Award

Early Years: Accredited level 3 training for Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs)

DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

28 May 2025 at 14:44

Tender

10 Feb 2025 at 12:01

Planning

06 Jan 2025 at 12:39

Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process for the "Early Years: Accredited level 3 training for Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs)" has been led by the Department for Education, a national authority located in London, UK. This process falls under the category of "Education and Training Services" within the services sector, covering regions across England. The procurement followed an open procedure, ensuring transparency and competition, and involved multiple stages, including planning, tender, and award. The contract, valued at approximately GBP 945,453, was awarded on 19th May 2025 to Best Practice Network, a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) based in Bristol. The key objective is to deliver training that results in an accredited Level 3 qualification for a minimum of 1,000 SENCOs across various settings in England. The status of the tender has moved from planning and tender phases to an active award, designed to commence on the 1st of May 2025 and conclude by the 31st of March 2026.

This tender provides a significant opportunity for businesses specialising in educational training services, particularly those with expertise in specialised training for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Companies with experience in delivering staff training and knowledge of early years' frameworks are well-positioned to cater to this contract. Furthermore, the open procurement method encourages participation from various suppliers, fostering a competitive landscape that could stimulate business growth and expansion into the market of educational services. Engaging in such tenders can lead to opportunities for networking and collaboration with government entities, thus potentially opening doors for future contracts in the public sector.

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Notice Title

Early Years: Accredited level 3 training for Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs)

Notice Description

This contract is to deliver training to a minimum of 1,000 early years (EY) Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) resulting in an accredited Level 3 EY SENCO qualification. The training will be for SENCOs working in group-based and childminder settings. The training will be available across England. Early identification of SEND is essential. As set out in statutory guidance SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years, (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25) ("the code of practice"), it is particularly important in the early years that there is no delay in making any necessary special educational provision. Early action to address identified needs is critical to preparing children for school, and to the future progress and improved outcomes that are essential in helping children to prepare for adult life. Providing high quality special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) training for the Early Years workforce is therefore essential to address challenges within the current EY SEND system, including maximising access to entitlement places and delivering quality care and early intervention for children with SEND whilst in settings. SENCOs play a fundamental role in this. The primary objective for any future training would be to increase the number of level 3 qualified SENCOs available to children in group-based and childminder settings, who have the knowledge and skills to properly fulfil the role of a SENCO, as described in the Code of Practice. The role of the SENCO involves: - ensuring all educators in the setting understand their responsibilities to children with SEND 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.

Lot Information

Lot 1

This contract is to deliver training to a minimum of 1,000 early years (EY) Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) resulting in an accredited Level 3 EY SENCO qualification. The training will be for SENCOs working in group-based and childminder settings. The training will be available across England. Early identification of SEND is essential. As set out in statutory guidance SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years, (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25) ("the code of practice"), it is particularly important in the early years that there is no delay in making any necessary special educational provision. Early action to address identified needs is critical to preparing children for school, and to the future progress and improved outcomes that are essential in helping children to prepare for adult life. Providing high quality special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) training for the Early Years workforce is therefore essential to address challenges within the current EY SEND system, including maximising access to entitlement places and delivering quality care and early intervention for children with SEND whilst in settings. SENCOs play a fundamental role in this. The primary objective for any future training would be to increase the number of level 3 qualified SENCOs available to children in group-based and childminder settings, who have the knowledge and skills to properly fulfil the role of a SENCO, as described in the Code of Practice. The role of the SENCO involves: - ensuring all educators in the setting understand their responsibilities to children with SEND 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. Additional information: NA

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-04cd8e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028201-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Planning Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services


CPV Codes

80000000 - Education and training services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£950,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
£950,000 £500K-£1M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£945,453 £500K-£1M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
28 May 20259 months ago
Submission Deadline
12 Mar 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
27 Jan 2025Expired
Award Date
18 May 20259 months ago
Contract Period
30 Apr 2025 - 31 Mar 2026 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Cancelled
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION
Contact Name
Jo Foster
Contact Email
kate.honour@education.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1P 3BT
Post Town
South West London
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England)

Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

BEST PRACTICE NETWORK

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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