENCO will take 18 months, plus a 3-4 month assessment window. There will still be the same three-year period to complete the training, once you have started in the role.
It’s worth noting that this means the earliest intake who will gain the new qualification will do so by August 2026 (December 2026 for anyone that needs to re-take). The NASENCO is currently the swiftest way to become a qualified SENCO. Real Training’s NASENCO course offers start dates in July and August.
The course will cover the following main areas:
- School culture
- Statutory framework
- Identification of need
- Teaching
- Behaviour
- Leading and managing provision
- Professional development
- Implementation
You can find more details in the published DfE NPQ SENCO framework.
Is Real Training delivering the NPQ SENCO course?
We are delighted to confirm that we are offering the new NPQ SENCO course. We’ve teamed up with Teach First to bring you a flexible, blended learning course, full of practical and tangible examples, led by highly experienced tutors.
Join our SEND mailing list to be first in the know about further course dates as they are released throughout 2025.
The Government is still recommending that delegates sign up for the NASENCO qualification. For anyone looking to undertake training in the short term, you can find more useful information on our NASENCO course page.
What are the National Professional Qualifications (NPQs?)
NPQs are a set of voluntary, national qualifications designed for teachers at all levels that typically last twelve or eighteen months. In the words of the DfE, the NPQs are designed to “support teachers and leaders to develop expertise in specialist areas of teaching and school leadership.” There are currently eight NPQs, all of which have been independently reviewed by the EEF (Education Endowment Foundation).
In September 2023, the Government released a high-level framework for what the new qualification will cover. You can read the Government’s framework for the NPQ SENCO as a pdf here.
What does this mean for current, qualified SENCOs?
The Government has made it clear that it is not a requirement for existing SENCOs who have completed NASENCO to retrain (or those who were already in the role prior to 2009).
Do new or aspiring SENCOs have to take the NPQ SENCO?
It depends on the timing. SEN Coordinators who started in the role in 2023 or who plan to start in 2024 are being advised to take the NASENCO as long as they sign up before the new Autumn academic term.
Alternatively, they could choose to wait for the NPQ, but they must sign up to it by Spring 2025.
If you have already enrolled in or started a NASENCO course in the 2023/2024 academic year, the Government will continue to recognise your award, so long as you complete it within three years of having stepped into the SENCO role.
Currently, you can undertake NASENCO training without being the named SENCO in your setting. It for the NPQ SENCO qualification.
How will it be funded?
The Government has confirmed that funding for the Autumn 2024 cohort will be available for teachers and school leaders in state-funded settings in England. You can find out more on their NPQ funding page.