All children are entitled to an education that enables them to achieve the best possible educational and other outcomes and become confident young children with a growing ability to communicate their own views and ready to make the transition into compulsory education. All early year’s providers in the maintained, private, voluntary and independent sectors that a local authority funds, are required to have regard to the 0-25 SEND Code of Practice. Early years providers must have arrangements in place to support children with SEN or disabilities. These arrangements should include a clear approach to identifying and responding to SEN. The benefits of early identification are widely recognised – identifying need at the earliest point, and then making effective provision, improves long-term outcomes for children.
If your child already has an identified need, you can let the setting know before your child starts so that the staff can begin to think about how they can best support your child. However, early years settings spend a lot of time observing and interacting children in play which helps them to find out about what each child can do and what they may need help with.
If a need is identified, staff may agree with you to help your child by making small adaptations to the learning environment - for example, they may adapt their language level, or use visual aids to support understanding. This is easy to do and does not require anything extra.
If these adaptations do not allow your child to make expected progress, then staff may agree with you to implement other strategies. Your child’s progress will be reviewed regularly with you (usually every six weeks) and be planned in a careful, step by step way in what is called the graduated approach.
Parents, carers and professionals can call our SEND Support Line on 01908 657825 or email us for further advice and information.
More information about the support available for your child at different ages can be read at 'Children with SEND' on the Gov website.
Find out about the different services available and how to access them in our guide to routes into SEND services. More information about each service can be found on the relevant pages of our website, under What the SEND team does.
Your child may be eligible for a SEN Support plan or an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).