SEN support in early years

Identifying needs in the early years

Maintained nursery schools must:

  • use their best endeavours to make sure that a child with SEN gets the support they need
  • ensure that children with SEN engage in the activities of school alongside children who do not have SEN
  • designate a teacher to be responsible for co-ordinating SEN provision
  • inform parents when they are making special education provision for a child

Where a child has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than their peers, or a disability that prevents or hinders a child from making use of the facilities in the setting and requires special educational provision, the setting should make that provision. Specialist educational provision should be matched to the child’s identified SEN. Children’s SEN are generally thought of in the following four broad areas:

  • communication and interaction
  • cognition and learning
  • social, emotional and mental health
  • sensory and/or physical needs

SEN support in the early years

It is particularly important in early years that there is no delay in making any necessary special education provision. Early action to address identified needs is critical to the future progress and improved outcomes that are essential in helping the child prepare for adult life.

Where a setting identifies a child as having SEN they will work in partnership with parents to establish the support the child needs. Where a setting makes special educational provision for a child with SEN, they should inform the parents. In putting in place SEN support for a child, the setting should approach this in four stages:

  •  Assess: In identifying a child as needing SEN support, the early years practitioner, working with the setting SENCO and the child’s parents, will have carried out an analysis of the child’s needs. The initial assessment should be reviewed regularly to ensure that the support is matched to need. Where there is little or no improvement in the child’s progress, more specialist assessment may be called for from specialist teachers or from health, social services or other agencies beyond the setting. Where professionals are not already working with the setting, the SENCO should contact them with the parent’s agreement
  • Plan: Where it is decided to provide SEN support, and having formally notified the parents, the practitioner and the SENCO should agree, in consultation with the parent, the outcomes they are seeking, the interventions and the support to be put in place, the expected impact on progress, development or behaviour, and a clear date for review. Plans should take into account the views of the child. Parents should be involved in planning support and, where appropriate, in reinforcing the provision or contributing to progress at home
  • Do: The early years practitioner, usually the child’s key person, remains responsible for working with the child on a daily basis. With support from the SENCO, they should oversee the implementation of the interventions or programmes agreed as part of the SEN support. The SENCO should support the practitioner in assessing the child’s response to the action taken, in problem solving and advising on the effective implementation of support
  • Review: The effectiveness of the support and its impact on the child’s progress should be reviewed in line with the agreed date. The impact and quality of the support should be evaluated by the practitioner and the SENCO working with the child’s parents and taking into account the child’s views. They should agree any changes to the outcomes and support for the child in light of the child’s progress and development. Parents should have clear information about the impact of the support provided and be involved in planning next steps. Where the child has an EHC plan, the local authority must review that plan as a minimum every twelve moths. As part of the review, the local authority can ask settings, and require maintained nursery schools, to convene and hold the annual review meeting on its behalf.

Where despite the setting having taken relevant and purposeful action to identify, asses and meet the special educational needs of the child, the child has not made expected progress, the setting should consider requesting an Education, Health and Care needs assessment. See Education, Health and Care Plan for further information

The role of the SENCO

A maintained nursery school must ensure that there is a qualified teacher designated as the SENCO in order to ensure the detailed implementation of support for children with SEN. Other early years providers will have arrangements in place for meeting children’s SEN and may have a person acting as SENCO within their setting.

The role of the SENCO involves:

  • Ensuring all practitioners in the setting understand their responsibilities to children with SEN and the setting’s approach to identify and meeting SEN
  • Advising and supporting colleagues
  • Ensuring parents are closely involved throughout and that their insights inform action taken by the setting, and
  • Liaising with professionals or agencies beyond the setting