The SENCO Bottleneck: Why the Role Is Becoming Impossible in Caring Schools

The SENCO Bottleneck: Why the Role Is Becoming Impossible in Caring Schools

From School Behaviour Secrets with Simon Currigan and Emma Shackleton by Beacon School Support

February 2, 2026 · 27 min · Season 1 · Episode 264

About this episode

This episode discusses the increasing difficulties faced by SENCOs in schools and the implications for SEND and SEMH support.

In many schools, the SENCO role has become the pressure point where everything ends up - SEND, SEMH, behaviour, parent concerns, paperwork and managing crises and pupil outbursts. And when that happens, how SEND and SEMH is supported across the school starts to break down. In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, you’ll learn why the SENCO job has become increasingly difficult even in caring, well-intentioned schools - and why this isn’t about individual failure. You’ll see how a range of...

People in this episode

Hosts: Simon Currigan, Emma Shackleton

Topics covered

  • SENCO role
  • SEND support
  • SEMH challenges
  • school behaviour
  • educational pressures

Keywords

  • SENCO
  • SEND
  • SEMH
  • school behaviour
  • educational challenges

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Beacon School Support

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