Identification, assessment and support for children with SEND

We have regard for the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice (DfE and DoH 2015), which states that local authorities must ensure that all funded early years providers are aware of the requirement to meet the needs of children with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities. When securing funded early education for two, three and four year olds, local authorities should promote equality and inclusion for children with disabilities or SEN. This includes removing barriers that prevent access to early education and working with parents and carers to give each child support to fulfil their potential.

The term SEN support defines arrangements for identifying and supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. We must offer appropriate support and intervention and promote equality of opportunity for all children in our care.

Children’s SEND generally falls within four broad areas of need and support:

Communication and interaction
Cognition and learning
Social, emotional and mental health
Sensory and/or physical needs

Graduated approach

Initial identification and support

Ongoing formative assessment is part of a continuous process for observing, assessing, planning and reviewing children’s progress. Where a child is having difficulty in one or more areas of development, we start by applying simple differentiation strategies and additional resources to support them.

For many children, this level of differentiated support is enough to build their confidence and help them move forward. Our form 09.13a SEN support: Initial record of concern can be used to record this first level of support.

If, despite differentiated strategies, a child continues to struggle and shows significantly more difficulty with learning than their peers, or has a disability that requires specific adjustments, the key person raises a concern with the setting SENCo / manager and with the child’s parents or carers.

Observation and assessment of children’s SEN

Where a child appears to be behind expected levels, or their progress gives cause for concern, we consider all available information about the child’s learning and development from within and beyond the setting.

Information may be collated from:

Formal checks, such as the progress check at age two
Observations and information provided by parents and carers
Observation and assessment by the setting of the child’s progress

When specialist advice has been sought externally, this is used to help determine whether a child has a special educational need. The child’s key person and the SENCo/Manager use all available information to decide whether the child has SEN. Once parents or carers have been informed of any concern, they are fully engaged in the process and encouraged to contribute their insights to all future actions for their child.

Planning intervention

Everyone involved with the child is given an opportunity to share their views. Parents and carers are encouraged to talk about the child’s difficulties, their strengths and what they feel would help, and to be actively involved in deciding what happens next.

In some cases, the next step may be to continue with differentiated support and review the child’s progress at an agreed date. Where needs are more complex, we may go straight ahead and prepare a 09.13b SEN support: Action plan with detailed evidence-based interventions, and at the same time make appropriate external referrals.

Where relevant, the child is included in developing the action plan, at a level that reflects their age and stage of comprehension.

Involving the child

The SEND Code of Practice supports the rights of children to be involved in decisions about their education. Inclusion of children with SEND helps build self-confidence and trust in others.

Finding out children’s views is not always straightforward and a range of strategies may be needed. Accurate assessment helps us identify each child’s strengths and any possible barriers to learning.

The key person and setting manager/SENCo work in partnership with parents, carers and other agencies to involve the child wherever appropriate. Children are involved at suitable stages of the assessment process and in ways that reflect their level of ability. Establishing effective communication is essential for meaningful involvement.

SEN action plan

The 09.13b SEN support: Action plan sets out what support is required to help achieve outcomes for the child. It details the frequency of interventions, who will deliver them and what resources will be used.

A review date, at least termly, is agreed with parents and carers so that the child’s progress can be reviewed against expected outcomes and next steps can be agreed. A copy of the plan is stored in the child’s file so that all staff and any inspector can see how the child is progressing and what interventions have been or are being applied.

If a child requires specific medical interventions during their time in the setting, a 04.2a Health care plan form is also completed and integrated into the general plans to ensure that the child’s medical needs are known and safely met.

The action plan provides an accessible summary of the child’s needs and support. It can be used if further assessment is required, including a statutory Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment and the development of an EHC plan.

Drawing up a SEN action plan

If external agencies are already involved, they are invited to help decide which interventions are appropriate to help meet the child’s outcomes. The SENCo or setting manager coordinates further actions, prepares the action plan and sets short-term targets.

Where there are significant emerging concerns, or where a special educational need or disability has been identified, targeted action plans are formulated that relate to a clear set of expected outcomes and stretching but realistic targets.

The SEN action plan:

Highlights areas in which a child is progressing well
Highlights areas where additional support may be needed
Identifies any areas where there is concern about developmental delay
Describes the activities and strategies the setting will adopt to address issues or concerns

Planned interventions are based on the best possible evidence and are designed to have a measurable impact on progress. Longer-term goals cover all aspects of learning and development, and shorter-term targets set out the steps towards those goals.

Effective planning focuses on the child as an individual and not on a SEN label. Plans should:

Be easy to understand and use clear, everyday language
Highlight the child’s strengths and capacities
Enable the child and those who know them best to share what they have done, what they enjoy and what outcomes they are seeking
Tailor support to the needs of the individual
Organise assessments so they minimise demands on families
Bring together relevant professionals to agree the overall approach

If the child fails to make expected progress and multi-agency support is needed, an Early Help or CAF assessment may be considered.

Record keeping

If a child has, or is suspected of having, a special educational need, a dated record is kept. This may include:

The initial cause for concern and the source of the information (for example the progress check at age two or outcomes of previous interventions). Form 09.13a SEN support: Initial record of concern can also be used for this purpose.
A note of the initial discussion with parents or carers where the possibility of SEN is raised
The views of parents, carers, the child (where possible) and any other relevant person
The procedures followed under the Code of Practice, including SEN action plans, referrals to external agencies and any statutory assessment
Evidence of the child’s progress and any barriers to learning
Advice and reports from relevant professionals
Records of meetings with parents, carers and other agencies, and any subsequent referrals

Supporting records may include observation and monitoring sheets, expressions of concern, risk assessments, access audits, health care plans, SEN action plans, meetings with parents and other agencies, Early Help or CAF referrals, referrals to the local authority for statutory EHC assessment and copies of any EHC plan.

Seeking additional funding

If the child’s needs cannot be met from within the setting’s core funding, the evidence collected is used to apply for top-up or enhanced funding from the local authority’s inclusion fund.

If a new or existing child is disabled, we check whether the family is in receipt of, or has applied for, Disability Living Allowance. Where applicable, we may be able to apply to the local authority for the Disability Access Fund.

Statutory Education, Health and Care (EHC) assessment and plan

If, despite targeted support, a child does not make sufficient progress, the next step may be an Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment.

For children under compulsory school age, the local authority will conduct an EHC needs assessment if it considers that the child’s needs cannot reasonably be met within the resources normally available to the early years setting. Children under the age of two are eligible where assessment indicates that they are likely to have SEN that will require an EHC plan when they reach compulsory school age.

When a child’s needs appear to be sufficiently complex, or the evidence suggests that specialist intervention is required, the local authority is likely to conclude that an EHC plan is necessary.

The local authority should fully involve parents and carers and must seek advice from the setting when deciding whether to undertake an EHC assessment and when preparing an EHC plan.

Settings prepare by collating information about the child’s SEND, including:

Documentation on the child’s progress in the setting
Details of interventions and support provided to date
Evidence of external agency assessments, support and recommendations
Parent and carer views and wishes, and where appropriate the child’s views

The local authority must inform parents within six weeks of receiving a request for assessment whether it will proceed, giving reasons and explaining the right to appeal. If the authority decides to assess, parents are fully included from the start. If it decides that a statutory EHC plan is not necessary, it must notify parents and the provider, giving reasons, within 16 weeks of the initial request or from when the child was brought to the authority’s attention.

If an EHC plan is agreed, the local authority consults collaboratively with parents and carers when preparing it, ensuring that their views and the child’s preferences are considered. Plans are evidence-based and describe positively what the child can do and has achieved, focusing on short-term outcomes and longer-term aspirations for the child, family and community.

Parents and carers have the right to request that a particular provision is named in the plan. If an early years setting is named, the local authority must fund this provision. The authority cannot force a setting to take a child and can only name the provision in the EHC plan with the setting’s agreement.

Local authorities should consider reviewing an EHC plan for a child under five at least every three to six months. These reviews complement the duty to carry out a full review annually and may be streamlined depending on the child’s needs. Parents and carers must be fully consulted on any proposed changes and made aware of their right to appeal.

External intervention and support

Where external agency intervention has been identified to help support a child with SEND, the intervention should be recommended in writing by a suitably reliable professional, such as a speech and language therapist, paediatrician or educational psychologist.