The role of the early years SENCO is evolving. Today's special educational needs and disabilities co-ordinators, also referred to as SENDCOs, are now more likely to be part of senior leadership teams.
They are expected to understand a range of developmental disorders such as autism, ADHD, Down's syndrome, genetic conditions, language delay versus language disorder and speech sound delays. And, along with their colleagues, they are supporting more families with referrals for toilet training, weaning, behaviour and other development concerns previously dealt with by health visitors.
‘The role comes with a great deal of responsibility,’ explains Sophie Hutton, lead SENCO and owner of The Nest, a specialist SEN nursery in Bolton. ‘SENDCOs are often a lifeline for families in a time of long waiting lists and poor access to services – and without their hard work, and the dedication of their early years teams, so many families would be without access to support services and interventions.’
NEED FOR REFORM
Despite the fact that ‘huge changes’ are needed to ensure that SENCOs are well equipped for their role – the new Level 3 SENCO qualification does not cover ‘all aspects of the SENDCO role’, Hutton says – some ‘incredible practice’ is emerging as early years SENCOs develop new ways to support children and their families, following on from the challenges of the pandemic.
The increasingly high levels of support needed for children with SEND – there has been a 10 per cent increase in referrals to speech and language therapy services alone in the last year – has led to some nursery groups employing full-time, qualified, out-of-ratio SENCOs.
The SEND code of practicecurrently stipulates that there must be a named SENCO in every PVI setting, although there is no obligation for them to be qualified.
Hutton, who oversees a team of three SENCOs, one in each of the mainstream Canterburys Nurseries which are on the same site as The Nest, says it is ‘essential’ for them to be out of ratio with flexible timetables. She says, ‘They must be on hand for any crisis presentations where children need immediate interventions and support.’
In large and medium settings, managers or deputy managers usually take on the role. But in smaller settings, the SENCO is more likely to be in ratio, which can cause difficulties.
For example, Hutton says that in her local area in Bolton, early years settings are required to assess children using Wellcomm, the speech and language toolkit, and deliver two cycles of interventions for three months at a time before the NHS speech and language therapy service will even consider the referral that has been made.
‘If the SENDCO is counted in ratios, this could be difficult to deliver,’ she says.
KEY ATTRIBUTES
Being a SENCO requires a sound knowledge of child development. This is a prerequisite ‘before beginning to explore delayed or disordered development’ and going on to identify children in need of additional support – and what next steps to take, explains Hutton.
SENCOs also need to support practitioners to adapt their practice and maintain parent partnerships, through what can be a ‘difficult journey’, according to Alice Collard, Snapdragons’ quality and training manager, which is why experience in managing difficult conversations, and having a caring and empathetic side, are an ‘important skill’.
A key part of being the SENCO is to be a role model for practitioners, so ‘well-developed leadership skills and the ability to lead by example’ are useful, Hutton says.
Snapdragons’ SENCOs – two of whom are full time and eight do the role alongside their deputy manager duties – are ‘in the nursery modelling outstanding practice and high-quality teaching’, Collard says.
GRADUATED APPROACH
One of the key aspects of the SEND code of practiceis the four-stage process ‘assess, plan, do, review’, known as a graduated approach of meeting the needs of children with SEND. This process begins as soon as concerns have been identified.
Although the code makes it clear a child's key person is responsible for working with a child with SEND on a daily basis, the SENCO's role is to support and advise them.
‘It's a collaborative approach at Snapdragons,’ explains Collard. ‘Our SENCOs work alongside practitioners, supporting them with assessments and observations. They work with the management team to identify areas for development in practice and provision. For example, if the manager highlights that improvements could be made during transitions, the SENCO works with practitioners to create visual aids or adapt routines.’
WHOLE SETTING APPROACH
At London Early Years Foundation (LEYF), support is given through daily pedagogical conversations and role modelling appropriate interventions that support children's learning and development.
Maria Goncalves, the SEND manager, trains and coaches all 39 SENDCOs across the group – all of whom work within the senior leadership team and alongside the setting manager – and supports them with funding applications, referrals to external professionals and intervention strategies.
She says, ‘We support colleagues by coaching them and helping them understand their responsibilities in delivering best SEND practice following the graduated approach.’
At Kids Planet, which has 137 settings across 42 local authorities, the SENDCOs – either deputy managers or pre-school room leaders – work closely with nursery managers to ensure a holistic, whole-setting approach.
Becky Ekersley, SEND team lead, says, ‘They liaise with the team of three, field-based SEND support workers for advice and guidance on effectively implementing the graduated approach, in line with the SEND code of practice, and they ensure that our SEND policy is embedded into everyday nursery operations.’
IDENTIFYING SEND
When it comes to helping colleagues understand the setting's approach to identifying SEN, training is key, particularly for apprentices and less experienced practitioners, who need a lot of guidance and support before being allocated a key child with more complex needs.
At Kids Planet, SENCOs disseminate training at monthly team meetings and signpost practitioners to core training such as understanding SEND processes within the group; individual education plans; observation and strategy and sensory awareness.
‘There's also a host of strategy resources and practical videos to support practitioner knowledge on SEND practices, when needed,’ explains Ekersley. ‘And we ensure there's a constant visual reminder of the company's SEND ethos, pedagogy and vision, by having a display board with relevant information from the local authority, along with the setting's SEND vision.’
At LEYF, SENCOs are supported to plan and deliver forums, meetings and training sessions to disseminate good practice, and SENCOs are given opportunities to critically evaluate their own practice. Through the LEYF training academy, staff also receive training on appropriate interventions and how to identify SEND through meaningful observations.
Goncalves says, ‘Within the forums, we discuss challenges that SENDCOs face in their setting, and we share ideas on how to overcome them. All staff understand that they are responsible for the progress of all children.’
OUTSIDE PROFESSIONALS
SENCOs work in partnership with a range of outside professionals – from speech and language therapists to portage workers, local authority area SENCOs, Start Well co-ordinators, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, as well as educational psychologists.
Once a child has been seen by an outside professional, the SENDCO receives a report outlining their visit and their recommendations.
At Snapdragons, therapists visit the nurseries on a termly basis to observe children with more complex needs in a social environment.
‘This is a great opportunity for the SENCO to liaise with them and update their targets,’ Collard says. ‘They often do a focused session with the child, which the SENCO will usually attend and shadow.’
It is ‘imperative’ to create effective working relationships with outside professionals, Ekersley says.
‘Nursery SENDCOs are encouraged to use their local authority's Local Offer to make appropriate links with their Area SENDCOs. Having their contact details, knowing which professionals are involved with the children and families, obtaining their reports and holding regular team-around-the-family meetings is a challenge but an important part of the role. Over time, these key professionals become part of the SENDCOs’ day-to-day professional colleagues,’ she adds.
EMOTIONAL SUPPORT
A lot of emphasis is placed on team support. Wellbeing is also high on the agenda in many nurseries, with Kids Planet offering colleague chill-out areas to retreat to if staff are feeling overwhelmed. There is also a wellbeing manager on hand for emotional support via email and social media, as well as the My Health Assured App, which offers counselling and relaxation techniques.
Managers at Snapdragons carry out regular supervisions with the team to discuss what support is needed, and SENDCOs work closely with the key person to find strategies and approaches that work for children displaying higher needs.
‘We create calm, cosy and dark spaces for the children to access and we have sensory rooms in some of our nurseries. We also put risk assessments in place for individual children, which the SENCOs take the lead on while working with the manager, key person, and parents,’ explains Collard.
CASE STUDY: integrated working at The Nest
The Nest, based at Canterburys Nurseries, is a specialist SEN nursery in Bolton, caring for up to 12 children per day with five full-time staff, including a speech and language therapist, early years SENCO and fully qualified teacher.
Lead SENCO and owner of The Nest, Sophie Hutton, oversees a team of three SENCOs, one in each of the mainstream Canterburys Nurseries, along with her deputy manager and SENCO-in-training at The Nest. She is also a trained autism specialist and speech and language therapist and has devised a SEN training programme for all members of staff, as well as a graduated response method to support SENCOs to understand what steps need to be taken – and when.
‘As the lead SENCO I facilitate all of the assessments and interventions with outside agencies as well as any meetings with parents. I spend most of my time in The Nest, but I also support mainstream schools to develop their SEN practices and interventions. Each member of staff is involved in their own key children's journey and attends meetings and assessments with professionals such as NHS speech and language therapists, community paediatricians and educational psychologists.
‘We provide detailed information about the child's strengths and needs to the Bolton Social Communication Interaction Panel, the team that manage the autism diagnostic process. We ensure that our families are well supported and have the time and space to process this. We are on hand any time of the day – and night if needed – for a cuppa and chat or a cuddle and a cry. We also do this for all children undergoing any diagnostic assessments.
‘Our children require a collaborative approach to make progress. For example, I cannot work on speech, language or communication if my child's sensory needs are not being met as they will not be able to participate to their best of their ability. Therefore, we work closely with a sensory integration OT who develops a sensory diet for each of our children. We ensure this is delivered prior to any speech and language therapy and, in the most effective cases, we integrate the sensory integration therapy into our speech and language therapy sessions.
‘Being knowledgeable about the services and things that are available for our children in our local area has been instrumental in providing support for our families. We don't just work with professional agencies, we recognise that some children struggle with day-to-day tasks. Therefore, we aim to support families by having an autism specialist barber who cuts the children's hair every six weeks; we take the children swimming on a weekly basis; and we visit the supermarket to support children who find this overwhelming.’
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