Early Years Special Education Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO)

The Special Education Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) is responsible for the day to day operation of the setting’s Special Educational Needs/Inclusion Policy to ensure that children with Special Educational Needs are fully included into the early years setting.

This post is fixed term from February - July 2019 and thereafter such to funding.  The interviews will be held on Wednesday 23 January 2019.

The SENCO has responsibility for:

• ensuring liaison with parents and other professionals in respect of children with special educational needs (SEN)
• advising and supporting other practitioners in the setting
• ensuring that Individual Education Plans are in place
• ensuring that relevant background information about individual children with special educational needs is collected, recorded and updated
• making applications to Statutory Assessment Panels about individual children with more complex special educational needs

Main Duties:

To keep a profile of children with special educational needs.

To observe and support children as appropriate on the special educational needs profile.

To support and advise Key Workers, Learning Support Assistants etc. as appropriate, on how to include children’s needs in the setting.

To liaise with other settings e.g. schools

To liaise with other professionals from outside services and external agencies e.g. Pre-school Education Team Teachers, Health Visitors, Educational Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Speech and Language Therapists, etc.

To arrange, organise and review support for individual children.

To keep Key Workers and Learning Support Assistants up to date with SEN and inclusion issues and to encourage personal development through courses and training.

To meet with parents regularly in order to maintain good relationships and to keep parents informed about their child’s progress.

To respond to changes in legislation and practice

To organise relevant training for staff in the early years setting.

To review individual children’s IEPs termly as appropriate.

To write detailed education reports about individual children for other professionals and parents (including Statutory Assessment Panel applications)

To review statements via annual and interim review meetings.

To develop and share knowledge of resources (equipment, books, materials and knowledge of possible strategies.)