A survey of Greek general and special education teachers’ perceptions regarding the role of the special needs coordinator: Implications for educational policy on inclusion and teacher education

The present study explored the perceptions of Greek general and special primary teachers regarding the role and the professional characteristics of special needs coordinators (SENCOs). According to the responses of the 466 participants, each school should have a fulltime SENCO, who should have both teaching experience in general schools and specialization in teaching students with SEN, and also be able to deal with all types of SEN. SENCOs’ responsibilities include evaluating and directly teaching students, counselling teachers and parents, contributing to in-service training of staff, and undertaking initiatives for program enrichment and knowledge dissemination.

Research highlights
► Greek general educators believe that each SENCO should teach about 8 students for about 7 h per week.
► Greek general and special educators agree on the areas of SENCOs’ specialization.
► General educators lay increased emphasis on the educational provision offered by SENCOs’.
► Diagnosis and teaching of students with SEN should be full responsibility of SENCOs.