---
title: "Early Years: Accredited level 3 training for Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs)"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-04cd8e"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04cd8e"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04cd8e.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04cd8e.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION"
published: "2025-05-28"
---

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

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-04cd8e

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04cd8e)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04cd8e.json)

## Summary

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.

## Notice

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

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028201-2025 |
| 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 |
| All stages | Planning, Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 28 May 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 12 Mar 2025 |
| Future notice date | 27 Jan 2025 |
| Award date | 18 May 2025 |
| Contract period | 30 Apr 2025 - 31 Mar 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £950,000 |
| Lots value | £950,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £945,453 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Cancelled |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | South West London |
| Postcode | SW1P 3BT |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West |
| ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London |
| Local authority | Westminster |
| Electoral ward | St James's |
| Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster |
| 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) |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | BEST PRACTICE NETWORK |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 80 - Education and training services

### Codes

- 80000000 - Education and training services

## Release History

- 28 May 2025 at 14:44 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028201-2025
- 10 Feb 2025 at 12:01 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004325-2025
- 6 Jan 2025 at 12:39 - Planning - Planning Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000184-2025

## Notice URLs

- https://education.app.jaggaer.com
- https://education.app.jaggaer.com/
- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education
- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04cd8e. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04cd8e.json.