7 minute read
The identification of SEN in Early Years Settings
The identification
of SEN in Early Years Settings
Mandy Wilding, Early Years leader at nasen, discusses the importance of identifying SEN, examines the role of the SENCO and key person and outlines some effective strategies and support for settings.
T
he key person and SENCO (whether an early years SENCO or school SENCO) have different but important roles to play in the process of identifying and meeting the needs of children with SEND in the Early Years and it is important that they and senior leaders are clear about their responsibilities to children with SEND. The key person is the most important person for the child and remains so, even once the SENCO is involved. It is important that children’s needs are assessed by the key person as early as possible to allow any special educational needs (SEN) to be identified and supported. They gather information about the child and get to know them well through their daily interactions with them and their parents/ carers. They also require a good level of understanding of ‘typical’ child development to identify where children may have a developmental delay or SEN. They should communicate any concerns they have about a child to the SENCO, who can advise and support them with next steps if necessary.
The Revised Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework (2021) states: “The key person must help ensure that every child’s learning and care is tailored to meet their individual needs. The key person must seek to engage and support parents and/or carers in guiding their child’s development at home. They should also help families engage with more specialist support if appropriate.”
INFORMATION GATHERING
It is important for settings to find out as much as possible about all children from parents/ carers before they enter the setting. Gathering information such as their likes, dislikes, interests and friends allows them to take a person-centred approach to planning. For children with SEND, whose needs have already been identified, it is even more important. The key person must find out as much as possible about them and parents must share information about any outside agencies that are
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already involved, such as a Speech and Language Therapy (SALT), Portage or a paediatrician. Reports and recommendations from these agencies are a valuable source of information for the setting in meeting the individual needs of the child. Some children may not have had any additional needs identified, but they may become apparent as the child settles into the setting.
Assessments and observations would take place, following discussions between the key person and SENCO, to pinpoint their specific needs and take appropriate action.
OBSERVATION AND INTERACTION
Throughout the day, key person and other adults will have many interactions with the child, whether during child or adult-led activities. These also give the practitioner useful information about the child in assessing their language, cognitive, social and physical needs. Practitioners may want to carry out more formal observations of the child to find out further information. These may take the form of narrative, structured,
BIO
M A N D Y W I L D I N G
Mandy Wilding is an Education Officer at nasen, where she has worked for four years. She taught in primary schools for 32 years and held the roles of Assistant Head, SENCO and both Primary and Secondary School Governor. She is passionate about high quality teaching and the early identification of, and provision for, the needs of all children. Contact her at
MandyW@nasen.org.uk
spidergraph or incidental observations, depending on the information required (for details about these, see the nasen Early Years miniguides –https://bit.ly/3LZ8dkL).
RECORDING THE INFORMATION
There is no requirement by Ofsted for practitioners to keep notes and ‘track’ every child in the setting or class, but for children with SEND it is useful to have important information to hand. Progress towards current targets, records of any interventions and meetings with parents and outside agencies that have taken place will be important at a later date if the child requires an Education, Health and Care Needs assessment (EHC needs assessment) and the school or setting needs to demonstrate what has been put into place for them.
Many settings use a one-page profile for children with SEND, which is made
available to all adults who work with the child. The profile usually contains important information about them such as ‘what people admire about me’, ‘how I like to be supported’ and ‘what makes me happy’. It is important that these profiles are updated regularly; they are particularly valuable at points of transition from room to room, setting to school or class to class, and to give the child a voice in any planning and decision-making in the provision that is put into place for them.
ASSESSMENT TOOLS
Once practitioners have identified an area of need for a child, they may want to find out more information about their specific difficulties in this area, and this is where assessment tools can be helpful. It is part of the SENCO’s role to ensure all practitioners are aware of the assessment tools available and understand how to use them. Some are free to access such as the ‘Universally Speaking’ booklets produced by The Communication Trust but others, though at a cost, can be used repeatedly and are a good investment for a setting or school.
The Universally Speaking booklets show where children should be with their communication skills at any given age. You can use the booklets to find out whether the children you work with are on the right track, what helps them learn to talk and listen and what to do if you have concerns about any of their communication abilities. They cover 0-5 years, 5-11 years and 11-18 years. The Wellcomm Early Years Toolkit (a paid-for resource, see below) enables practitioners to quickly and easily identify children aged 6 months-6 years who may benefit from speech and language support. The ‘Big Book of Ideas’ contains play-based activities to support children’s speech, language and communication development according to their specific needs.
Another free checklist that practitioners may find useful is the Trafford Sensory Checklist, produced by Trafford Children’s Therapy Service. This checklist is intended to be used as a tool and a guide to becoming more aware and understanding of a child’s sensory needs and differences. It includes many
Once practitioners have identified an area of need for a child, they may want to find out more of the most common information. sensory preferences and differences and is divided into categories based on the sensory system and how the brain and nervous system may process the input. There are approaches and strategies to use for each of the categories. IN CONCLUSION It has been proven that the earlier a child’s special educational needs are identified and provided for through inclusive universal practice, reasonable adjustments, targeted provision, collaboration with parents and the graduated approach of ‘Assess, Plan, Do, Review’, the more successful the outcome for the child as they move to adulthood. This is why all leaders need to ensure that those working every day with our youngest children, are confident and highly skilled to assess and identify a child’s needs, voice any concerns and act upon F U RT H E R them promptly I N F O R M AT I O N to put support Find out about nasen’s in place. free membership: https://bit.ly/3EbVVmZ Discover nasen’s free Early Years training and resources:
https://bit.ly/3SyfMB9
To find out how else nasen can supportr you, contact mandyw@nasen.org.uk. Universally Speaking, The Communication Trust (free to access):
https://bit.ly/3RzR CtDM
Wellcomm Toolkit, GL Assessment:
https://bit.ly/3e86kFE
Trafff ord Sensory Checklist (free to access):
https://bit.ly/3C2C ZJV3
One page profile templates (free to access):
https://bit.ly/3M13yyA
