SENCOs (Special Educational Needs Coordinators) are legally required in every school in the U.K. where they play a critical role in supporting pupils with special educational needs. Their challenges, from managing pupils, parents, and teachers, to dealing with school and local officials, make their jobs anything but easy.
Assisting in this endeavor is SENsible SENCO. Powered by WordPress and Paid Memberships Pro, the site is a centralized membership-based hub of resources, webinars, events, and bespoke consulting services for special education professionals. Abigail Hawkins, a twenty-five-year SENCO specialist, is the professional brain behind the website which was born from the challenges and frustrations she faced. Her husband Gavin Hawkins provides the technical expertise and strategic planning for the SENsible SENCO website; together they fill this critical gap.
The Pandemic Push
As if the normal challenges SENCOs face weren’t enough, during the COVID pandemic the U.K. government quickly issued new legislative changes to address Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND.) The guidance was developed with carers, authorities, health care professionals, early years providers, health boards, and advisors. However, as most government directives tend to be, it was bewilderingly complex.
Abigail already had a Facebook group called SENsible SENCO to support SEND professionals and a YouTube channel. Once the confusing government guidelines were issued, the group exploded from a few hundred members to six thousand. Abigail started to translate the bureaucratic verbiage into clear, easily accessible information that could be readily understood. As the body of information grew it needed a home, and SENsible SENCO was born under SENDCO Solutions.
Although the Hawkins did not set out to become entrepreneurs, a year later they registered SENsible SENCO as a Community Interest Company, a special type of limited company in the U.K. meant to benefit a social purpose or community, rather than focus on profit.
Over time, the demand for our services turned our passion project into a thriving platform that now supports thousands of professionals.
—Abigail and Gavin Hawkins, SENsible SENCO
Today SENsible SENCO boasts 13,000 members and has received several awards. They partner with other organizations that provide software, counseling, training, and other services to further strengthen the SEND community.
We needed a system that could handle tiered access, manage payments, and provide a seamless experience for both free and paying members.
Membership Structure to Support a Diverse Community
Gavin’s technical expertise and strategic vision allow for a robust system that can continue to grow as SENCO’s services evolve and expand. For this he chose WordPress, knowing that the open-source platform would allow for any customization needed to service the SENsible SENCO community. With WordPress’ flexibility, scalability, and affordability, the website can provide the volume of content it needs to deliver, while also managing membership.
We needed a system that could handle tiered access, manage payments, and provide a seamless experience for both free and paying members.
—Abigail and Gavin Hawkins, SENsible SENCO
The Hawkins also knew they needed a membership model to provide guidance for free members, and also offer premium content for those who could help support the site. With this approach, they ensure growth while not excluding any community members.
They found Paid Memberships Pro through online research; its reputation for functionality, customization, and affordability made it the solution they needed.
We discovered PMPro through online research while looking for the best WordPress plugin to handle membership tiers and content restrictions. Its reputation for flexibility and robust features made it a standout choice.
Gavin shared some of the specific features of PMPro that he finds particularly useful:
- Tiered membership levels, and membership management
- Integration with payment gateways
- Ability to restrict content, and ensure secure content
- Compatibility with other tools
- Simplifying billing
- Engagement tracking
- User experience for both admins and members
- PMPro’s Support, including documentation, forums, and one-on-one help
Gavin points to PMPro’s impact on membership growth, maintaining a sustainable model, and improved user engagement on the premium membership level. Website analytics show that webinar attendance, resource downloads, and site traffic have improved thanks to PMPro. He has also started implementing the Group Accounts Add On to create parent and child accounts to make membership more accessible via schools.
Our ability to grow from a simple Facebook group to a full-fledged platform supporting over 13,000 members wouldn’t have been possible without PMPro.
—Abigail and Gavin Hawkins, SENsible SENCO
However, on his PMPro wishlist are more robust reporting tools and more built-in automation for renewal reminders and engagement campaign communications.
Membership Tiers and Products
Above all, SENsible SENCO strives to make a difference by providing an accessible, collaborative, empowering space for SEND professionals. A rich library of accessible, affordable support is available via webinars, expert insights, guides and training materials, and partnerships with other leading ed-tech providers.
The Hawkins recognize that not all SENCOs can afford membership, however. Using a PMPro -powered tiered membership structure allows for supportive, instructive participation at any level. Some resources are free, and others are available for individual purchase.
Paid memberships, however, offer discounts on materials and services, and give back to supporting the community.
Free Membership Includes:
- Video library featuring topics from experts
- Resource library of curated resources from planning tools to classroom strategies
- Directory of intervention strategy programs
- Newsletter – includes first five sections of SEN Health Check series
Individual Membership (£5.00 /mo) Includes:
- Live webinars
- Access to recordings of webinars
- Monthly training sessions
- SEN Health Check via email
- SENCO Toolkit
- Book shop discounts
- Discounts on partner offers
- Upcoming member portal
School Membership (£79.00 /yr) Includes:
- All of the above, plus:
- Bespoke consultations and training
- Organizational planner
- All teaching booklets online
- Yearly SENCO planner for U.K. SENCOs
- Free live SENsible SENCO webinar sessions
- Discount on SENDCO Solutions services
- Second-level membership access for staff members
PMPro has been a game-changer…It’s given us the tools to grow our platform without sacrificing the quality of service.
Commitment to Reinvest in Community
SENsible SENCO’s mission is to promote inclusivity and collaboration to improve education for children with Special Education Needs. This commitment guides how they serve the community at all levels. Both Abigail and Gavin hold full-time jobs, making time management, clear goals, and community support critical. By utilizing the management features of Paid Memberships Pro they can handle these challenges and reinvest membership funding back into development and schools.
The impressive success of this supportive community endeavor, along with Abigail’s outstanding expertise, led to her being recognized by the U.K. government. She was recently invited to advise Parliament’s Education Select Committee on long-term sustainability for the SEND system to improve experiences and outcomes for SEN children and youth.
Our biggest achievement is creating a supportive community where SENCOs feel valued, empowered, and connected.
—Abigail and Gavin Hawkins, SENsible SENCO
