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SEND Practice for School Staff

Code of Practice literacy and support-staff practice for people already in schools, without printing QTS or the NPQ for SENCOs on the certificate.

Taught and assessed by

Sarah OkekeProfile pending contract

£399

or 6 monthly payments from £66.50, interest free

One price all year. We never run discount codes.

Next cohort

14 January 2027

Thursdays 19:00–21:00 UK, 10 weeks
Capped at 20 learners · about 6h a week

Reserve my place — 14 Jan 2027 Try a free masterclass first

30-day full refund if you attend the first session and it is not for you.

Included in the price

20 hours of live teaching with Sarah Okeke
Assessed work, marked by a named tutor with written feedback
Recordings of every session for catch-up
A credential on passing — not for attendance
Scope language for school appraisals and job applications
Signposting to the NPQ for SENCOs for staff who actually need that award

Other start dates

22 Apr 2027Choose →

Not sure it fits? Read who this is not for or the founding cohort terms.

Live teaching: 20h
Self-study: 40h
Duration: 10 weeks
Weekly load: ~6h

What you will be able to do

Use the SEND Code of Practice as a working document, not a slogan
Support pupils under a designated SENCO without impersonating that role
Read an EHCP well enough to work inside it, not rewrite it
State that this pass is not QTS and not the NPQ for SENCOs
Stop at diagnosis, which you will not do
Write a case that a SENCO could use in a review

Who this is for

Teaching assistants, pastoral staff and teachers already employed in a school
People whose school will not confuse this certificate with the designated SENCO award
Support staff willing to submit a case study that can fail for diagnostic overreach
Anyone who wanted the honest version of an autism-awareness diploma

Who this is not for

Anyone who needed QTS or the NPQ for SENCOs
Anyone planning to diagnose autism or another condition
Anyone whose person spec names the mandatory SENCO qualification
Anyone seeking a private 'SEND practitioner' identity with no school employer

What you need before you start

A school or setting context you can write about without identifying pupils
No QTS required — and none awarded

What you will actually learn

10 modules · 10 weeks · 20h live

Roles the law actually namesSENCO, teacher, TA and private tutor are different jobs. This certificate is none of the statutory ones.2h
Covered in this module
- QTS
- NPQ for SENCOs
- What this pass is not
- Who this is for
The SEND Code of Practice as a tool0 to 25, not a marketplace module title.2h
Covered in this module
- Graduated approach
- Assess, plan, do, review
- Working with families
- Your limits
EHCP literacy for non-SENCOsReading the plan so you can work inside it.2h
Covered in this module
- What an EHCP is
- What you must not rewrite
- Annual reviews you attend, not run
- Case study one
Autism in school, without diagnosis theatreSupport and environment, not a private diagnostic right.2h
Covered in this module
- Reasonable adjustments
- When CAMHS or paediatrics own the question
- Awareness versus role
- Language
ADHD, dyslexia and the other labels schools useProvision, not a weekend practitioner title.2h
Covered in this module
- What schools can put in place
- What they cannot diagnose
- Coaching families is a different Guild product
- Referral
Safeguarding and SENDThe overlap where a support-staff course does the most harm if it is vague.2h
Covered in this module
- Your school's policy
- When DSL owns the work
- Recording
- Practice cases
Working under a designated SENCOThe relationship that makes this course safe.2h
Covered in this module
- What to take to the SENCO
- What not to freelance
- Parents who want you to be the SENCO
- Case study two
If the destination is the SENCO roleQTS first, then the NPQ, then three years. We are not that pathway.2h
Covered in this module
- Who the NPQ is for
- Funding via schools
- Why we will not print the award
- GOV.UK, not us
Private 'SEND practitioner' marketingWhy we will fail a bio that sounds like a school job you do not hold.2h
Covered in this module
- Directories
- Tutors versus teachers
- ADHD coaching as a different product
- Marked copy
Assessment clinicLive review of case studies against the rubric.2h
Covered in this module
- Common fails
- Identifying pupils
- Resubmission
- Monday morning in school

Dates and timetable

SEND Practice for School Staff runs as a live cohort over 10 weeks. Pick the start date that fits — every cohort gets the same tutor, curriculum and assessment.

Upcoming cohorts of SEND Practice for School Staff
Starts	Live sessions	Cap	Status and action
14 January 2027Ends 18 Mar 2027	Thursdays 19:00–21:00 UK, 10 weeks	20	Choose this date →
22 April 2027Ends 24 Jun 2027	Thursdays 19:00–21:00 UK, 10 weeks	20	Choose this date →

How you are assessed

A school-facing case study of 1,800 words and a written scope note, marked by Sarah Okeke against a published rubric covering Code of Practice literacy, working under a SENCO, and diagnostic limits. Written feedback with one free resubmission. Work that claims the NPQ, QTS or a right to diagnose does not pass.

Our accreditation applications are in progress. We do not display an accreditation mark before it is granted — see the current status.

After you pass

Scope language for school appraisals and job applications
Signposting to the NPQ for SENCOs for staff who actually need that award

What is SEND practice for school staff?

Live, assessed training for teaching assistants, pastoral staff and teachers already in a school: Code of Practice literacy, EHCP reading, and working under a designated SENCO. It is not QTS. It is not the NPQ for SENCOs. It does not create a right to diagnose. A diploma that claimed those things would be selling a school job, not teaching one.

Can this programme make you a SENCO?

No. In maintained mainstream schools in England the SENCO must be a qualified teacher, or the headteacher, working at the school. New SENCOs must complete the NPQ for SENCOs within three years of appointment. A ten-week cohort cannot be that qualification, and the certificate will not print the award.

Sources

SENCO national professional qualification — GOV.UK
SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years — GOV.UK

Does this programme award qualified teacher status?

No. QTS is awarded through teacher training and assessment that we do not provide. Support staff can still become more useful in SEND provision without becoming teachers. If the person spec names QTS, buy teacher training. If it names the NPQ for SENCOs, buy that from a listed NPQ provider.

How is this different from an autism-awareness diploma?

Case work is marked by a former SENCO who will fail diagnostic overreach and role impersonation. The certificate names QTS and the NPQ as routes we do not award. An awareness PDF can still help a parent. It cannot tell a school whether you knew this was not the designated SENCO job.

Common questions

Why not just call this SENCO training?

Because the mandatory qualification is the NPQ for SENCOs, and SENCOs must be qualified teachers. We teach support-staff practice and say so.

Can I diagnose autism after this?

No. Diagnosis is clinical. Awareness and school support do not create that right.

I want to coach families of neurodivergent adults — is this the course?

No. See ADHD Coaching Practitioner. That is still not diagnosis and not a school job.

Can I pay in instalments?

Yes. Interest-free plans total exactly £399.

Published 13 Aug 2026Last reviewed 13 Aug 2026 by Sarah Okeke, QTS

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