When should a school use an interim SENCO?

Use an interim (acting) SENCO whenever the SENCO post is temporarily empty -- a vacancy, sickness, or maternity leave -- because a school must always have a designated qualified-teacher SENCO and cannot leave it unfilled.

Why the duty forces the interim answer

In a mainstream school in England, the governing body or academy trust must ensure there is a qualified teacher designated as SENCO, or that the role is held by the head teacher or acting head teacher working at the school (the SEND Regulations 2014, regulation 49; SEND Code of Practice 6.84). That duty does not pause when the post-holder leaves or goes on leave. So an interim SENCO is simply the lawful way to keep the role filled through a gap. The situations that call for one are the everyday staffing realities:

• A resignation or sudden vacancy -- the SENCO has left and recruitment will take a term or more.
• Long-term sickness or maternity / parental leave -- the substantive SENCO is still in post but absent.
• A recruitment or training lag -- you have appointed a new SENCO who has not yet started, or who is still completing the qualification.

The qualification rule rarely blocks interim cover

Schools often assume an interim SENCO must already hold the National Professional Qualification for SENCOs (the NPQ for SENCOs, mandatory for newly appointed SENCOs since 1 September 2024, which replaced the older NASENCO award). They usually do not. A newly appointed SENCO has three years from appointment to gain it, and anyone who has already been a SENCO for more than 12 months in total is exempt (regulation 49). That is why experienced staff and external interim SENCOs can step in straight away.

It cannot be vacant in practice, only on paper

The mistake schools make is treating the title as enough. The post cannot be left functionally empty: an interim SENCO must actually carry the statutory functions -- coordinating SEN provision, the school's duties around children's EHCPs, and the SEN information report -- not just hold the name on the staff list. Record clearly who the designated SENCO is during the gap and how those duties are being met. The whole point of an interim arrangement is to keep the role running, including the duty around being a qualified teacher, not to stand it down until a permanent appointment lands.

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