Early Years Practice- 3.07 Supporting Children with Special Educational Needs
Policy Statement
We provide an environment in which all children with special educational needs (SEN) are supported to reach their full potential.
- We have regard for the DfES Special Educational Needs Code of Practice (Sept 2014).
- We ensure our provision is inclusive to all children with special educational needs.
- We support parents and children with special educational needs.
- We identify the specific needs of children with special educational needs and meet those needs through a range of SEN strategies.
- We work in partnership with parents and other agencies in meeting individual children’s needs.
- We monitor and review our policy, practice and provision and, if necessary, make adjustments.
Procedures
- We designate a member of staff to be the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) and give her name to parents. SENCO is Chris Schiller
- The SENCO works closely with our manager and other colleagues and has responsibility for the day-to-day operation of our Supporting Children with Special Educational Needs Policy and for co-ordinating provision for children with SEN.
- We ensure that the provision for children with special educational needs is the responsibility of all members of the setting.
- We ensure that our inclusive admissions practice ensures equality of access and opportunity.
- We use the graduated response system for identifying, assessing and responding to children’s special educational needs.
- We work closely with the parents of children with special educational needs to create and maintain a positive partnership.
- We ensure that parents are informed at all stages of the assessment, planning, provision and review of their children’s education.
- We provide parents with information on sources of independent advice and support.
- We liaise with other professionals involved with children with special educational needs and their families, including transfer arrangements to other settings and schools.
- We provide a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum for all children with special educational needs.
- We use a system of assessing, planning, implementing, monitoring, evaluating and reviewing individual educational plans (IEPs) for children with special educational needs.
- We ensure that children with special educational needs are appropriately involved at all stages of the graduated response, taking into account their levels of ability.
- We have systems in place for supporting children during the Early Years Action stages of the graduated response (stage 2 on Continuum of Needs).
- We have systems in place for working with other agencies through each stage of the Common Assessment Framework (SAF) or local alternatives.
- We use a system for keeping records of the assessment, planning, provision and review for children with special educational needs.
- We provide resources (human and financial) to implement our Supporting Children with Special Educational Needs Policy.
- We ensure that all our staff are aware of our Supporting Children with Special Educational Needs Policy and the procedures for identifying, assessing and making provision for children with SEN.
- We provide in-service training for parents, practitioners and volunteers.
- We raise awareness of any specialism the setting has to offer, e.g. Makaton trained staff.
- We ensure the effectiveness of our special educational needs provision by collecting information from a range of sources e.g. Individual Education Plan reviews, staff and management meetings, parental and external agency’s views, inspections and complaints. This information is collated, evaluated and reviewed annually.
- We provide a complaints procedure.
- We monitor and review our policy annually.
Further guidance
- SEND Code of Practice for the Early Years (Pre-school Alliance 2014)
- Issues in Earlier Intervention: Identifying and Supporting Children with Additional Needs (DCSF 2010)
- Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework (DofE 2017)
- The Team Around the Child (TAC) and the Lead Professional: A Guide for Managers (CWDC 2009)
- Working Together to Safeguard Children (DfE 2018)
- Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice (DofE & DofH 2014)
Keeping Children Safe in Education (DfE 2019)