What is an SEN Manager?
Helping Students with Special Needs: An SEN Manager's Role
As an SEN Manager, you will be expected to help students with special needs and their families. You will need to understand how they learn best and what accommodations they may need to reach success. This article discusses the role of an SEN Manager and some tips on how you can start your career path now!
What is an SEN Manager?
The SEN Manager holds a vital role in any school, so it is essential to have the right person for the job. They should be highly organised and knowledgeable about different disabilities. It will also help if they've had the experience of working with children who have special needs before too. Their primary responsibility will be making sure that all students with special needs get the support and help they need in school.
What does an SEN Manager do?
The role of the SEN manager may be different depending on where they work and the school's focus. It is not uncommon for them to have an advisory or ‘chat' function, helping parents with queries about their child. They also provide support in liaising between families and schools and helping to organize and monitor school provision. Within a primary setting, they will also have an input into the design of the curriculum, liaising with teaching staff about what is being taught in class so that it can be differentiated for children with SEN.
How to become an SEN Manager?
The first step, which should be taken before anything else, is a thorough knowledge of the SEN system. The role responsibilities and legal powers need to be understood. These are fundamental factors in determining how successful one can become at their new job.
To do this, it would be helpful to read up on the latest legislation and policies concerning special educational needs.
Once you have done this, three possible routes can be taken: either apply for a teaching job with SEN responsibilities; apply for an existing role within another school that involves working with children who have specific learning difficulties; or, as a third option, take up an internship with the local authority.
What does it take to become an SEN Manager?
An SEN Manager is someone who:
- has a good understanding of individual differences
- keeps up to date with any new legislation on children's rights and how schools should be supporting students' progress
- knows what extra resources each student will require, such as specialist equipment or learning tools
- liaises with the parents to discuss any concerns they may have and how best their child can be supported at school
- ensures that all students' needs are met through an individualised curriculum and collaborating closely with other staff members such as teaching assistants or classroom teachers.
This person is often a member of the Senior Leadership team and is critical in making sure that all students' needs are met. As well as this, it is essential to make sure the SEN Manager has time for their own development to read about new teaching strategies or undertake research on children with special education needs.
In summary, the SEN manager must have:
- sound knowledge about children with special needs
- good organisational skills and be able to schedule things in their diary effectively
- strong communication skills, both written and verbal, so they can communicate well with parents as well as other members of staff. They should have excellent IT skills too so that they can keep track of all students' progress.
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How do I become an SEN Manager?
There are many routes into SEN management, but the main road is working in a special educational needs school. Another way is to apply for an external post advertised by local authorities (LA) or independent schools (IS). By working as a teacher in one of these settings, your training and experience will be particularly relevant when applying for these SEN management roles.
The requirements for becoming a good SEN Manager vary greatly depending on the type of role you intend to pursue. For example, you may require experience in education, an understanding of special needs children, and working with them. You may also need skills in budget management or counselling and the ability to communicate effectively both orally and written.
Can I become an SEN Manager as a recent graduate?
The short answer is yes! However, previous experience working in SEN would be advantageous. These days, as people are graduating at any age, it is highly likely that you will have sufficient experience to take up a role at this level if you have worked in a management position previously. There are some things to consider though; as someone who has potentially just started their professional life in education, it could be daunting to think about developing an entirely new skill set when you have so much on your plate already. However, the benefits of becoming an SEN Manager outweigh any concerns you may have and allow you to make a real difference in children's lives.
What qualifications do you need to become an SEN Manager?
To get a role like this, you'll need at least three years of teaching experience, and preferably some kind of management (i.e. head of subject) experience for two or more years. You'll also need to hold an appropriate teaching qualification, such as QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) or PGCE.
Even though a job like this is challenging, it's also enriching! The feeling of being able to help students with special needs achieve their potentials makes all the challenges along the way worth it.
SEN Managers need to be incredibly dedicated. They often spend hours after school working on reports or other paperwork that needs their attention.
How to find an SEN Manager for your school?
A school's Special Educational Needs (SEN) manager can be found in many different ways, such as networking, advertising or even word of mouth recommendations from other teachers/managers. Once you have your list of requirements, draw up an advert for the role and post it in education publications, relevant websites, or the local press to get your recruitment process started.
You may also want to consider advertising on a specialist job board such as Senploy, which specialises in targeting SEN professionals. Or special education recruitment agencies can be found online, for example, by searching 'SEN teacher agencies' on Google. Remember, though, these agencies will charge a fee to the school for their services.
Applying for SEN Manager jobs
Applying for SEN Manager jobs can be a tricky process. You want to make sure you highlight your skills and experience:
- Include relevant experience that shows you can manage all kinds of students. This could be managing a class or mentoring others. Still, it is important to demonstrate an ability to work with everyone.
- Highlight the skills you have acquired through your education and previous jobs which make you well suited for this position. For example, if you have experience with special needs students, you should definitely include this.
- Show how your skills and experiences would serve the school well to continue to provide a good education for their students. What do you bring that is different from what other applicants might? How will it help them achieve success?
- Mention things about yourself that make you a great candidate. This could be anything from your unique personality to particular interests or hobbies that will help you connect with the students and staff more easily.
- Don't forget about explaining any gaps in employment! If it has been a while since you were last employed, as long as your training and DBS are up to date, there is no reason why you shouldn't be considered for the job. Most education provisions want someone who will invest themselves fully into the team and be committed to helping the school succeed, after all!
- Do your research ahead of time so that you have something specific to mention about how your experience fits with what they are looking for in a candidate.
Conclusion
We hope you found this blog post informative and that it answered some of your questions about the role of an SEN Manager. If not, please feel free to reach out to our team to answer any additional queries you have!
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Updated: Feb 2024
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