Early years staff looking to specialise in supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) will soon be able to access a qualification specifically designed for them.
The development of such a qualification by 2018 was a Government commitment in the early years Workforce Strategy, published last April. The criteria for the Level 3 early years SENCO qualification have now been developed by a working group convened by the Department for Education. Members included nasen, Action for Children, and SEND consultants and training organisations.
Early years SENCOs will not be required to hold the qualification; it has been developed to support settings and staff who want to improve their practice, says Alex Grady, education development officer at nasen. ‘It was a deliberate decision to set it at Level 3 rather than Level 5, because you don’t have to be at graduate level to work in early years,’ she explains.
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