SEND & Inclusion
Permanent early years SENCo jobs
The person responsible for how a setting identifies and supports children with additional needs. Usually a lead role held alongside practice.
£29,000 to £35,000 outside London, often as an allowance on practitioner pay
Guide band for 2026. See how we work these out.
Spelt SENCo far more often than SENDCo. In a maintained nursery school the SENCo must be a qualified teacher. In a private, voluntary or independent setting a SENCo is expected but can be a Level 3 practitioner, and usually is.
What the role involves
- Identifying children who need additional support, and deciding what happens next
- Running the graduated approach: assess, plan, do, review
- Writing and reviewing support plans, and contributing to EHC needs assessments
- Working with health visitors, speech and language therapists and the local authority
- Helping colleagues adapt their own practice rather than hand the child over
- Being the setting's evidence that it has regard to the SEND Code of Practice
What you will need
- Level 3 minimum in a PVI setting; qualified teacher status in a maintained nursery school
- The Level 3 Early Years SENCo award, or a setting willing to fund it
- Experience of the graduated approach in practice, not only in training
- Someone parents trust at the moment they are being told something they did not want to hear
Also advertised as: SENDCo, SEN Coordinator, Inclusion Lead. Settings use these titles more or less interchangeably, so search for all of them.
Where
Where we recruit this role
We place early years SENCo roles across the UK. These are the areas we cover most closely.
Questions
About this role
What does an early years SENCo earn?
Our 2026 guide puts this role at £29,000 to £35,000 outside London, often as an allowance on practitioner pay. Bands assume a 40-hour week and are built from the National Living Wage floor and the published sector median. The full method is on our salary guide.
Is this a permanent role?
Every role we place is permanent. Tiny Tots Recruitment does not run a temp desk and does not offer agency shifts.
What else is this job called?
You will also see it advertised as SENDCo, SEN Coordinator, Inclusion Lead. The qualification and the ratio requirements are the same whichever title a setting uses.
Related
Other roles we recruit
Senior Practitioner
The step between practitioner and room leader. More responsibility for practice, including other people's, without full room accountability.
£28,500 to £32,000 outside London
About this roleNursery Manager
Full accountability: the children, the staff, the occupancy, the budget and the inspection.
£34,000 to £46,000 outside London, by setting size
About this roleEarly Years Teacher
Level 6 practice leadership. The role that lets a setting run 1:13 with over-threes, and that usually leads the curriculum.
£30,000 to £38,000 outside London
About this roleLooking for an early years SENCo role?
Register once and we will come to you when something fits. You will know the setting, the room and the pay before you decide whether to meet them, and your CV goes nowhere without your say-so.