The Early Learning and Childcare Team provides support and advice to early years settings and schools for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), from birth until the end of reception. A portage service is available for families of children with SEND who are not yet accessing a nursery provision.
A child has Special Educational Needs (SEN) if they are likely to have a learning difficulty or disability that calls for special educational provision when they reach compulsory school age. Special educational provision means educational provision of any kind.
The team works in partnership with early years settings and schools to implement the Ordinary Available Inclusive Practice (OAIP) and The Graduated Response Toolkit, ensuring that children’s individual needs are identified at the earliest opportunity and met effectively.
Criteria for Involvement
If an early years setting has a concern regarding a child’s development and they can evidence that they have effectively followed the Graduated Approach, they can consider making a referral to the team if the child’s SEN Support Plan indicates the following criteria is met:
- The Early Years Support Tool indicates that the child is currently presenting with a developmental delay of 18 months or more
- A SEN Support Plan has been completed, demonstrating two full cycles of planned outcomes
- Outcomes have been informed by a range of evidence including:
- WELLCOMM assessment
- 2-year progress check
- Pofessional advice from external agencies
- Strategies drawn from both the Early Support and SEN Support sections of the Graduated Response Toolkit
- Outcomes have been implemented, reviewed, and adapted in response to the child’s individual needs
Following receipt of a referral, if criteria is met, the Early Learning and Childcare team will contact the early years setting or school to arrange an assessment and or a support visit to provide further support and advice to the setting. When completing an assessment parents/carers will be invited and provided with information regarding the team’s involvement and next steps to be implemented by the setting.
If a parent/carer has a concern regarding their child’s development, they can discuss those concerns with their child’s early years setting, who can provide information of how they are supporting their child in line with the Graduated Approach and if they feel a referral to the Early Years Team is needed.
Portage
Portage is a home-visiting educational service for children with SEND who are not yet accessing a nursery provision and their families.
Portage helps parents and children play and learn together in their home through fortnightly home visits, this involves planning for family focus time, child led play and structured teaching activities.
Portage groups are also available. These are set up in a nursery style environment within our Family Hubs, providing opportunities for children to interact and learn, and for families to network and plan for their child’s transition into an early years setting.
How to make a referral
If a health professional wishes to refer a child to the Portage service an Early Notification will need to be completed via the link below
Early years settings and schools can make a referral when criteria is met by providing the documents below:
SEN Inclusion Funding (SENIF)
SENIF is additional funding made available to early years providers to enable them to provide additional staffing at identified key times throughout the child’s sessions.
Settings can apply for SENIF following an assessment or a support visit from the Early Learning and Childcare Team.
To be eligible, settings must provide clear evidence that, despite implementing the Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle, the child continues to make minimal or no progress.
The SEN Support Plan must demonstrate that targeted strategies have been implemented, including those recommended by external professionals, and that the impact has been monitored and evaluated across at least two outcome cycles.
Applying for SEN Inclusion Funding (SENIF)
To apply for SENIF, early years settings need to complete the following application:
The following supporting information should also be provided:
SENIF panels are held monthly, dates can be found on the SENIF application. Any application received after the submission date will go to the following months panel.
Useful Resources
Early Years processes
Information and guidance