Nurturing inclusive practice: Danielle’s Early Years SENCO Skills Bootcamp journey

Danielle Brown is a dedicated nursery owner of Hornby Day Nursery in Lancaster. She recently 
took a step forward in her professional journey by completing the SEN Coordinator Skills 
Bootcamp, a decision that proved to be both insightful and transformative.

Danielle said, “As the owner and manager of my setting, this SEND Bootcamp was a chance 
for me to further embed my SEND knowledge to feel more confident in all aspects of SEND. By 
doing this course, I feel I have achieved this.”

For Danielle, completing the 12 week Skills Bootcamp course was very useful as it provided a 
refresher on her Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) knowledge.

“The experience has been great - all the Realise staff that have been involved in my experience 
have been super helpful and knowledgeable. When I was having a wobble with the work 
deadlines, they were so supportive and uplifting.”

Before enrolling in the Skills Bootcamp, Danielle was working hard at her nursery, but she felt 
her SEND knowledge was limited. The SENCO Skills Bootcamp was the perfect chance to 
brush up and solidify what she already knew. It opened up valuable opportunities for her to 
share her learning with other members of her team so they could all benefit from what the 
course had to offer. 

“The course has enabled me to be more confident with SEND decision making and has made 
me more confident in my SEND role. It has also positively affected my team who seem more 
confident in making decisions around supporting children with SEND. The whole experience 
was great as you got to interact with lovely tutors and other early years practitioners. It was 
great to share all our years of experience.” 

Danielle is very enthusiastic about encouraging others to do this course, “I would highly 
recommend the course and Realise to any early year’s practitioner who wants to further 
develop their SEND knowledge. As an owner and manager of my own setting the course was 
perfect to refresh and embed my knowledge.”

Ultimately, the Skills Bootcamp equipped Danielle with updated skills and reinforced her 
commitment to providing inclusive, high-quality care at Hornby Day Nursery. Her story shows 
that continuous learning and support networks make it all possible.

Find out more about the SEN Coordinator Skills Bootcamp (SENCO) programme