With a growing number of special needs posts on the horizon, Patricia Slatcher outlines what it takes to be a co-ordinator
Hundreds of new jobs within the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships are set to come on stream in the next few years. All EYDCPs have been told they must employ a business and finance manager, one specialist early years teacher for every ten settings providing the Foundation Stage and one special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) for every 20 non-maintained settings, by 2004. They are also being encouraged to take on a childcare marketing manager to inform parents about Working Families Tax Credit and local childcare.
Getting started
Some EYDCPs, such as Peterborough, already have an area SENCO in place, so the new requirements are simply about developing what it already has. 'We anticipate our settings growing from 84 to around 90 by 2004, so we're basically looking for a team of four SENCOs,' says EYDCP lead officer Jenny Spratt. 'We have had one in place here for two years and it's obviously something to build on gradually. We would look first at qualified SEN teachers, but if we can't recruit from teaching or get any secondments, we would look at nursery nurses with SEN backgrounds.'
As a result of teacher shortages the posts could very well be opened up to other early years staff. But Jenny Spratt stresses, 'It's the SEN qualifications and experience that are key. It's not a post where we provide on-the-job training.'
However, this approach will vary across partnerships. York, for example, says it will be using existing specialist teaching staff for overall SEN co-ordination, but it also intends to train one SENCO for each of its 500 settings. 'We already have a network of local partnerships in place with the expertise needed,' explains York's early years and childcare manager, Heather Marsland. 'We'll be asking each setting to put forward someone who is interested in special needs and we will provide the training for the SENCO role.'
Peterborough's area SENCO is Cathy Ruffles. 'It was a new post when I took it up in 1998,' she says. 'I am a qualified SEN teacher and was working in pre-school settings with a team of specialist teachers. Before that I was teaching in a special school for children with severe learning difficulties. I qualified in 1983 with a B.Ed with Special Needs and went straight into it. If you're looking to work in this area in the future, you will need to get as much SEN experience as you can, across all types of settings.'
Average week
'I support around 35 children in various early years settings and visit them all regularly,' says Cathy. 'Frequency depends on need. Obviously when a child first moves into a setting, I am there more often to help with the settling-in period.
'Part of that involves setting targets and drawing up an Individual Educational Plan (IEP). In many aspects, it's similar to the way in which an individual SENCO would function within a school. You work with the child, their team of carers and sometimes the parents. It's often as much about providing advice and support to them as it is about providing expertise for the child's development.
There's a lot of on-going monitoring and reviewing and visiting settings in advance of Ofsted inspections, to help the team prepare. I also link up with the portage service and visit some children at home.
'Once a year, I also run a six-week course on the Code of Practice for all early years practitioners - that was new to me and I found it a bit daunting to begin with.'
Pros and cons
'I love the many different aspects to the job and the variety involved in seeing different settings,' says Cathy. 'It's opened my eyes as to the excellent standard of work that goes on in early years settings and I get immense satisfaction in feeling I'm contributing to that, particularly if some advice I've given to a support worker has helped and I've seen their confidence grow as they, in turn, have seen the child respond positively. I really like that.
'The only real drawback I've found is the frustration of not always being able to respond to problems immediately because of workload,' she says. 'People ring up for an appointment and it's sometimes weeks before I can fit them in. Dealing with so many different early years organisations can be a bit complicated too, but I don't think that's a bad thing.'
Pay and conditions
Cathy's average working day is from around 8.30am to 5pm. 'Hours are pretty structured, but I do take paperwork home sometimes, just because it's easier,' she says. 'I also like to keep up with the latest research and do a lot of background reading in my own time. The working environment is balanced between office and field and you do work as part of a team, but planning can be pretty much down to yourself.'
Holidays, pay and other benefits tend to be in line with teaching, with an area SENCO carrying an extra management point on the local authority teachers' pay scale.
Qualities needed
'Good organisational skills help,' says Cathy, 'but if like me, you're not a natural, don't lose your diary!
'Apart from that, you need to be adaptable, diplomatic and a good listener. Also, people often expect you to be able to provide all the answers because of the job you do. It's important not to be too hard on yourself when you find you can't.'
Further information
- Contact your local EYDCP and ask about future SENCO vacancies.
