All early years settings
- must comply with the Equality Act 2010
- must comply with the early years foundation stages (EYFS):
- learning and development requirements
- safeguarding and welfare requirements
- must have regard to the special educational needs and disability (SEND) code of practice (2015)
What is the early years foundation stage (EYFS)
The EYFS sets out the standards that all early years providers must meet. It promotes teaching and learning to give children the broadest range of knowledge and skills to ensure that they are ready for school.
According to the statutory framework for the EYFS, there are four guiding principles that should shape early years practice:
- every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident, and self-assured
- children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships
- children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents or carers
- children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children in early years provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities.
SEN in early years
Although similar for those at compulsory school age, the definition of SEN differs slightly for early years, in that there is an anticipatory duty to look at what provision is needed now and what might be needed once they reach compulsory school age and start school.
Early years covers children 0-5 who haven’t yet reached compulsory school age (which starts the term following a child’s 5th birthday). Some children will need support for SEN at home or in informal settings before, or as well as, the support they receive from an early years provider (for example, preschool or nursery).
The SEND Code of Practice says "all children and young people are entitled to an education that enables them to make progress so that they:
- achieve their best
- become confident individuals living fulfilling lives, and make a successful transition into adulthood, whether into employment, further or higher education or training"
How SEN is identified in under 5’s
Identified at birth - children with more complex developmental and sensory needs may have already been identified at birth.
As a newborn - some health assessments, such as the hearing screening test, which is used to check the hearing of all newborn babies, enable very early identification of a range of medical and physical difficulties.
As a young child - health services, including paediatricians, the family’s general practitioner (GP), and health visitors, may be involved with your child’s care. A childminder or early year’s setting may also identify that your child has or may have SEN. They are all expected to work with the family, supporting you to understand your child’s needs and help you to access early support.
As a parent, your early observations of your child are crucial. Your concerns could be about your child’s:
- play and learning
- speech and language
- social development and behaviour
- physical development
- vision or hearing
If you have concerns about your child’s early development, contact either:
- your health visitor
- a key person at your child’s nursery or pre-school or the designated SENDCo (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator)
- your GP (family doctor)
- someone from your local children’s centre
- your social worker (if you have one)
- anyone else who gives you advice or support
What is SEN support?
It is particularly important in the early years that there is no delay in making any necessary special educational provision (support). Whether or not your child is in an early years setting, support for your child’s SEN can take several forms, including (but not limited to):
- specialist support from health visitors, educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, or specialist teachers, such as a teacher of the deaf or visually impaired. These specialists may visit families at home to provide practical support, answering questions and clarifying needs
- early learning programmes training to promote play, communication and language development
- home-based programmes, such as portage, which offer a carefully structured system to help parents support their child’s early learning and development
If your child is in an early years setting, the SENDCo and pre-school staff will want to plan with you the best way of meeting your child’s needs. This could include:
- building on your child’s strengths and what they can do, providing appropriate toys and materials, or
- agreeing approaches to be used
All early years’ settings who receive local authority funding should have a member of staff appointed as the SENDCo. This is the member of staff who has responsibility for planning support for children with SEN, seeking advice and support from other professionals, and talking to you.
When your child is identified as having SEN, the school should use a graduated approach based on four steps. These are:
Assess, Plan, Do and Review
Assess
The early year’s practitioner working with the settings SENDCo and the child’s parent’s, should assess the child’s needs, so that they give the right support. Where there is little or no progress or improvement, it may be necessary to involve more specialist professionals such as specialist teachers, health, or social services for more detailed assessments.
Plan
If the practitioner decides that your child needs SEN support, they should formally notify the parents. In consultation with the parent, the practitioner and the SENDCo should agree the outcomes that they want to achieve, together with the interventions and support to be provided and the expected impact upon progress, development, or behaviour. A date to review these should be set.
Any relevant staff training or development needs should be identified and agreed.
The SEN Code of Practice says "parents should be involved in planning support and, where appropriate, in reinforcing the provision or contributing to progress at home"
Do
Your child’s key person usually remains responsible for working with the child every day, supported by the settings SENDCo. The SENDCo should be overseeing the implementation of the interventions or support programme agreed and assisting the key person in assessing the effectiveness of the SEN support upon the child’s progress and development.
Review
The effectiveness and quality of the interventions and support should be evaluated by both the practitioner (key person) and the SENDCo considering the child’s views. This should be done in line with the review date already agreed. Any changes to the outcomes and support should be agreed in line with the child’s progress and development. Parents should be kept updated with clear information on the impact the SEN support is having upon the child and be involved in the planning of the next steps.
This four-step cycle should be revisited on a regular basis and with increasing frequency and detail to identify the best way to secure good progress. Intended outcomes should be shared and reviewed with parents together with actions taken by the setting at agreed times.
Funding
15 hours per week funded entitlement is available for eligible two-year-olds. The funding will not start until the term after a child’s second birthday.
All 3 and 4-year-olds are entitled to up to 15 hours of funded childcare hours. This funding starts the term after the child’s third birthday. In certain circumstances families may be entitled to the extended 30 hours of free childcare.
Special educational needs inclusion funding - This is funding that a nursery can apply for, for a child with complex and severe difficulties. The child will be known either to the Portage service or to the specialist teacher service.
Education health and care needs assessments - this is an assessment that the local authority may undertake of a child’s special educational needs where special educational provision may be needed above and beyond that which a mainstream early years setting can provide. The early years provider will need to show that they have used their best endeavours to support the child’s learning and development.
Where else can I get support
Children’s centres
Children’s centre’s offer services and activities for all families and carers with children from birth to five.
Early years specialist teachers
Early years specialist teachers provide support to early years providers regarding the identification of children aged 0 to 5 with additional needs and disabilities.
Kids early support and learning provision
KIDS have been commissioned by Lincolnshire County Council to deliver creche facilities for disabled children and those with complex health needs across the county.
Portage
Portage is a scheme for teaching pre-school children with special educational needs, new and useful skills in their own homes.
Start for life in Lincolnshire
The Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care have begun a new programme to improve the health of children from conception, throughout pregnancy and up to the age of 2. This is called start for life and is part of the family hubs and start for life programme. This is not to be confused with the NHS start for life initiative which aims to improve the health of children under five in England.
Preparing for and starting school
The support provided at school may not be the same as your child was receiving at pre-school. However, it should still be appropriate to support your child’s needs, and discussion may be needed before your child starts attending.
Whether or not your child has been attending an early years setting, it will be important to give all the relevant information about your child’s physical and special educational needs to their new school before they start. This may be in the form of reports and other paperwork and will help the school to plan and ensure the support is in place. You may be offered or want to request a transition meeting to discuss this with them.
Most children with SEN have needs that can be met through quality first teaching and reasonable adjustments using the resources that are already or ordinarily available in their mainstream school
Liaise has made all reasonable efforts to ensure that the information contained in this leaflet is accurate and up to date at the time of publication. It does not constitute legal advice and Liaise cannot accept any responsibility for any loss or damage suffered as a consequence of any reliance placed upon it.