Under Fives
Early education and information for children under 5.
- Early education settings
- The Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice and children under 5
- How to get extra help
Early education settings
If your child's special needs have been picked up at an early age, you will probably be thinking about suitable pre-school education. Most parents we know worry about their child missing out in their early years, and are keen for them to have as many opportunities for play and stimulation as possible. For other parents it is when their child starts at playgroup or nursery that their concerns about their child come into focus. The SEN Code of Practice tells early education settings how they should identify and support children with special needs.
Most children under two can benefit from the facilities available for all very young children, such as parent and toddler groups, music groups or soft play sessions. The Families Information Service has details of childminders, toddler groups and nurseries, including the local Childminding Network, there is a service for both the County and City.
All nurseries, playgroups, Children's Centres and childcare providers should welcome young children with special needs, but some services aim to offer something extra. And if your child's special needs are complex or severe, you may be looking for something more specialised.
In Nottinghamshire the Schools and Families Specialist Services Early Years and Key Stage One Team supports children with complex special educational needs and disabilities from birth to seven and their families, with particular focus on educational issues. Parents can self refer or a professional can complete a request for involvement form. The service will visit the home and the child and ask a set of standard questions. The case is then discussed at a weekly Allocations Panel . If the referral meets the criteria, then support is decided on and this can be short term or longer term intervention work, dependent upon the child's needs and circumstances, up to the end of Key Stage One if this is appropriate.. Support can include home teaching, providing advice and support to parents on a range of issues , transition support, providing advice and training to school and early years setting staff, and liaising with other agencies to ensure that support for the child and family is coordinated and effective.
For full contact details of these organisations and services see Useful Contacts.
The Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice and children under 5
The Code of Practice sets out a graduated approach to providing for children with special needs in the pre-school years. This recognises that children and their needs vary widely. There is an emphasis on early intervention and on involving parents closely. Moving between the stages is based on whether a child is making adequate progress with the level of help they are getting at the moment.
Early Years Action
The trigger for action could be a concern expressed by you or a member of staff working with your child. Once your child has been identified as needing extra support or having special educational needs the early years setting should work out a plan to meet your child's needs. They should consult with you and anyone else working with your child such as health service staff. They will usually write an IEP (individual education plan) for your child and review it regularly with you.
Early Years Action Plus
Children should be on this level if there is input from outside specialists to help the early years setting meet the child's needs. This could be from an Educational Psychologist, a teacher from the Sensory Needs Service, a Speech and Language Therapist or others. Again there should be an IEP for your child that is reviewed regularly with you.
Statutory Assessment and Statements
The local education authority (LA) carries out an assessment of your child's educational needs, and based on this they can decide to write a Statement of Special Educational Needs. This describes their learning difficulties or disabilities and the help they should get to meet these needs. This process effectively only applies to children who are two and over.
Once your child is two you can request that the LEA carry out a statutory assessment. Statutory assessments usually take no longer than 26 weeks to complete. Most children can make good progress in their early education setting without a statement and can access appropriate specialist services such as the Sensory Needs Service. So very few under fives have a statement.
But as a parent you may feel a statement would help your child. This may be because your child has severe and complex needs or requires specialist early intervention that can't be provided otherwise. You also need to think ahead. If you think your child will need to go to a special school or that they will need the extra support of a statement when they start at a mainstream school, it's worth asking for an assessment at least a year ahead.
Find out more about the process of Statutory assessment and Statements.
How to get extra help
If you are worried about how your child is getting on in their early years setting, start by talking to a member of staff who knows your child well. They may share your worries and you can discuss how to help your child make progress, what extra help they can offer and whether some expert advice is needed. You can also ask to speak to the SENCO – the person in that nursery or pre-school who has responsibility for special needs. If you feel the staff don’t take your concerns seriously, it is a good idea to put something in writing.
If you don't feel things are working out, you may need to contact the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Parent Partnership Service (PPS) who can give you advice and support and, if nessecary, can assist with the statutory assessment process. Parents often say it can feel like a marathon so support from PPS can be particularly useful at this time. They can help you think through what to do if you are unhappy with a Local Authority decision, and give initial advice on how to appeal or make use of the local Disagreement Resolution process.
PPS helpline is 0115 948 2888
PPS website www.ppsnotts.org.uk
The Department for Education produce a useful guide for parent carers about assessment and statements. It's called 'Special Educational Needs (SEN) - A guide for parents and carers' and you can download it from its website or call 0845 602 2260 and request a copy.
Inclusion Support for Settings in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
Inclusive Support Grant – Nottingham
The Inclusive Support Grant is available to help cover the additional costs of settling a child with special needs into a nursery or with another childcare provider. It can be used for extra staffing costs, to buy special equipment or make adaptations to the premises. To find out about more about the grant the childcare provider should contact the Families Information Service on 0800 458 4114 or Email fis@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
Inclusion 'Support for Settings' - Nottinghamshire