Government heavily invests in children with additional needs

Today the Department for Education (DfE) has announced that it will offer more support to school staff and families to deliver better opportunities for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The new plans set out by the DfE will aim to provide tailored support for children and young people with additional needs, focusing on their education, health and social care needs altogether for the first time.

Nearly £28 million will be pumped into projects that target families, staff and various organisations and groups to be given better advice and guidance about services and tools available for SEND children in order to raise standards to the highest level.

The Department has also developed new tools to create a job description and specification for Level 3 Early Years Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs). This will boost the profile of this important early years role to make sure children with additional learning needs get the right support from the earliest opportunity.

If you are considering a career in teaching or you want to focus on working with SEND children, the timing couldn’t be better after this announcement. SCCD Training provide excellent training in this area and offer a Specialist Diploma in Teaching Disabled Learners as well as a Diploma in Early Years Education. Both courses will only take a few months and will prepare you very well for teaching children with SEND effectively. These courses cover the theory, current framework and legislation you need to know about when working with these learners and you will also gain practical experience in one of SCCD’s partnering schools to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to become a high-quality SEND practitioner.

Once you have gained the diploma you can get further training to become a SENCO with the support of your employer. As stated in the job description above, you will be responsible for providing the best possible support for the SEND children in your care. SENCOs are normally senior members of staff as this role entails lots of extracurricular work like liaising with parents, therapists, health workers, social workers and keeping a coherent track record of how the school supports each of these children. Looking for a new challenge? These diplomas certainly will give your career a great boost.