Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) Job Description
Job Title
Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) / Early Years Practitioner
Contract details:
Contract details:
This role is offered as a Full-Time position (35+ hours per week) or Part Time position (20+ hours per week). We are happy to discuss flexible working patterns that work for the individual and the Nursery.
Full Time Preferred, Part Time considered | Permanent | Year-round
This role is offered on a Full-Time basis (35+ Hours per week) but we welcome applications from candidates seeking part-time hours, with a minimum of 20+ hours per week. We are happy to discuss flexible working that works for you and the Nursery.
Reports to:
Room Leader, Senior Supervisor, Nursery Deputy Manager and Nursery Manager
Role Overview
The SENCo is a qualified Early Years Practitioner who combines the normal duties of a Nursery Practitioner with additional responsibilities for coordinating support for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
The SENCo is responsible for helping to ensure that children with emerging or identified additional needs are recognised at an early stage and receive appropriate support to enable them to participate fully in nursery life and make progress.
The SENCo will work across Kings Castle Montessori and Kings Lodge, as required, to promote consistent and inclusive practice across both settings.
The SENCo remains subject to the separate Nursery Practitioner Job Description. All normal practitioner responsibilities, including safeguarding, supervision, care routines, curriculum delivery, record keeping, teamwork, cleaning and maintaining the nursery environment, continue to apply unless management has specifically allocated time for SENCo duties.
Qualification and Experience Requirements
The SENCo must:
· Hold a full and relevant Level 3 Early Years qualification or higher.
· Have completed, or be willing to complete within an agreed period, appropriate Role of the SENCo training.
· Have at least three years’ experience within an Early Years setting, including experience of supporting children with special educational needs.
· Maintain the training and continuing professional development required for both the Nursery Practitioner and SENCo elements of the role.
A Montessori qualification is desirable but not essential.
Allocation of SENCo and Practitioner Time
The SENCo will normally spend approximately four to ten hours per week carrying out designated SENCo duties. The actual time allocated will vary depending on:
· The number and needs of children receiving SEN support.
· The number of children being monitored for emerging needs.
· Current assessments, referrals, review meetings and funding applications.
· Staffing levels, ratios and the operational needs of the nurseries.
Management will determine how the SENCo’s hours are allocated and may vary the balance between practitioner duties, administrative SENCo duties and direct work with children.
All practitioners are expected to understand and make use of SEN-friendly activities and inclusive practice. However, because of their additional knowledge and experience, the SENCo may be asked to:
· Work directly with individual children or small groups on specific SEN activities.
· Observe children and carry out or assist with developmental and SEN-related assessments.
· Model appropriate strategies and activities for other practitioners.
· Support children during transitions, routines or activities which they find particularly challenging.
· Temporarily or regularly provide one-to-one supervision and assistance for a child who requires additional support.
The SENCo must therefore be flexible and work collaboratively with management regarding deployment, priorities and the needs of individual children.
General SENCo Responsibilities
The SENCo will:
· Oversee the day-to-day implementation of the settings’ Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Policy.
· Coordinate provision for children with SEN, in consultation with nursery management, room leaders, key persons and parents.
· Work across Kings Castle Montessori and Kings Lodge to support consistent SEN provision.
· Maintain an understanding of the needs of children receiving SEN support or being monitored for emerging needs.
· Undertake additional training where required, including training relating to autism, ADHD, speech and language needs, sensory needs or other specific conditions.
· Attend SENCo network meetings, relevant training and professional events and provide feedback to the management team.
· Keep their knowledge of local and national SEND procedures, guidance and support services up to date.
Leadership, Staffing and Organisation
The SENCo will:
· Promote inclusive practice and support the early identification of emerging or additional needs.
· Advise practitioners on the graduated approach to SEN support.
· Work closely with room SEN representatives, key persons, room leaders, senior supervisors and management.
· Provide practical guidance, resources and examples of suitable strategies and activities.
· Support staff to understand their responsibilities towards children with SEN.
· Attend and contribute to staff meetings, training events, conferences and professional discussions where required.
· Be available for occasional meetings or training outside normal working hours, with reasonable notice.
· Escalate concerns about provision, staffing, resources or a child’s wellbeing to management promptly.
Education, Curriculum and SEND Provision
The SENCo will:
· Support key persons and other practitioners to prepare, implement and review Personal Learning Plans and other SEN support plans.
· Help staff establish suitable, measurable and realistic targets for children with SEN.
· Monitor the effectiveness of interventions and recommend changes where appropriate.
· Support staff to plan, deliver and evaluate activities and resources which promote children’s progress and participation.
· Observe and assess children where appropriate, using approved nursery or professional assessment tools.
· Work directly with children where their additional expertise is required.
· Create and maintain an SEN resource pack for each room, including activity ideas, visual resources, flashcards, equipment and practical guidance.
· Support practitioners to adapt activities, environments and routines so that children with SEN can participate as fully as possible.
· Recognise each child as an individual and help ensure that their needs, strengths and abilities are supported and developed.
· Promote practice which meets the requirements of the EYFS, Ofsted and the nursery’s policies and procedures particularly in relation to children with SEN.
· Support transitions between rooms, settings and schools, including preparing and sharing relevant information with consent.
Safeguarding, Health and Wellbeing
The SENCo will:
· Demonstrate a daily commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
· Help maintain a strong culture of safeguarding throughout both settings.
· Remain alert to safeguarding concerns, including concerns which may be more difficult for children with communication or developmental needs to express.
· Complete and maintain the safeguarding training required by the nursery.
· Record and escalate safeguarding concerns promptly in accordance with nursery procedures.
· Maintain confidentiality in relation to children, families and staff.
· Obtain appropriate consent before sharing information with external agencies, except where safeguarding procedures require information to be shared without consent.
· Complete or contribute to individual risk assessments where a child’s needs make this appropriate.
Care Routines and Children’s Wellbeing
The SENCo will:
· Support staff to understand how a child’s additional needs may affect meals, sleep or rest, toileting, personal care, transitions and other daily routines.
· Help staff adapt routines for children with SEN where appropriate while maintaining children’s dignity, safety and inclusion.
· Support SEN children’s emotional wellbeing through responsive and nurturing care.
· Help staff recognise emotional needs, signs of distress, sensory overload or dysregulation.
· Model and recommend appropriate strategies to support the emotional regulation of children with SEN.
· Provide direct or one-to-one support where required and agreed by management.
Parents, Carers and Professional Partnerships
The SENCo will:
· Build respectful and professional relationships with the parents and carers of children receiving SEN support.
· Work in partnership with parents of children with SEN to understand their child’s strengths, needs, routines and development.
· Ensure parents receive regular and clear information about their child’s progress and support.
· Support key persons and other practitioners when discussing SEN-related matters with parents.
· Respond professionally to parental questions and concerns and escalate significant matters to management.
· Meet with parents to discuss observations, assessments, support plans, referrals and progress.
· Support or lead review meetings as appropriate.
· Arrange and lead Team Around the Family meetings where required, record agreed actions and follow up those actions.
· Work with the Nursery Manager or Deputy Manager when liaising with external professionals, including:
o The Area SENCo.
o Health visitors.
o Speech and Language Therapy services.
o Early Help services.
o Educational psychologists.
o Social care.
o Schools and other early years providers.
o Designated teachers for looked-after children.
o Other health, education or support professionals involved with a child.
· Contribute to referrals, professional reports, plans and review meetings.
· Ensure that information is shared accurately, proportionately and with appropriate consent.
Administration, Compliance and Ofsted Readiness
The SENCo will:
· Maintain compliance with the EYFS, Ofsted requirements, nursery policies and relevant SEND procedures.
· Maintain an accurate and up-to-date SEN register or monitoring system.
· Ensure that SEN documentation is confidential, organised, current and readily available for authorised inspection.
· Support practitioners to complete SEN paperwork accurately and within required timescales.
· Review SEN documentation and raise any omissions, delays or quality concerns with the relevant practitioner or manager.
· Complete, update and file nursery records and correspondence concerning children with SEN.
· Provide appropriate monitoring documents for key persons to use where a child may have emerging additional needs.
· Coordinate information from parents, practitioners and external professionals regarding children with SEN.
· Liaise with management regarding the admission and settling of children with additional needs.
· Support transition planning between rooms, settings and schools.
· Advise management about eligibility for SEN inclusion funding or other available support.
· Assist with funding applications and advise on the appropriate use of allocated funding for SEN children.
· Contribute to Education, Health and Care needs assessment requests and Education, Health and Care Plans where required.
· Support nursery audits, action plans, quality improvement work and reviews of SEN provision.
· Contribute to relevant staff training, supervision and appraisal discussions particularly with reference to supporting children with SEN.
· Support the Nursery Manager and Deputy Manager during Ofsted inspections, local authority visits and other quality assurance reviews.
Training Requirements
The SENCo must complete the training required under the Nursery Practitioner Job Description together with appropriate SENCo-specific training, which may include:
· Role of the SENCo.
· Autism awareness.
· ADHD awareness.
· Speech, language and communication development.
· Equality and diversity.
· Promoting inclusive practice.
· Dyslexia awareness.
· Dingley’s Promise training.
· The graduated approach to SEN support.
· Personal Learning Plans and target setting.
· SEN funding and referral procedures.
· Relevant BCP Council training, webinars and SENCo network meetings.
· Any additional training identified by management in response to the needs of individual children.
Flexibility and Review of Duties
This job description identifies the principal duties of the role but is not intended to be an exhaustive list.
The SENCo may be required to undertake other reasonable duties consistent with their qualifications, experience and level of responsibility. Duties, working arrangements and the allocation of SENCo hours may be amended by management to reflect changes in children’s needs, staffing, legislation, nursery operations or regulatory requirements.
Benefits:
- Company events
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
- Employee mentoring programme
- Free flu jabs
- Health & wellbeing programme
Work Location: In person
