An entry point that recognises your experience.
Certification enrolment and permission to work on the register are separate decisions.
Who may enrol
Applicants must be 18 or over. Relevant roles include teachers, teaching assistants, SENCOs, school leaders, lunchtime supervisors, family-support workers, foster carers, childcare practitioners, childminders, coaches, swimming instructors and appropriately qualified allied professionals. Professional registration is required where relevant to your role.
The standard recent-experience route covers work with children under 13 during the last 12 months, for at least two months and more than ten hours a week, supported by a professional reference or payslips.
Individually reviewed entry
You do not need 12 months of experience to complete the course. Less-experienced applicants, young adults not currently in education, employment or training, volunteers and people with relevant lived experience may request individual review.
See the dedicated Alternative Entry Pathway for individually assessed applications, personal or professional references, fees and decision times.
For uncertainty, email info@anchorinclusion.co.uk with general details and request a meeting. Do not put criminal-history information, identity documents, medical evidence or identifiable child information in ordinary enquiry fields. Disclosures require restricted review before approval.
Before independent practice
Certification alone does not authorise public practice. The standard register route requires 12 months of relevant experience, two professional references, accepted competency evidence and all required compliance documents. An applicant without qualifying experience may instead apply for the route supervised by ANCHOR Inclusion®. It costs £550 and includes six one-hour observations across six different families, one per family. Two professional references, compliance documents and a successful suitability decision are still required.
A separately approved trainee may undertake supervised paid practice only after all trainee checks and safeguards are met. The family is charged the £35 trainee hourly fee. See the register route for the second-adult rule and insurance conditions.
Check your likely entry route
This check is not an application or verification. Answers stay on this page and are not saved. Do not enter sensitive disclosures.
Frequently asked questions
Enrolment opens October 2026. Live accounts and payments open on enrolment. Join the priority list and we confirm places in enrolment order.
Eligibility, experience and supported entry
Who can apply for SEND practitioner training?
Applicants must be 18 or over. Relevant backgrounds include education, childcare, fostering, family support, youth work, coaching and appropriately qualified allied professions. The standard recent-experience route requires a listed role with children under 13 during the last 12 months, for at least two months and more than ten hours weekly, supported by a reference or payslips.
Can I apply without 12 months of experience?
Yes. Twelve months of experience is not required to enter the course. For the register, applicants without qualifying experience may apply for the separate ANCHOR-supervised route. Supervision, references, compliance documents and suitability review are still required, and training does not promise a placement, employment or access to families for practice.
Can voluntary work, self-employment or lived experience count?
Yes. Adults with relevant voluntary, self-employed or lived experience can request individual consideration through the Alternative Entry Pathway. See the dedicated page for application requirements, references, fees and outcomes.
Do I need HCPC registration or professional-body membership?
Only where relevant to your professional role. Statutory registration and voluntary professional membership are different. Many teaching assistants, lunchtime staff and coaches have no applicable professional register. ANCHOR will consider their role and evidence rather than requiring an unrelated membership.
Can young adults not in education, employment or training apply?
Applicants aged 18 or over may discuss supported entry and suitable partner programmes. We welcome developing experience, but essential competence, safeguarding and register requirements still apply. Completing training does not guarantee employment or self-employed income.
How do I discuss a disclosure or unusual background?
Ask info@anchorinclusion.co.uk for a private eligibility discussion. Do not send criminal-history statements, medical records, identity documents or information identifying children in ordinary enquiry forms. Relevant disclosures require a restricted human review before approval.
SEND training for education, care and activity settings
Is this training suitable for teaching assistants, SENCOs and school staff?
Yes, subject to entry requirements. It is designed to help adults coordinate everyday support within their existing roles. Certification does not replace a teaching qualification, mandatory SENCO qualification, school safeguarding training or the school’s policies.
Can nursery, childcare and babysitting professionals apply?
Relevant professionals may apply and discuss the appropriate context route. ANCHOR services support children from pre-school age to 12. Training does not automatically approve childcare registration, personal care or unsupervised practice. Duties and insurance must be checked separately.
Can foster carers and children’s-home staff use the learning?
Relevant staff and carers may discuss a setting-specific route. Learning must fit the care plan, employer or agency policies and delegated authority. Certification does not confer fostering approval, residential-care registration or permission to provide services outside the person’s existing role.
Can hospital staff or children’s therapy-practice staff enrol?
Relevant experience may support an application, but the employer must agree how learning is used. ANCHOR certification adds educational professional development; it does not confer clinical credentials, extend a protected professional scope or permit treatment in a hospital or therapy practice.
Is it relevant for sports, swimming, drama, arts and holiday-club staff?
Yes. A club or provider can complete the six-hour organisation route at £55 per participating person or £700 for a staff team of up to 20. The organisation may then receive ANCHOR Inclusive Children’s Activity Provider certification for three years. The training must be completed again when certification expires. This award does not place individual staff on the practitioner register or replace activity-specific safety, rescue, first-aid or safeguarding requirements.
Can private tutors and home-education tutors apply?
Relevant tutors can discuss entry and the learning’s fit with educational support, transitions and participation. ANCHOR does not award qualified teacher status or guarantee subject-specific tutoring competence. Independent family work requires the separate register route and approved scope.
Can I work independently outside my school hours?
Yes. Investing in your professional development and achieving Registered ANCHOR Practitioner status can open local opportunities for six-week family-support bookings, bringing your expertise into the community while building an additional income stream. ANCHOR supports your public profile, booking arrangements and continuing development. You choose a schedule that fits around school, subject to employer rules, conflicts of interest and your approved scope. Paid work can contribute towards recovering your training fees; see the worked examples on the fees page. Opportunities develop with local demand and a suitable match between you and each family.
Can registration include respite or specialist wraparound support?
Only where the particular arrangement falls within the practitioner’s verified competence, agreed scope, insurance and any applicable service requirements. Trainees always require the responsible second adult. Registration alone does not authorise personal care, clinical care, overnight care, transport or every form of respite.
Updated 15 September 2026. Your final offer and booking terms confirm the agreed service. Ask ANCHOR a question.