Job Title: Childminding Assistant - SEND Lead (SENCO)
Pay Rate: Level 2 £12.10ph
Level 3 £12.28ph
Responsible to: The Childminder
Hours: 2x Part time Roles Split over Monday - Friday varying set start and finish times between 8:30am-5:30pm
Start date: When checks and training are complete (estimated February/March 2025).
Overview of Duty: The role of the childminding assistant - SEND lead is to assist the childminder in the day-to-day management of the childminding provision and lead on SEND responsibilities and requirements.
Job Purpose: All children are entitled to an education that enables them to:
● achieve the best possible educational and other outcomes, and
● become confident young children with a growing ability to communicate their own views and ready to make the transition into compulsory education
All early years providers are required to have arrangements in place to identify and support children with SEN (Special Educational Needs) or disabilities and to promote equality of opportunity for children in their care.
The Early Years SENCO role involves:
● ensuring all practitioners in the setting understand their responsibilities to children with SEN and the setting’s approach to identifying and meeting SEN
● advising and supporting colleagues
● ensuring parents are closely involved throughout and that their insights inform action taken by the setting, and
● liaising with professionals or agencies beyond the setting
Key Responsibilities: Key Responsibilities include, but are not limited to –
● ensuring all practitioners in the setting understand their responsibilities to children with SEN and the setting’s approach to identifying and meeting SEN
● work with the manager of the setting to regularly review the SEN and disability policy and practice
within the setting and agree how it will be implemented.
● be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the setting’s SEN policy, and for coordinating
provision across the setting.
● implement SEN support and the graduated approach of: assess, plan, do, review to meet the
outcomes identified for the child
● support individual practitioners in implementing the approach for individual children.
● meet the requirements for record-keeping in a way that supports a participative decision-making
process.
● draw on a range of sources, including the views of the child, supported by reliable evidence of effectiveness, to inform their advice.
General Responsibilities:
● To assist the registered childminder in providing a safe, secure loving environment where the children’s needs are paramount.
● Playing with and providing activities for the children within the philosophy of the provision.
● Understand and commit to the philosophy of the provision based on gentle and respectful communication, child centred learning, consent based governance, play discipline.
● Help the children to feel safe and secure.
● Support the children to learn and develop by providing balanced non coercive learning opportunities.
● You will be required to become aware of, and possibly review some of your communications with the children. Subtle coercive communication as well as any other type of wording and language that infringes upon the autonomy and self esteem of the children is not used in the setting.
● Complying with the requirements of the EYFS and Childcare Register.
● Support and guide children using the EYFS.
● Engage and connect with parents and families.
● Complying with Health and Safety at Work legislation.
● Cleaning and following procedures required to maintain a healthy environment.
● Risk assessing and keeping children safe.
● Maintaining confidentiality for staff and children and comply with the requirements of the Information Commissioners Office regarding Data Protection.
● Attending ongoing training (in-house and courses) to support CPD.
● Upkeep child safeguarding requirements and training.
Essential Criteria: The experience, knowledge and skills which are essential to carry out main duties successfully: -
● Level 2 or 3 SEND training.
● A commitment to safeguarding children.
● Warm, gentle, non coercive interactions with children.
● Willingness to attend ongoing training.
● Willingness to attend regular supervision meetings.
● Willingness to help create open communications.
● Open to offering challenges and giving truly honest feedback.
● Willingness to support the emotions of the children in the setting.
● Respect for the views and needs of children as autonomous capable individuals.
● Trust in children’s natural processes for emotional processing and learning and development.
● Familiarity with all policies and procedures relating to TreeBug Childminding.
● Current Enhanced DBS
● Paediatric First Aid Certificate
● Food Hygiene Certificate
● EYFS Training
● Safeguarding Training