‘Stretched… like butter scraped over too much bread ’—The Senco role in Sweden, England, Ireland and Austria

An ecosystemic analysis in evolving inclusive and special education policy landscapes

Bibliographic Data

ID21723213
AuthorsJonas Udd (0000-0003-0352-3600, Department of Education and Special Education University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden), Tristan Middleton (0000-0001-8111-3856, School of Education, Health and Science University of Gloucestershire Cheltenham UK), Johanna Fitzgerald (0000-0002-0863-9162, Department of Educational Psychology, Inclusive and Special Education Mary Immaculate College Limerick Ireland, corresponding author), Michelle Proyer (0000-0002-0100-7154, Department of Education and Social Work Université du Luxembourg Belval Luxembourg)
Year2026
Volume26
Issue2
Publication date2026-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Research in Special Educational Needs (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1471-3802 • E-ISSN: 1471-3802
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/1471-3802.70088
OpenAlexW7155020065
LanguageEN
References cited65

This paper offers a comparative analysis of the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) role or equivalent, across Sweden, England, Ireland and Austria. Framed by Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory, the study investigates how inclusive education is characterised in policy and practice, and how the SENCo role is defined, enacted and supported within each jurisdiction. A hybrid methodological approach, combining a Most Similar Systems Design (MSSD), document analysis and the Walt and Gilson Policy Triangle, enabled analysis across the ecological system. Findings reveal that national policies vary considerably in how inclusion is defined and operationalised. The SENCo role is consistently complex and multi‐layered, though its status, statutory recognition and professional preparation differ markedly. England and Sweden offer formalised structures, whereas Ireland and Austria lack explicit policy recognition, leading to inconsistent school‐level enactment. Across countries, rising specialist provision, diagnostic cultures and governance pressures generate contradictions that SENCos must navigate, positioning the role within a wider wicked problem of inclusive education. The paper argues that the SENCo role should be understood as a central integrative figure within educational ecosystems, rather than a sole agent of inclusion and calls for coherent alignment across system layers and sustained policy and professional investment to support inclusive schooling

Corporate governance · Education policy · Policy analysis · Special education · Statutory law · Collaborative Teaching and Inclusion · Global Educational Policies and Reforms · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

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