Nursery World - ‘Give SENCOs the time and resources they need to do their job’

With more pupils requiring SEND support in our primary schools, it is imperative that investment into the SENCO workforce is stepped up, says Professor Adam Boddison, at special educational needs and disability charity, Nasen.

Professor Adam Boddison: 'The SENCO's role is often not fully understood by school leaders'.

In May 2021, the Government published its latest data on the prevalence of SEND (special educational needs and/or disabilities) for schools in England.

For primary schools, the number of pupils with SEND has decreased by almost 4,000 between 2019/2020 and 2020/2021. However, this reduction has happened in the context of 55,000 fewer pupils in primary schools overall.

The reality is therefore a marginal increase in the proportion of pupils with SEND from 14.55 per cent in 2019/2020 to 14.64 per cent in 2020/2021. Similarly, the proportion of pupils with SEND with the most complex needs has increased both in nursery settings and primary schools.

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