National SENDCo Day 2026
National Eary Years SENDCo Day is dedicated to professionals who help ensure every child receives the support they need to thrive. This year, it falls on Friday 9th October.
Best Practice Network is the organisation that is proud to have established the annual day which recognises the ‘extraordinary contribution Early Years SENCOs make to children, families, colleagues and settings across England.’
At St Michael’s Nursery, we aim to provide high-quality care and education for all our children thereby giving them a strong foundation for their future learning. We create a safe and happy environment with motivating and enjoyable learning experiences that enable children to become confident and independent. We value the individual child and work alongside parents and others to meet their needs and help every child to reach their potential.
One of the most valuable resources a nursery can have is their staff.
Our dedicated Deputy Manager Emma Hedge is our SENDCo and her role involves:
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
Emma’s expertise, dedication, compassion and leadership in this role shines through and she is passionate that inclusive practice isn’t a separate part of our ethos and curriculum, but is interwoven throughout every single thing we do here.
Emma states, “Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil their potential. Children develop quickly in the early years and a child’s experiences between birth and age five have a major impact on their future life chances.”
We have built up a SEND team that includes SEN champions for each age group. The SEN champions responsibilities include meeting regularly with the SENDCo to discuss children, staff and the environment and how we can ensure that all reasonable adjustments are being made and everyone's needs are being met. The SEN champions may also meet with any outside agencies who are working with the child.
Supporting children and families starts right from the very first encounter with St. Michael’s. Our business coordinator Donna is trained to Level 3 in childcare and education and is a SEN champion. Donna embraces the value of this role and explains “I love being a SEN champion because I feel it is so important to be able to support all children and their families from the moment they step through our doors. The knowledge I have gained in my training enables me to be able to liaise with Emma, our Nursery SENDCo, so as a team we are able to support children and their families at any stage of their Learning journey through our setting.
Seeing the children's progress through their nursery journey is wonderful!”
In our Ladybird and Butterfly age groups, (3 months – 15 months), we have Emma J and Jemma who are trained "Building Babies' Brains", (Action for Children). The training is designed to further understand early childhood brain development and covers attachment, emotional regulation, trauma-informed care, and how to enhance every day interactions.
We also have our SEN champion, (Emma W), who is dedicated to our Ladybird and Butterfly age groups, (3 months – 15 months).
Emma, a Mummy of two, was delighted to be given the opportunity to train and advocate as SEN champion; “I have my own child with SEN needs and therefore I know the importance the support makes.”
Emma feels empowered with her knowledge and training and notes how it is fulfilling to carry out this role, enabling children to feel safe, secure and to reach their full potential.
Kindergarten Team Leader Leah reflects on her role supporting a child with additional needs on a 1:1 basis. “I was really well supported and I was given access to courses to deepen my understanding and knowledge. This meant I had improved knowledge and confidence.”
Our SENDCo Emma Hedge was there to offer support, resources and answer any questions.
We are incredibly fortunate to have regular visits with retired SEN teacher Jayne.
Bringing a wealth of experience and expertise to the setting, Jayne enjoys her weekly visits to Kindergarten.
Jayne is also a keen beekeeper and every summer we enjoy meeting the honeybees when she visits with them.
We work closely with a Speech and Language Therapist. Lucy’s knowledge and expertise allows her to not only offer incredible support to children and families, but through observation and modelling, she is able to offer support to our team to enhance their knowledge of speech and language development.
And lets not forget that at the core of everything we do is child who wants to belong.
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