PGCert National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination (SENCO)

Gain the National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination with flexible online and in-person study that fits around your full-time work.

New special educational needs coordinators are required to attain the National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination (SENCO) within three years of appointment in their roles.

On our PGCert SENCO programme, you will deepen your understanding of teaching and learning for all students, with a particular focus on supporting young learners with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), and being a successful leader in SEND education. You’ll reflect on, explore, and evaluate ways to meet an individual's needs through the appropriate educational provision. 

At the University of Reading’s Institute of Education, our experienced teaching staff will support you to hone skills that will be crucial in your work as a special educational needs coordinator. You will develop your SEND leadership profile and enhance the analytical skills you need to examine the evidence behind SEND provision in schools. You’ll strengthen your interpersonal skills, which will prepare you for working with a range of professionals, families, and young individuals. We also offer opportunities for you to grow a network of like-minded professionals in the field of SEND education.

In our teaching we focus on evidence-informed, work-based practice. In taught sessions and in your assignments, you will be encouraged to reflect on practice in your own school, and go on to inform this practice by undertaking a critical review of theory and recent research evidence. Completion of assignments regularly requires access to learners with SEND. 

You will benefit from interactive seminars with SEND and leadership experts, group work, work-based research, access to the University Library and online resources.

By the end of the programme, you will demonstrate the learning outcomes for special educational needs coordinators as set out in the Department for Education and Department of Health's Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years (DfE and DoH, 2015).

If you successfully complete the PGCert National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination at Reading, you’ll receive the National Award qualification as well as a Postgraduate Certificate worth 60 master’s-level credits, which can count towards a master’s degree.

Flexible study options

This programme is offered flexibly across the autumn and spring terms (October to April), with regular contact hours every two to three weeks.

Compulsory sessions are delivered online as live taught sessions, and there are options for guided and independent learning time to accommodate those who are working full-time. There are two additional optional study days scheduled to be held on campus or at distance via guided learning.

Students can only graduate with the award of Postgraduate Certificate and the National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination if they are a qualified teacher and possess either qualified teacher status (QTS), qualified teacher learning and skills status (QTLS), or early years teacher (EYT) status.

Your learning environment

The University of Reading's Institute of Education is ranked 9th in the UK for Education in the Guardian University Guide, 2023.

At the Institute of Education, you will join a thriving community of education practitioners and scholars. Our staff specialise in a wide range of topics relating to inclusive education, such as:

• special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), diversity and inclusive education
• education and social justice
• education policy
• education teaching and mentoring
• leadership and schooling of all ages, from early years to adult education
• language and literacy education
• maths education
• arts and music.

Our PGCert SENCO students come from local school communities as well as schools further afield. This gives you the ability to reflect on and compare local and national practice.

Our work is rooted in our local community of more than 400 partnership schools and educational settings, which we draw from for invited talks and mentor groups across the academic year.

Research expertise

The quality of our research was recognised in the latest Research Excellence Framework (2021), the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. 98% of our research is of international standing (REF 2021, combining 4*, 3* and 2* submissions – Education).

Find out more about our research