An exploration of how newly qualified SENCos understand their professional identity and implications for the ongoing development of the professional role

This study focuses on understanding the lived experiences of seven newly qualified SENCos from primary and secondary schools across the south-east of England as they experienced and exploredthe development of their new professional identity. The concept of professional identity is multifaceted (Ibarra, 1999; Beijaard et al, 2004), and this phenomenological study highlights the interplay between the participants personal and social identities with educational policies and wider world views.

Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) (Smith et al, 2009) was used to explore participants’understanding during two semi-structured interviews approximately 10 months apart. Hermeneutic circles of interpretation were used to gain rich insight into how individuals understood their professional identity before considering common and disparate themes expressed across this idiographic group. Four superordinate themes: the impact of relationships, shared responsibility, personal attributes and knowledge, emerged from the analysis.

During this study, factors that aided the development of newly qualified SENCos’ professional identity were highlighted, alongside those that created barriers. The unique insight provided through direct engagement with newly qualified SENCos illustrated the importance of developing the knowledge of all teachers and educational leaders regarding the role of the SENCo and highlighted how clarity around the role, careful recruitment and induction, and ongoing Continual Professional Development (CPD) can aid the development of professional identity and so increase the confidence of those in role.

These findings are compatible with several studies on the development of professional identity but also contribute an original idiographic perspective on the development of professional identity for newly qualified SENCos. This has implications for professional development and career pathways for individual staff and for recruitment and retention considerations for school leaders, local authorities, and policy makers.