We are a team of Specialist Teachers, Practitioners, Access & Inclusion Officers and a Project Support Officer for Early Years Inclusion Funding.
For more information please visit About SCIL Team | Skills 4 Bradford
Central contact: SCILTeam@bradford.gov.uk
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Department of Children’s Services,
0-25 Specialist Teaching and Support Service, SCIL Team,
Margaret McMillan Tower, Princes Way, Bradford, BD1 1NN
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Learning Support Team (Cognition and Learning)
Contact: Team Lead – Learning Support - Fiona.Whitaker@bradford.gov.uk

The Learning Support (Cognition and Learning) team provide support for staff in schools teaching pupils with specific and general learning difficulties. We offer training, coaching and individual pupil assessments (both cognitive and diagnostic), to help
staff tailor provision to ensure best outcomes for pupils.
Communication and Interaction (Autism) Team
Contact: Team Lead - Communication & Interaction - ruth.pecher@bradford.gov.uk

The Communication and Interaction team provides specialist advisory support and training for staff in schools and settings who work with children and young people with autism or identified communication and interaction difficulties.
Social Emotional & Mental Health Team
Contact: Team Lead – SEMH - Sara.Burgess@bradford.gov.uk

The Social, Emotional and Mental Health Team is a service which provides specialist advisory support for schools and settings to increase their capacity in meeting the needs of children and young people presenting with SEMH needs. We can offer :
- Training on a variety of topics to support the inclusion of children and young people presenting with SEMH needs
- Advice on strategies which support the inclusion of children with additional support needs
- Involvement in meetings, to contribute to a multi-agency approach
- Assessment, planning and review, in line with the SEN Code of Practice and Bradford's Matrix of Need
- Support with transitions between settings and key stages
Early Years Team
Contact: Team Lead – Early Years- To be updated April 2023
Please contact lucy.stead@bradford.gov.uk
The Early Years specialist teachers and practitioners provide a specialist advice and support service for school staff working with children with SEND from birth to 5 years.
The Early Years teachers and practitioners can provide :
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School based support to help staff develop their SEND good practice and graduated approach. The school will work with a link teacher to create and agree priority outcomes for their EYFS and work together towards these. This will involve giving advice on
evidence informed strategies and approaches which support the inclusion of children with additional needs.
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Training packages on a range of topics to support continued professional development.
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Bespoke advice for individual pupils where needed. This could include but is not limited to joint working with other services e.g. attending multi agency meetings, helping to identify need and set outcomes and observing the child alongside a member of the
staff team to identify strengths and needs.
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Information and signposting for parents and carers.
Support for PVI settings – Early Years
Contact: Team Leader – Access and Inclusion Officers, Specialist Practitioners and Project Support Officer for Early Years Inclusion Funding.
shelley.donnison@bradford.gov.uk

The Access and Inclusion Officers work in partnership with SENCOs, parents/carers and other professionals to provide support and advice to early years settings in the Private, Voluntary and Independent sector for children from birth to 5 years. The child
will have an identified additional support need in at least one area of learning within the Early Years Foundation Stage. Settings can access an Early Years offer of support for children with SEND in their setting via a SCIL Team referral or via an Education
Advice 1 (EA1) notification from a paediatrician.
The Access and Inclusion Officers provide:
- Support and advice to a range of settings to enable them to understand their statutory duties and responsibilities in meeting the needs of children with SEND.
- Setting based support around individual children including observation, assessment of developmental levels and recommendations.
- Partnership working with parents/ carers and other professionals to improve outcomes for children with SEND.
- Opportunities for capacity building and developing the skillset of practitioners in settings across the locality through training, SENCO forums and advice hubs.
- Signposting to sources of SEND funding for example Early Years Inclusion Funding, Disability Access Funding.
- Support around transition planning for children with SEND into schools and/or specialist provision.
- Contributions to the Education, Health and Care Assessment process, as appropriate.