National Award SENCo (NASENCO) PG Cert Education (Special Educational Needs Coordination)

Teaching and Learning

You are taught through a combination of interactive workshops, lectures, seminars and virtual as well as face to face discussions and practical activities. Interactive workshops take a variety of formats and are intended to enable the application of learning through discussion and small group activities.  Seminars enable the development of topic understanding covered previously in interactive sharing and developing of new ideas. Individual and group project work also forms a key aspect of course learning

In addition, meetings with personal academic tutors are scheduled at least once prior to each assignment undertaking.

The University places emphasis on enabling students to develop the independent learning capabilities that will equip you for lifelong learning and future career progression, as well as academic achievement.  A mixture of independent study, teaching and academic support from Student Services and Library Services, and also the personal academic tutoring system enables you to reflect on progress and build up a profile of skills, achievements and experiences that will help you to flourish and be successful as a SENCO.

Contact time

Overall, each module consists of:

• 4 x 8 hours of face to face or blended learning sessions
  
  
• 2 x 1 hours of group and individual tutorials
  
  
• 8 hours per week in preparation for assignments and completing pre-session readings and preparatory tasks.

Independent self-study

Typically, for each module lasting over a twelve-week period, you are expected to complete in the region of 170 hours of independent learning. Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including the Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment (VLE, Blackboard), and extensive on-line learning resources, for example an extensive reading list that provides links to the latest pertinent research in the field. 

As the PG Cert SENCO is premised upon research-informed, autonomous professional enhancement, much of the independent self-study component of the course entails the professional consideration and implementation of actions associated with the Department for Education’s NASENCO Learning Outcomes Framework.

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or ‘formative’ assignments. The assessment process prepares participants to meet the Department for Education (DfE) Learning Outcomes Framework. The assessment items promote critical reflection on your current professional practice and seek to bring about practical, positive change in your setting through a process of analysis, change and review. The aim is to bring about an ever-inclusive culture within your setting so that learners identified with SEND are enabled to reach their potentials

Assessments are supported with reference to a portfolio of evidence which illustrates how your practice is informed by reflection and the application of research pertaining to special educational needs. Assessment has several facets including presentations, posters and formal academic writing. For course participants with specific learning requirements there is also scope to negotiate the nature of assessment to facilitate learning outcome attainment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or ‘formative’ assignments. Over the duration of the course, iterative completion of the DfE Learning Outcomes Framework also forms part of the assessment process. The following overview provides an indicative overview of the assessment process:

Module 1:

Peer generated presentation focused on one of the dimensions of SEND

Written assignment to explore implications of an area of SEND

Written assignment based on implications of pertinent policy and legislation.

Module 2:

Extended reflective project exploring the nature of inclusive change leadership in an educational setting.

Feedback will be provided on practice assessments and on formal assessments undertaken. Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with personal academic tutors and module tutors.

Duration

• First option, full academic year September to June
• Second option, two semesters, first beginning in January and finishing in December.

Location of teaching

All sessions are provided at the University of Worcester or are made available online via the University Virtual Learning Environment, which is Blackboard.

Teaching staff

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes Dr. Seán Bracken a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and Gareth Dart a Fellow of the HEA.   Invited specialists and practitioners are invited to complement the learning experience.

Feedback

You will receive feedback on formative assessments and on formal summative assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with module tutors as appropriate.

We aim to provide you with feedback on formal course work assessments within 20 working days of hand-in.

Programme specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest programme specification document.