Under fives
Resources
- 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 Family Information Service has details of childminders, toddler groups and nurseries, including the local Childminding Network. See our factsheet Childcare questions for tips about choosing and using childcare.
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. Ring the AMAZE helpline for advice about local options and other services such as Portage.
In Brighton & Hove there is a pre-school special educational needs service called PRESENS which helps make sure 2 to 5 year olds get their educational needs met. Some children attend sessions at PRESENS; others get outreach at a mainstream nursery or playgroup. PRESENS also support and advise all the local early education settings. Nearly all children with special needs go to mainstream early years settings.
For full contact details of these organisations and services see Useful contacts.
“I saw the pre-school teacher when Jane was very young, before she could possibly have gone to playgroup, and she didn't talk that much then about provision. It was more about how I could play with her and what I should be doing with her, and that was just wonderful, and that started right from the first diagnosis, and then she comes round every three to four months and tells you what sort of toys, and then you've always got her for advice.”
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 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 PRESENS, 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 Children & Young People's Trust (CYPT), the local education authority, can carry 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 CYPT carry out a statutory assessment. Statutory assessments usually take six months to complete. Most children can make good progress in their early education setting without a Statement and can access appropriate specialist services such as PRESENS and 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, ring the Amaze helpline for advice. You may find that one of our Independent Parental Supporters (IPS) can help. We can also give you advice and support with the statutory assessment process. Parents often say it can feel like a marathon so an IPS can be particularly useful at this time. We can help you think through what to do if you are unhappy with a CYPT decision, and give initial advice on how to appeal or make use of the local Disagreement Resolution process.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) 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 the Teachernet website or call 0845 602 2260 and request a copy.
Childcare Inclusion Grant
The Childcare Inclusion 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 and can amount to £1200. For information about the Childcare Inclusion Grant, the childcare provider or parent/carer should contact the Family Information Service on 01273 293549.
Confused by any of the terms or abbreviations used in this page? If so, check out our jargon buster for clear definitions.