Debate contribution: Special Educational Needs Coordinators

Debate contribution by Ms Sinéad McLaughlin on 28 April 2026.

MLA

Ms Sinéad McLaughlin

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

28 April 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Special Educational Needs Coordinators

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5510271

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank the signatories to the motion for tabling it. The SDLP supports the motion. The debate that we are having this evening is really important. It is well known that we have a crisis in the delivery of special needs education. It is underfunded and under-resourced, and the workforce is under ever-increasing strain and pressure. Despite that, our SENCOs provide an immeasurable service to our young people in schools. They are the ones who ensure that best practice is maintained. They work hard to support subject teachers, to tailor lesson plans, to adapt materials, to implement individualised learning plans and to give children the acute and essential structured support that they need in order to thrive. Although our SENCOs are increasingly in need of support, that support is not forthcoming. SENCOs increasingly have to take time off work because they are stressed, burnt out or sick. They are juggling demands, because many are classroom teachers as well as being SENCOs. Despite being the backbone of SEN delivery in our mainstream schools, they do not receive the support that they need in those schools or in education more generally. Let us therefore be honest about the reality that we are facing. In the vast majority of cases, SENCOs are not just coordinators but full-time teachers who are trying to balance the demands of the classroom and increasingly complex administrative, pastoral and coordination responsibilities. That is not a sustainable model at all, so it is no surprise that many of them experience excessive workloads, pressure on their mental health and an erosion of their work-life balance. That is not good for anybody, particularly the kids in the classroom whom they love and cherish. I strongly support the motion's call for a review of SENCOs' workload and for serious consideration to be given to how we better structure and support their role, including by deciding whether, in some cases, a SENCO should be a non-teaching position. We also need to frame the discussion in a wider context. The pressures facing SENCOs are not happening in isolation. Rather, they are part of a broader system that is increasingly under strain. I agree with the UUP leader that there is a bigger picture to look at. We have to look at the issues from the very beginning of a child's life and at their engagement right through to the end of their education. We have to support them. Some type of cost analysis needs to be done. We increasingly talk about the cost to the system, but, in the long run, it is really a cost to society.

Shortcuts are never really what they seem when you are trying to make them. They can cost us all in the end. We can see how strained the system has become. In the past five years alone, there have been over 10,000 recorded instances of work-related assaults on teachers and classroom assistants. The number of incidents has risen significantly year-on-year. Dozens of teachers have required time off work whilst suspensions have also risen by almost 70% since before the pandemic and are up 20% in the past two years. Those figures are really stark, and our schools are dealing with increasingly complex needs, as I said, without the level of support that is required. In that environment, SENCOs are not just coordinating provision but are operating at the front line of a system that is at breaking point. It is in that context that the ongoing SEN reforms are being implemented. To be clear, reform, of course, is necessary. No one in the Chamber would argue that the current system is working well and as it should work for children with special needs. However, reform must not only be well intentioned but deliverable in practice, and what we are hearing from many in the system, including SENCOs, school leaders and support services, is a growing concern about capacity and the ability to deliver to the needs of the most vulnerable. As I said, we support the motion and we welcome the debate, but it is really action, Minister, that we are looking for.

687 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:31 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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