Early Support and Area SENCos (Inclusion and Specialist Support Team)

Service details

Who are we?

Early Support Specialist Teachers and Area SENCos (special educational needs coordinators) are one part of Hackney's Integrated SEND Services known as the Inclusion and Specialist Support Team.

We work directly with children aged 0-5 years old with SEND, their families and carers, and Early Years settings including Childrens Centres, and private, voluntary, and independent settings. 

We also provide a range of training to these settings and to Early Years staff in schools.

What do we do?

All Early Years settings have a named setting SENCo. The Specialist Teacher/Area SENCo and settings SENCo work together to support children with SEND.

Each setting has an allocated Specialist Teacher/Area SENco with a caseload of around 25 settings.

They can advise and support parents and carers and provide specialist teaching and interventions to help with child development.

The team supports children with SEND to make the transitions from nursery to primary school successful. 

What must the setting SENCos do?

Each setting is responsible for the “Assess, Plan, Do, Review” cycle.

  • Identifying children with possible SEN (Assess)
  • Bringing parents and professionals together for meetings (Plan)
  • Writing a support plan and setting targets relevant to the child’s development and ensuring interventions and strategies are delivered (Do/Doing)
  • Monitoring progress (Review)

The setting's SENCos must also...

  • As part of the child’s records, keep all paperwork including any reports and advice from external professionals and written support plans that record the actions taken as a result of advice.
  • Refer children who need additional support to appropriate services such as; Speech and Language Therapy, Community paediatrics, CAMHS, or Occupational Therapy
  • Signpost parents to relevant support services

How does the Specialist Teacher/Area SENCo support children, parents, and settings?

The Specialist Teacher/Area SENCo can:

  • Support setting SENCos to understand their responsibilities and how to carry them out
  • Observe children who have been referred to the Early Support Team,
  • Share observations to give recommendations and contribute to writing achievable targets for children
  • Assist the setting SENCos to identify the most appropriate interventions and support for the child
  • Directly work with setting staff and children to share and model strategies for those with complex needs
  • Provide information and resources e.g. SEN support plans and Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) assessment requests to support setting SENCos to complete SEND paperwork.
  • Deliver core and bespoke training to a setting or groups of settings as needed
  • Signpost settings and parents to available services
  • Share examples of good practice

Parents or setting staff can contact the service for the contact details of their named Area SENCo.

SEND Local Offer

Local Offer Age Bands
Early Years and Pregnancy 0-4
Parents and Carers
SEN Provision Type
  • Targeted
  • Specialist

Who to contact

Contact Name
Cimone Brown
Contact Position
Lead Specialist Teacher for Early Support
Telephone
020 8356 1906 (Office Term Time) 020 8356 1906 (Office Term Time) 0208 820 7000 / option 4 0208 820 7000 / option 4
E-mail
cimone.brown@hackney.gov.uk

Where to go

Name
Hackney Integrated SEND Services
Address
Hackney Service Centre
1 Hillman Street
Hackney
London
Postcode

E8 1DY

View E8 1DY on a map
Venue Notes

Buses: 30, 38, 55, 106, 236, 242, 253, 276, 277, D6

Train: London Fields, Hackney Central, Hackney Downs

Limited disabled parking in Hillman Street and Reading Lane. 

Other details

Referral Details

Setting's staff or parents and carers can contact the service to discuss the needs of children in pre-school settings or provision. 

A referral form is avaible in the download section of this page. 

What to do if you have a complaint

If you have feedback about this service, something you liked or were not happy with,
you can talk to the person who worked with you or, if you feel more comfortable, a
service manager. They will try to help sort out any problems.

If you are still not happy with the service you can raise your concerns formally. This
means someone who is not part of the service will look at your feedback or concern
and see if anything can or needs to be done to help make things better.

If you need to make a formal complaint you can use the London Borough of Hackney complaints procedure.

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Disclaimer

Read our disclaimer - important information about Hackney SEND Local Offer and FIS

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