SENDCo/Inclusion Lead
Inclusion and SEND Support at Norcot
"For my SEN child staff communicate very well as my child can't tell me about their day. They look after them very well and ask questions"
parent survey
What is SEND?
A child has Special Educational Needs if they have:
a) Significant learning difficulties in comparison to the majority of children of the same age
b) A disability which prevents or hinders them from using educational facilities generally provided for different children of the same age.
Special Educational Provision is provision which is additional to or different from the educational provision made for children of the same age in a mainstream setting within four key areas; Communication and Interaction, Cognition and Learning, Social, Emotional and Mental Health, Sensory or Physical Needs.
What does an Inclusion Lead Teacher & SENDCo do?
- Coordinating support for all children with SEND.
- Working with all members of the staff team to ensure they are aware of a child’s needs and are using effective strategies to support them.
- Ensuring parents are ALWAYS consulted in decisions and outcomes for their children.
- Liaising with parents and other professionals for children with additional needs.
- Supporting the staff team to ensure the curriculum is adapted to best meet the needs of children with SEND.
- Ensuring the graduated response of assess, plan, do, review is used to support children across the setting and that Personalised Education Plans (PEPS) are in place and reviewed.
- Organising assessment for children needing further support through an Education, Health and Care Plan and responding to statutory timescales for review.
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Norcot Nursery School
Kathryn SykesHello, my name is Kathryn Sykes and I’m the Inclusion Lead Teacher at Norcot Nursery School. I am a qualified teacher and SENDCo with extensive experience as a class teacher both within local mainstream settings and at a specialist provision. I ensure that Norcot has appropriate arrangements in place to support inclusive practice in line with the SEND Code of Practice (2014) and the Equality Act (2010).
I have taught, mentored trainee teachers and led training sessions on key interventions including Attention Autism, Sensory Processing Differences, supporting Communication and Language, Interactive Story Telling and Therapeutic Behaviour. I am passionate about supporting staff to personalise the curriculum to best meet the needs of every child and working alongside familiies.
You can contact me: SENDCO@norcot.reading.sch.uk
Waterside Day Care
Lisa McCoy
Waterside DayCare Manager/SENDco
Hello my name is Lisa McCoy and I have worked in Waterside Day Care with Norcot families and children for over 20 years.
Outside of Norcot I am a registered carer for children with additional needs for the last 16 years. I provide respite care for SEND children and their families so have wealth of experience in this area.
In 2021 I achieved my Early Years SENDCo Accreditation through Brighter Futures for Children. I support staff, children and familes in our Waterside Day Care building with SEND including support with EHCP's, Exceptional Funding and PEP's
Norcot Inclusion Charter
We believe that all children, regardless of background, heritage, language, faith, tradition, sexual orientation, being more able, being disadvantaged or those that have additional needs or barriers to learning who attend Norcot Early Years Centre should be included in all aspects of Centre’s life and have the best possible individual outcome. As part of this, we will ensure that:
- Our everyday practice reflects our diverse community, regardless of their background, heritage, language, faith, religion and individualities and we celebrate, value and embrace our differences.
- we support pupil premium and disadvantaged families by enhancing their children’s cultural capital experiences, and offering children experiences that they may not otherwise get the opportunity to participate in.
- we celebrate the uniqueness of every child and provide an accessible, relevant and motivating curriculum within our welcoming, warm and friendly centre.
- careful assessment and deep knowledge of each child enables the creation of a personalised response, celebrating individual strengths and achievements and identifying barriers to learning.
- we provide a personalised response through the provision of high quality, researched-based interventions.
- all pupils with SEND have a Personalised Education Plan (PEP) with SMART targets that are up-dated termly.
- we build relationships at a child’s level through our inclusive strategies such as intensive interaction, PECs and supporting sensory regulation.
- We provide further challenge and opportunities for those who are more able.
- We value and promote home language through building relationships with families and seek the support from interpreters when necessary.
- we work closely with families, listening to their concerns and ensuring they are supported and remain fully informed of their child’s progress, needs and any strategies we are using.
- we work closely with outside agencies seeking and applying their specialist advice to further enhance our personalised response.
- we create an inclusive environment across the nursery tailoring the indoor and outdoor classroom, the resources and adult response to meet the pupils individual need.
- our inclusive environment enables all children to feel safe and valued.
- our inclusive focus remains the responsibility of all of the staff team, creating a unified approach.
- all staff receive regular training to deepen their awareness of safeguarding and SEND needs to enhance their skills.
This will create inclusive culture that provides a nurturing environment which enables children to reach their full potential and where everyone’s mental health and well-being is at the core.