Exclusion and the strategic leadership role of Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCos) in England: planning for COVID-19 and future crises

A small-scale study investigated the role of SENCos in Englandimmediately prior to, during and following the first closure of schoolsnationally in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A mixed-methods research strategy comprising semi-structured interviewsand a national online survey generated data related to SENCos’involvement in strategic planning for crisis conditions, focusingspecifically on students with special educational needs and disabilities(SEND) and concerns about exclusionary practices. Findings suggestthat pandemic conditions have exacerbated familiar issues relatedto the SENCo role and SEND provision in English schools, such asengagement in reactive firefighting, onerous workloads, uneven SENCoinvolvement in strategic planning, and schools’ failure to prioritisestudents with SEND. Minimal evidence of ‘advocacy leadership’ or ofSENCos challenging exclusionary practices was found. As in earlierresearch, evidence was also found for disparities between anecdotaland published data relating to illegal exclusion

Key words: SENCos, strategic crisis planning, school exclusion,off-rolling