SEN 0 to 5 years

Identifying SEND in a child's early years can be key to helping them access education and reach their potential.

Every child grows at their own pace, making it hard to spot special educational needs early on. If you're worried about your child, first talk to their childminder, nursery practitioner, teacher, doctor, or health visitor. These professionals can offer valuable insights and confirm or ease worries about a child's progress. 

What support should my child get in early years education settings? 

The support that should be available to all children in early years is set out in the Cumberland Early Years Ordinarily available document. 

All Ofsted registered education and childcare settings must support children with SEN. They are required to make information about this available to parents and carers. They should identify a staff member, such as the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO), who is responsible for SEND. The SENCo should ensure that parents are actively involved in decisions. All early years settings offering funded childcare must follow the SEND Code of Practice. 

Early years providers must regularly check your child’s progress, and keep you informed. You should be given a written summary of your child’s progress when they are between two and three years old. This is set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. Early years practitioners should respond quickly to any emerging difficulties by trying new approaches. They should keep you involved in developing a plan. The plan should set out your child’s strengths, and concerns. It should give details of the support they will offer. The childcare setting should agree with you when to review the plan to see how well it is working.  

If a child has support from Health services, they may provide specialist equipment. It will help the child take part in activities.  The child's needs are most important, not a diagnosis. A lack of a formal diagnosis should not block effective support from being in place. Support for your child will be tailored to their needs. It might include visual timetables, sensory activities, a quiet space, or communication aids like Makaton or PECS