School and Community Teams (SCT)

What are School and Community Teams (SCTs)?

Norfolk's School and Community Teams (SCTs) work collaboratively with children and young people, families, education settings, and wider services to strengthen support for children with Special Educational Needs and or Disabilities (SEND). Their aim is to support every child to Flourish.

SCTs are a dedicated resource available across Norfolk to complement and enhance the work schools do with children and families. By offering early, targeted support, the teams help improve outcomes for children with SEND.

How can School and Community Teams support my school?

School and Community Teams (SCTs) offer early, targeted support to children and young people with emerging needs—particularly those at Level 3 of the Identification of Needs Descriptors in Educational Settings (INDES). Their work is grounded in three core areas:

Inclusion

SCTs help schools and early years providers create environments where all children feel valued, supported, and able to Flourish.

They support children and families where:

• There is an opportunity to strengthen engagement in learning
• Family circumstances present a chance to enhance educational access and consistency (e.g. parenting, attendance)
• Additional support at SEN Support could help sustain progress and reduce the need for more specialist provision.

Early Help

SCTs work with schools and families to:

• Identify needs early
• Prevent escalation by addressing issues before they become more complex
• Provide practical advice, including termly participation in Team around a School meetings and Zone Inclusion Partner

Prevention

SCTs aim to reduce the need for more intensive interventions by:

• Delivering evidence-informed interventions (group and individual)
• Supporting children with needs across:
  • Social, emotional, and mental health
  • Cognition and learning
  • Physical and sensory
  • Communication and interaction

• Offering community-based support such as:
  • Transition groups
  • Parenting programmes
  • SEND community groups

Support is delivered in schools, early years settings, or at home—whichever is most effective for engagement and outcomes.

Why work with SCTs?

By working in partnership with SCTs, schools can:

• Access additional expertise and capacity to support children with SEND.
• Strengthen collaboration with families and services.
• Improve outcomes through early, coordinated interventions.

What interventions do School and Community Teams offer?

As part of our core intervention offer, once a child or young person's needs have been identified, the School and Community Teams provide direct, evidence-informed interventions to support children, families, and educational settings. These interventions are designed to form part of the child's overall plan and are delivered either in group settings - supporting cohorts of children receiving SEND support - or on an individual basis where appropriate.

The interventions include:

• Blanks Levels of Questioning - An intervention to support children in developing their verbal reasoning and abstract language.
• Colourful Semantics - Is a language-based intervention designed to support children in developing their spoken and written language skills, using colour-coded visuals.
• LEGO®-Based Therapy- Builds social communication and teamwork skills through structured, play-based group sessions.
• Memory Fix Intervention - Helps children develop strategies to improve working memory and information retention.
• Norfolk Steps - A therapeutic approach to behaviour management focused on de-escalation and positive handling.
• Parenting programmes (PEEP, Respect Young People's Programme (RYPP), Triple P, Sollihull Parenting Groups Approach) - Evidence-based programmes that support families to reduce conflict and strengthen relationships.
• PEEP and PEEP TALK- Strengthens early home learning and parent-child interaction through structured group sessions.
• Sensory Circuits - A physical programme designed to help children regulate their sensory needs and prepare for learning.
• Social Stories & Comic Strip Conversations - Visual tools that support understanding of social situations and expected behaviours.
• Story Sacks - Engaging resources that promote early literacy and language through themed stories and activities.
• Transition Support (Early Years to Primary) - Tailored support to help young children adjust confidently to school life.
• Transition Support (Primary to Secondary) - Prepares pupils for the move to secondary school with emotional and practical strategies.
• Transition Support (Secondary to Post-16) - Supports young people in navigating the shift to college, training, or employment.
• Worry Busters - A practical, child-friendly intervention to help manage anxiety and build emotional resilience
• Yoga and Mindfulness - Promotes emotional regulation and wellbeing through movement, breathing, and relaxation techniques.
• Zones of Regulation - A framework that helps children recognise and manage their emotions and behaviours.

The work of SCT is underpinned by the following evidence-based approaches:

• ELKLAN - Specialist training and strategies to support speech, language, and communication needs.
• Father- Inclusive Practice - Encourages active involvement of fathers and male carers in children's development and support.
• Person- Centre Approach Practice - Ensures children and families are at the heart of planning and decision-making.
• PINS (Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools) - A collaborative model to embed inclusive practice for neurodiverse learners.
• Research-Based Approaches to Working with Children - Is a training programme delivered to all staff in the School and Community Teams, carefully curated to reflect evidence-informed practices that support effective engagement and outcomes for children.
• Restorative Approaches - Builds positive relationships and resolves conflict through open dialogue and mutual respect.
• Trauma-Informed Approaches - Recognises the impact of trauma and promotes safe, supportive environments for recovery.

Why do School and Community Teams work across zones?

Norfolk is home to approximately 27,000 children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND). To ensure support is delivered effectively and equitably, School and Community Teams (SCTs) have been established across the county to make the best use of local knowledge, expertise, and resources.

SCTs operate across 15 geographical zones covering the whole of Norfolk. You can find out which zone your school is in by using School Finder.  

Each zone is led by a Team Manager and supported by an Early Help Coordinator and a team of Education and Family Workers, who work directly with schools and families to provide practical, tailored support.

The county is divided into 15 geographical zones, each carefully designed to balance:

• The number of children and young people,
• The range of education provision, and
• The capacity to deliver support locally.

On average, each zone includes:

• 11,500 children and young people,
• 26 schools, and
• 40 Early Years settings and childminders.

This zoned approach allows SCTs to:

• Build strong, local relationships with schools and communities
• Share expertise and good practice across settings
• Respond flexibly to local needs
• Ensure consistent support for children and families across Norfolk.

What is the impact of School and Community Teams?

The impact of School and Community Teams (SCTs) is measured through ongoing feedback from children, families, and education providers. This feedback helps shape and improve the service, ensuring it remains responsive to local needs and delivers meaningful outcomes.

So far, SCTs have made a positive difference by:

• Supporting successful transitions into and between education settings
• Helping children remain in school and engage positively with their learning
• Improving attendance, attainment, and overall wellbeing
• Strengthening collaboration between home and school
• Sharing good practice across settings to build confidence and capacity

What people are saying

Here are just a few examples of the feedback received:

"The new team that has been brought in has really helped us as a family—and this is what families need, especially SEN families."
— Parent

"Children talked about the session positively. Parents came away with practical resources. We've extended what we're doing in class and found new skills to transfer into our teaching."
— Teacher

"Thank you to you and the team for working with 'T' and his mum over the summer holidays. 'T' had a wobbly first day, but his mum is delighted—he's been coming into school with a smile and has settled quickly."
— SENDCo

"The family has been well supported, and Jade ensured consistency across home and school. The young person now understands their emotions better and can manage them. Visual aids have helped both the family and the school."
— SENDCo

For more information, see also the School & Community Teams section on this website.