Abstract:

This paper presents findings from a national survey and interviews conducted with Special Education Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs) in primary schools across Ireland. Despite the recent developments and policy proliferations in inclusive and special education in Irish schools, the role of the SENCO has not been acknowledged or formalised in Irish policy (Fitzgerald and Radford 2017). Consequently, little guidance is available on how the role should be fulfilled. Previous research suggested that the expectation of being an ‘expert’ can result in SENCOs feeling lonely (Curran and Boddison 2022) and left isolated, tackling challenging school issues. This research study adopted Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory (1979) and Jordan’s Relational-Cultural theory (2017) as the overarching theoretical frameworks. These frameworks theorise the impact of relationships and context on the wellbeing of SENCOs, as well as to comprehensively explore the wellbeing of SENCOs and the factors that impact upon their wellbeing.

Data from this two-phase research study were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings revealed that the lack of formal recognition for the role of the SENCO is negatively impacting upon the relationships between SENCOs and staff members, and parents; thus, impacting upon their wellbeing and job satisfaction. Similar to previous research, SENCOs felt under pressure to be the expert of SEN in their school context to both staff members and parents. This expert view of SENCOs created additional pressure and stress for many, as well as isolating them from other members of the school staff. The establishment of a Special Educational Need (SEN) team within the school context, helped to provide collaborative opportunities between SENCOs and Special Education Teachers (SETs), thus elevating some of pressure and workload for the SENCO. These findings provide an insight into the wellbeing of SENCOs in Irish primary schools and the importance of collaborative approaches to ease the overwhelming workload and expectations of SENCOs.

Keywords:

Special Educational Needs Coordinator, SENCO role, wellbeing, Ireland, primary schools, educational leadership.