Can we hire a part-time SENCO?

Yes. A SENCO can be part-time: the SEND Regulations 2014 set no minimum hours, requiring only that every mainstream school has a designated SENCO who is a qualified teacher (or the head) working at the school. The SENCO (special educational needs coordinator) is the teacher responsible for day-to-day SEN provision (SEND Regulations 2014, reg 49). Hours are a capacity decision for the school, not a legal cap, so 0.2, 0.5 and 1.0 of a full-time post are all lawful.

What the law actually requires

The duty is about who and that the role exists, not how many hours it runs for. A mainstream school must designate a SENCO who is a qualified teacher working as a teacher at the school, or the head or acting head. Nothing in the regulations fixes a full-time post, a minimum number of days, or a non-teaching timetable. Anyone appointed new to the role since 1 September 2024 must also gain the NPQ for SENCOs within three years of starting (the legacy NASENCO award still counts if already held, or if finished by 31 August 2027) (DfE transition guidance, 2024). That qualification rule binds a part-time SENCO exactly as it binds a full-time one.

The catch: lawful does not mean adequately resourced

Being allowed to appoint part-time is not the same as being able to discharge the role at that allocation. The SENCO’s statutory duties — maintaining the school’s record of pupils with SEN, coordinating provision, advising on the graduated approach, liaising with parents and outside agencies, and overseeing the SEN information report — apply identically whether the post is 0.2 or 1.0. A part-time or shared appointment is only safe if the time you allocate is enough to actually do that work. If a 0.2 SENCO is carrying forty pupils on SEN support and a growing EHCP caseload, the arrangement is lawful on paper and failing in practice, and that gap is what an Area SEND inspection will find.

Set the role and the hours in writing

The decision on the SENCO’s role and how it sits within the leadership and management of the school rests with the governing board, or the proprietor in an academy (SEND Regulations 2014, reg 50). Use that determination to record the FTE, the protected non-contact time, and how the duties are covered — especially if you are sharing one SENCO across two sites or appointing on a fractional basis. Putting it in writing is what makes a part-time appointment defensible rather than just permitted.

This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.