ABSTRACT
A semi-structured conversation schedule was adapted from some of the findings of the report on the implementation of the Code of Practice and from collaborative work with a local Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO). Sally Mowbray's 'concept map' reveals substantial information concerning the way in which she sees her role as SENCO in a mediumsized primary school. The audit revealed evidence of occupational overload on the SENCO in St Michael's Primary School, notably in managing Individual Education Plans. The absence of a clearly articulated policy statement regarding the statutory responsibilities of all classroom teachers in respect of SEN tended to make this situation inevitable. Several teachers interviewed suggested that, contrary to the National Curriculum Council's A Curriculum for All, which maintains that the starting point for intervention with SEN pupils is a recognition of the strengths that they bring to the learning situation, they were frequently seen in problematic terms.
