For Nearly 3 Years, SENCOs Can Hold Their Role Without Training – No Wonder ADHD Kids Are Failed
ADHD isn’t new, we’ve just been misunderstanding it for centuries. But today, one of the biggest failures lies in the very system meant to support these children. In many schools, the person responsible for coordinating special educational needs, the SENCO, can hold that role for almost three years before completing any mandatory training. Parents often assume that SENCOs are fully trained experts, but the reality is that many are learning on the job, with little understanding of ADHD or how to properly support a neurodivergent child.
This lack of expertise means ADHD children are too often misunderstood, mislabelled, or left without the support they desperately need. And it’s not because these children can’t succeed, it’s because the system they’re forced into was never designed for them.
ADHD isn’t new, we’ve just been misunderstanding it for centuries. But today, one of the biggest failures lies in the very system meant to support these children. In many schools, the person responsible for coordinating special educational needs, the SENCO, can hold that role for almost three years before completing any mandatory training. Parents often assume that SENCOs are fully trained experts, but the reality is that many are learning on the job, with little understanding of ADHD or how to properly support a neurodivergent child.
This lack of expertise means ADHD children are too often misunderstood, mislabelled, or left without the support they desperately need. And it’s not because these children can’t succeed, it’s because the system they’re forced into was never designed for them.
ADHD Has Always Been Here
People often think ADHD is a modern condition caused by fast-paced lifestyles, screen time, or bad parenting. That couldn’t be further from the truth. ADHD has always been part of humanity. The difference is that, in the past, society gave children far more freedom to move, explore, and learn by doing, which naturally suited ADHD brains.
Generations ago, children weren’t expected to sit still at a desk for 6 hours a day until they were 18. Many were working in fields, factories, or learning trades alongside their parents from a young age. They were hands-on, constantly moving, and involved in real-world tasks that gave them a sense of purpose. Their energy and curiosity were strengths, not problems to be “fixed”.
People often think ADHD is a modern condition caused by fast-paced lifestyles, screen time, or bad parenting. That couldn’t be further from the truth. ADHD has always been part of humanity. The difference is that, in the past, society gave children far more freedom to move, explore, and learn by doing, which naturally suited ADHD brains.
Generations ago, children weren’t expected to sit still at a desk for 6 hours a day until they were 18. Many were working in fields, factories, or learning trades alongside their parents from a young age. They were hands-on, constantly moving, and involved in real-world tasks that gave them a sense of purpose. Their energy and curiosity were strengths, not problems to be “fixed”.
When Schooling Became Mandatory
Things began to change with the Factory Acts and the Education Act of 1870, which forced all children into formal schooling. For children who didn’t learn in a traditional academic way, this was the start of being labelled as “difficult” or “disruptive.” By 1902, terms like “abnormal defect of moral control in children” were used to describe behaviours that we now understand as ADHD traits.
These children weren’t morally defective, they were simply trapped in a rigid system that didn’t suit their natural way of learning. Fast forward to today, and not much has changed. Our education system still expects children to sit quietly, follow strict rules, and be judged almost entirely by test results. For ADHD children, this can be soul-destroying.
Things began to change with the Factory Acts and the Education Act of 1870, which forced all children into formal schooling. For children who didn’t learn in a traditional academic way, this was the start of being labelled as “difficult” or “disruptive.” By 1902, terms like “abnormal defect of moral control in children” were used to describe behaviours that we now understand as ADHD traits.
These children weren’t morally defective, they were simply trapped in a rigid system that didn’t suit their natural way of learning. Fast forward to today, and not much has changed. Our education system still expects children to sit quietly, follow strict rules, and be judged almost entirely by test results. For ADHD children, this can be soul-destroying.
The SENCO Gap
The SENCO, the Special Educational Needs Coordinator, is meant to be the key support for children with SEND. But here’s the shocking truth: a teacher can step into this role with no training whatsoever, and they have up to three years to gain the mandatory qualification.
This means a parent might sit down with a SENCO to discuss their child’s support plan, only to be speaking to someone who doesn’t yet understand ADHD, autism, executive functioning, or even the basics of SEND law. While many SENCOs are passionate and do their best, they’re often left learning on the job, and children suffer because of it. Without early and informed intervention, ADHD children can quickly become disengaged, labelled as lazy or naughty when they are anything but.
The SENCO, the Special Educational Needs Coordinator, is meant to be the key support for children with SEND. But here’s the shocking truth: a teacher can step into this role with no training whatsoever, and they have up to three years to gain the mandatory qualification.
This means a parent might sit down with a SENCO to discuss their child’s support plan, only to be speaking to someone who doesn’t yet understand ADHD, autism, executive functioning, or even the basics of SEND law. While many SENCOs are passionate and do their best, they’re often left learning on the job, and children suffer because of it. Without early and informed intervention, ADHD children can quickly become disengaged, labelled as lazy or naughty when they are anything but.
ADHD and the NEET Crisis
It’s no surprise that so many ADHD teenagers become NEET, Not in Education, Employment or Training, after leaving school early. If your entire school experience has been about being told you’re not trying hard enough, why would you stay? The system is not failing because of these children, it’s failing them.
We know ADHD brains thrive with creativity, movement, curiosity, and hands-on learning. Instead of nurturing those strengths, schools often push children into a single mould. When they don’t fit, they’re left behind, often leaving education without qualifications or confidence.
It’s no surprise that so many ADHD teenagers become NEET, Not in Education, Employment or Training, after leaving school early. If your entire school experience has been about being told you’re not trying hard enough, why would you stay? The system is not failing because of these children, it’s failing them.
We know ADHD brains thrive with creativity, movement, curiosity, and hands-on learning. Instead of nurturing those strengths, schools often push children into a single mould. When they don’t fit, they’re left behind, often leaving education without qualifications or confidence.
A System That’s Not Fit for Purpose
ADHD isn’t the problem. The problem is an outdated education system that hasn’t evolved since the Victorian era. Imagine an education model that truly embraced neurodiversity, one that valued practical skills, creativity, emotional intelligence, and problem-solving just as much as academics. A system that prepares children for real life, not just exams.
Until we make that shift, we will continue to see ADHD children slipping through the cracks, misunderstood, unsupported, and wrongly labelled as failures, when in reality, the system has failed them.
We must stop blaming ADHD children for not fitting into a broken system and start fixing the system to fit them.
ADHD isn’t the problem. The problem is an outdated education system that hasn’t evolved since the Victorian era. Imagine an education model that truly embraced neurodiversity, one that valued practical skills, creativity, emotional intelligence, and problem-solving just as much as academics. A system that prepares children for real life, not just exams.
Until we make that shift, we will continue to see ADHD children slipping through the cracks, misunderstood, unsupported, and wrongly labelled as failures, when in reality, the system has failed them.
We must stop blaming ADHD children for not fitting into a broken system and start fixing the system to fit them.
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