Building specialist expertise in SEND

Nearly half of all early years providers believe that the attainment gap between disadvantaged young children and their peers has widened since 2020.

It’s an ambitious programme that wouldn’t be a reality without a shared sense of purpose across the early years sector, which can be seen in the national network of partners that deliver the programme across the country. Our programme is targeted
at local authority areas identified as having the greatest need. These areas are then closely evaluated following the programme, so we know it’s having an impact and delivering real value.

Early evaluations of the programme show very positive signs: 90% of participants state that the training has already had a positive impact on their own CPD, as well as their skill levels.

Networking is another benefit of the programme, with participants telling us that the programme gives them the chance to exchange best practice and perspectives with other SENCos and trainee SENCos around the country. In this sense, the programme
is already demonstrating a transformative impact on the way professionals manage SEND in early years settings.

The appetite from early years professionals has been enormous; thousands of early years SENCos have already been trained across England. Furthermore, despite there being a total of 7,000 fully-funded places available, these are expected to be filled soon.

One participant said: “The training has given me good knowledge and understanding surrounding the information for a SENCo, and this benefits the setting as I can support both children and staff through obstacles[...] and pass on the information I have received to staff, supporting them to make the setting a more inclusive and proactive place for children with SEND and their families.”

With so many trained early years SENCos already at work and many more currently being trained, the future is looking that little bit rosier.

More information on Best Practice Network’s Early Years Level 3 SENCo Qualification specification is available at https://www.bestpracticenet.co.uk/earlyyears-SENCO.