The Strategic SENCo by Kenny Wheeler
The Strategic SENCo presents a clear, intelligent and pragmatic guide for school leaders who want to strengthen their SEND provision through deliberate planning, reflective leadership and evidence-informed practice. Its value lies in the way it reframes the SENCo role from operational fire-fighting to strategic influence. The writing is accessible but rooted in practical realism, making it relevant for both experienced leaders and those newly transitioning into strategic SEND leadership.
Strengths of the Book
Precision in Explaining the Strategic Role
The book excels at distinguishing between operational SEND management and genuine strategic leadership. It makes the case that SENCos must shape culture, systems and professional learning rather than simply respond to daily urgencies. This clarity is essential for school leaders who struggle to define the boundaries of the role or to leverage its full potential.
Robust Focus on High-Quality Teaching
A recurring theme is the centrality of high-quality teaching as the first line of intervention. The book situates SEND leadership within whole-school pedagogy, ensuring that leaders do not treat inclusion as a bolt-on. This alignment strengthens consistency and encourages staff to view SEND as part of everyday practice rather than specialist territory.
Effective Use of Coaching Approaches
One of the most compelling sections is the guidance on coaching colleagues. The emphasis on questioning, listening and self-scaffolding provides leaders with a structured approach for reducing dependency and strengthening staff autonomy. This is particularly valuable in settings where the SENCo is routinely relied upon to solve problems that should sit within classroom practice.
Practical Planning Tools
Chapters on project logic, deliverables, critical success factors and performance indicators offer a coherent framework for planning and evaluating strategic action. Unlike many leadership texts, the book avoids abstraction and provides tools that can be immediately applied within a school improvement cycle.
Reflection Prompts that Deepen Professional Judgement
The high volume of reflective questions encourages leaders to interrogate their behaviours, assumptions and priorities. These prompts support genuine professional growth rather than superficial compliance, enabling leaders to refine their influence with greater intentionality.
Why Leaders Will Find It Useful
Supports Coherence Across the School
The book helps leaders create systems that support SEND provision consistently rather than through isolated initiatives. This is vital for schools seeking sustainable change rather than rapid but short-lived improvements.
Encourages Distributed Leadership
The sections on working with middle leaders and empowering teaching assistants demonstrate how SEND leadership must be shared across the organisation. Leaders who want to build collective responsibility for inclusion will find these insights particularly helpful.
Addresses Real-World Constraints
The author recognises the realities of time, competing priorities and unpredictable daily pressures. The advice is therefore pragmatic rather than idealistic, and acknowledges that strategic development must co-exist with operational demands.
Points for Further Consideration
Some readers may desire a more explicit link to national policy frameworks or case studies illustrating long-term impact across different school types. However, the adaptable nature of the guidance means leaders can readily apply it within their own context.
Final Thoughts
The Strategic SENCo is a timely and compelling resource for leaders who want to elevate SEND provision beyond traditional administrative boundaries. It provides conceptual clarity, actionable tools and a strong emphasis on professional behaviours that shape whole-school culture. For school leaders committed to building inclusive, evidence-informed and sustainable practice, this book is a highly valuable addition to their professional library.