School and Community Teams (SCT)

What are School and Community Teams?

School and Community teams work across Norfolk supporting schools, early years providers and families locally in helping to meet the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) of children who would benefit from earlier SEND support.

The teams work across Norfolk in 15 geographical zones, providing coverage to the whole county. Each has an average of 11,500 children and young people, 26 schools and 40 Early Years settings and childminders.

Each zone has a manager with a team of Education and Family Workers who provide a range of individual and group interventions with children, young people and families that require early support, where a child or young person's inclusion needs are within level 3 of the Identification of Needs Descriptors in Educational Settings (INDES).

The team works all-year round, including school holidays.

How do School and Community Teams help?

The School and Community team deliver interventions with education providers, children and their families.

The teams provide agreed interventions/support that include group work and individual support packages for children, young people and parent/carers in conjunction with schools and settings.

The teams' priority is supporting those with emerging and identified needs at SEND Support. These include supporting needs relating to:

Social Emotional Mental Health
Cognition and Learning
Communication
Physical and sensory

The teams work closely with schools, Norfolk County Council SEND advisors, Early Years Advisors, specialist services such as Educational Psychology Support Services, and a range of other professionals, partners and providers supporting SEND and outcomes for children.

Working with families is a key aspect of our practice and we seek your views and input at all stages of our involvement so children, young people and their parent/carers can have confidence in what is being provided and the difference it is expected to make.

SCT's can support with services that are tailored to groups where there is a local need, for example transition or parenting support groups.

Some groups and interventions are delivered within education provider's premises including bringing children and families together who attend different schools or settings as part of our community response to SEND. Meeting children and their families at home is also used to support positive early engagement, where this is helpful.

To help children and families as soon as possible, we offer advice and support to education settings and families to address any issues being faced as early as possible and to prevent escalation of need within SEND support arrangement advising on systemic and whole-school matters, discussing individual pupils, and signposting to relevant services and provision.

Community and family support:

SEND community café's
Triple P Family transitions groups for parents experiencing parental conflict
Solihull groups for parent/carers to support attachment needs of children
PEEP early home learning groups

Child and young person support:

Social and emotional regulation inc
Lego based therapy
Mindfulness and Yoga for self-regulation
Transition support

Working together, building on the strengths of the education provider and families, our aim is to help meet children's SEND needs earlier so that they can FLOURISH and progress with their learning.

How do we request support?

You can find out which zone your school is in by using school finder and contact your local team at:

Schools and early years providers can also request support by calling the families and professionals phoneline: 0333 313 7165.

This phone line is open on weekdays, from 9am to 5pm. Within term-time, referrals will be reviewed the following working day and you will receive a response within 3 working days.