Skills bootcamps to ramp up in West Midlands

According to recent data published by the Department for Education, a total of 18.4% of children in England have special education needs, up from 17.3% from the 12 months previous.

In response to that, Realise - a UK early years training provider - has launched its first ever SENCO Skills Bootcamp for nursery practitioners.

A total of 95 nursery practitioners will be delivered across the country, including 25 in the West Midlands Combined Authority area, which includes Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, and Wolverhampton.

The 12-week online course will also be delivered in West of England and Hertfordshire after funding was provided by the relevant Combined Authorities.

Anyone enrolling for the programme must have signed up by January 10, be working in early years and have a full and relevant Level 3 early years qualification.

Karen Derbyshire, Operations Director for early years at Realise, said: “This is a crucial course to help early years settings and their staff meet the growing demand for support around special education needs.

“We are seeing an increasing number of children presenting to nurseries with additional needs and either not receiving the support they require or not receiving a diagnosis because the services are being pushed to the limits.

“This is an opportunity for practitioners to secure important additional training and for nurseries to upskill their staff and provide a vital function for the children attending the setting and their families.

“As well as the all-important SENCO training, the course also provides additional support to help practitioners continue their career development, from leadership skills to advising on how to deal with difficult conversations and supporting their own mental health and that of others.”

Learners successfully completing the Skills Bootcamp will receive a Level 3 NCFE Cache Award for SEN Coordinators in early years settings.

The training will ensure successful learners will end the course being able to identify and support children with a variety of special educational needs, know how to access and secure relevant funding for additional support and be confident implementing effective strategies and techniques tailored to individual children within the setting.

While the majority of the course is funded, there will be a small cost of 10% for an SME and 30 % for a large setting for each practitioner enrolled.

Anyone interested in signing up for the Skills Bootcamp should contact Sarah-Jayne.Kidd@realisetraining.com

Realise works with more than 1,000 nursery settings and over 2,500 early years learners on apprenticeships, Skills Bootcamps and other qualifications.