Nursery World - Special expertise

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.

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.'

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