To fulfil their role in identifying and planning for the needs of children with SEN, the Royal Borough of Greenwich has ensured that there is sufficient expertise and experience amongst local early years settings to support children with SEN by making use of Area SENCOs to provide advice, guidance and training to early years providers on the development of inclusive early learning environments.
The Area SENCO helps make the links between education, health and social care to facilitate appropriate early provision for children with SEN and their transition to compulsory schooling.
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| Area SENCo’s from the Early Years Inclusion Team have compiled a range of resources and materials in the drop downs below to support practitioners in implementing their statutory requirements as part of the ‘Graduated Approach- Access, Plan, Do, Review’. This includes practical materials and other resources needed to support children in the setting. |
'WORD' templates can be found under 'downloads'
EYIT SEND TOOLKIT for PVI settings and SENCo's
The EYIT PVI SEN Toolkit is a collection of adaptable resources for front-line staff that enables them to learn about, and identify approaches for supporting children in their setting with Special Educational Needs/ Disabilities (SEND).
The Toolkit is designed to help translate theory into practice. Click on one of the documents below to view
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EYIT SEND Toolkit - Templates
The SEN Toolkit templates have been designed as a timesaver
Individual Record of SEN + medical needs
Personal Learning Plan (PLP) - SEP 23
Team Around the Child (TAC) Minute Report
EYIT SEND Toolkit - Examples
The SEN Toolkit examples are a way of helping practitioners to understand something by showing them how it is used
Example Audit of SEND provision
Example Personal Learning Plan (PLP)
Example Timetable of Support 1
Example Timetable of Support 2
Example Record of Intervention
Example Team Around the Child (TAC) Minute Report
Observation Tools
Observation is about watching children and noticing their actions, expressions, behaviours and interactions. Documentation of observations should be recorded regularly and should be as detailed as possible, noting what was seen and heard.
Below are some different types of observation tools that will help practitioners identify and support a child...
ABC Observation sheet template
Frequency recording chart template
Intensive Interaction observation checklist
Intensive Interaction session sheet
Narrative observation template
PVI SENCo Newsletters - for practitioners
EYIT training offer for PVI settings and SENCo's
Setting based training/ in house and virtual training.
The team offer a range of SEND related training that it either delivered to groups of mixed practitioners or as a whole setting offer.
Click on the document below to see the full range of available training
To request training it is recommended to do so in liaison with the setting Area SENCo who can offer you additional help and advice
Consultation Forums
Early Years Consultation Forums
What is it?
A regular support group to develop reflective thinking and professional development around issues arising in early years.
Who is it for?
Feedback from previous groups have indicated that the practitioners who have benefited the most have been those early years practitioners who have daily contact and first hand knowledge of the children.
It has been most useful when one person has been able to attend consistently for a period of time, thus building up knowledge, skills and trust within the group.
For further details on the times and dates see below: 
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Term |
Date |
Microsoft Teams link |
Date |
Microsoft Teams link |
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Summer Term 2024 |
Join Sarah Wright on Friday 3rd May 2024 10.00-11.30am
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Join on your computer or mobile app Click here to join the meeting
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Join Nicola Hunt on Monday 24th June 2024 10.00-11.30am |
Join on your computer or mobile app Click here to join the meeting
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Autumn Term 2024 |
Join Antoinette Hunte on Tuesday 8th October 2024 10.00-11.30am |
Join on your computer or mobile app |
Join Antoinette Hunte on Monday 2nd December 2024 10.00-11.30am |
Join on your computer or mobile app |
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Spring Term 2025 |
Join Antoinette Hunte on Wednesday 29th January 2025 10.00-11.30am |
Join on your computer or mobile app Click here to join the meeting
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Join Antoinette Hunte on Thursday 13th March 2025 10.00-11.30am |
Join on your computer or mobile app Click here to join the meeting
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Summer Term 2025 |
Join Antoinette Hunte on Friday 2nd May 2025 10.00-11.30am |
Join on your computer or mobile app |
Join Antoinette Hunte on Monday 23rd June 2025 10.00-11.30am |
Join on your computer or mobile app |
How does it work?
- An Area SENCo facilitates the group
- The group is welcomed and introduced
- The presenter from the previous Consultation Forum feeds back any developments on their issue.
- The chosen issue is explored through the following five phases.
Phase 1
- Using only a few sentences, each group member is given the opportunity to outline an issue they would like to present to the group.
- The group then decides which ‘issue’ it wants to explore further.
Some example issues that have been discussed:
- How can I encourage staff in the setting to work on agreed targets as a team together, and not see it as only the responsibility of the setting SENCo.
- How do I raise concerns with a parent who may not share the same opinion.
- As the setting SENCo how do I priortise my responsibilities and time.
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Phase 2
- The person with the chosen issue then presents to the group in detail
Group Role
The rest of the group act as active listeners, asking only clarification questions
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Phase 3
- The problem holder is asked open questions about the issue and its context
Group Role
The group asks open ended questions that are non judgemental and encourage reflective thought. No advice or solutions are offered at this stage
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Break
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Phase 4
- Based on what has been heard in the previous phases, the problem holder and members of the group generate ideas i.e. “This is what I think is contributing to this problem.”
Group Role
Group members generate their own personal theories. Discussion and reflection is an important aspect of this phase
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Phase 5
- The group offer strategies as potential solutions to the presented problem
Group Role
The Area SENCo to record the suggested strategies.
Group members to take their own notes.
Who, when and where?
The groups are facilitated by an Area SENCo whose role is to support the process outlined above.
The groups run for 1-2 hours 6 times each year, once in every half term.
One-page profiles and full profiles
What is a profile?
A one-page profile is a short description of someone or something that gives important and useful details about them.
A personal Profile is a more detailed document which also contains a One Page Profile within it
Moving forward this year Early Years Team members have decided they would like to encourage practitioners to create 'individualised’ the one-page profiles' for children based on the child interests
See the example Hungry Caterpillar one-page profile for a child who loved the story. There are many different ways you can individualise this document to reflect the child's interests - get creative!
Working with Parents - advice in preparing for meetings
Nurseries are busy places. This can mean contact with parents is limited. If you mainly talk to parents when things are going wrong, every meeting can be anxiety inducing.
Top Tips
- Look for opportunities to build positive relationships with parents.
- Meet and greet at the start and end of the day (where practical), encourage general chat, put a face to a name.
- Contact parents when things are going well.
- Tell them their child has gone a great piece of work, has grown in their confidence, or is relating well to others.
- That way, they won’t look terrified when you head in their direction
For further advice and support on preparing for meetings click here
SEND Policy for early years providers.
What are the requirements for early years providers?
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework requires all early year’s providers to have arrangements in place to support children with SEN or disabilities and provide parents with information on this.
Settings must promote equality of opportunity for children in their care and all providers who are funded by the local authority to deliver early education places must have regard to the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice. The EYFS also states that maintained nursery schools must identify a member of staff to act as Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) and other providers in group provision are expected to do so.
Basic SEND Policy Framework for PVI settings
The Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice builds on the EYFS Framework and sets out that all providers must have:
- arrangements in place to support children with SEN or disabilities
- a clear policy on identifying and responding to children with SEN, with early identification a priority.
GREENWICH CHILDREN’S SERVICES ADVICE TO SCHOOLS/ Private Voluntary and Independent Settings ON UPDATING THEIR SEND POLICY: OCT 2014
(Adapted from NASEN HELP SHEET: UPDATING SEN POLICY for SCHOOLS 2014)
- 1. KEY REQUIREMENTS FOR UPDATING YOUR SEN POLICY IN LINE WITH SEND CODE OF PRACTICE 2014:
- The SEN Policy must reflect the statutory requirements and the actual practice of the setting/school.
- The guidance that determines what must be included in the special educational needs policy can be found in The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations.
- It must reflect your setting/school’s individuality in the contents of the policy. This should be done by including, the approaches, staffing and actual practice that occurs in the setting/school.
- The policy should not be a series of aspirations but should reflect what parents can expect their children to receive.
- The policy must be made available to all parents who request a copy.
- It is important that all staff, owners, committees, families, children and young people are involved and engaged in this process so that they feel part of the provision that the setting/school offers to pupils with special educational needs.
- 2. COMPLIANCE:
Every early year setting needs a written SEND policy. Although maintained settings are required to by law to have a policy as described in Improving Outcomes- high aspirations and expectations for children with SEN on page 68 of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 0 to 25 years
All other early years settings in receipt of government funding are required by Early education and childcare Statutory guidance for local authorities April 2023- see below
PART d: Legal annex and other relevant information
Page 43
Special Educational Needs
- Local authorities must ensure that all providers in the maintained and private, voluntary, and independent sectors that they fund to the free entitlements are aware of the requirement on them to have regard to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0-25.
SECTION 1: Front page:
Requirements:
- Name and contact details of your SENCO or person responsible for managing your settings response to the provision you make for children and young people with SEN
- Your own setting/school beliefs and values around SEN including the belief that every practitioner is an educator of every child or young person including those with SEN
You may also want to add:
- How your policy was developed, who you consulted and how it was shared with your stakeholders, including parents, families and that it reflects the SEND Code of Practice, 0-25 guidance
- Contextual information about your school/setting in line with other school/setting policies you have.
SECTION 2:
- 1. AIM (The longer view)
- State the purpose of your school/setting approach to SEN; what do you want for your pupils? e.g. raising the aspirations of/ expectations for all pupils with SEN, your school/setting provides a focus on outcomes for children and young people and not just hours of provision/support.
II. OBJECTIVE (HOW ARE YOU GOING TO DO IT?)
Possible objectives:
- To identify and provide for pupils who have special educational needs and additional needs
- To work within the guidance provided in the SEND Code of Practice, 2014
- To operate a “whole pupil, whole school/setting” approach to the management and provision of support for special educational needs
- To commit to delivering and SEN inclusion policy coordinated by the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO)
- To provide support and advice for all staff working with special educational needs pupils
SECTION 3: Identifying special educational needs:
- Refer to the section in the Code of Practice which describes the 4 broad categories of need:
- Communication and interaction
- Cognition and learning
- Social, emotional and mental health difficulties
- Sensory and /or physical needs
These four broad areas give an overview of the range of needs that should be planned for. The purpose of identification is not to fit a pupil into a category but consider the needs of the whole child which will include not just the special educational needs of the child or young person.
- Consider what is NOT SEN but may impact on progress an attainment:
- Disability (the Code of Practice outlines the “reasonable adjustment” duty for all settings and schools provided under current Disability Equality legislation – these alone do not constitute SEN)
- Attendance and Punctuality
- Health and Welfare
- EAL
- Being in receipt of Pupil Premium Grant
- Being a Looked After Child
- Being a child of Serviceman/woman
- Remember that identifying behaviour as a need will no longer be an acceptable way of describing SEN but an underlying response to need.
SECTION 4: A graduated approach to SEN Support:
(In this section of your SEN Policy set out the PROCESS by which your setting/school identifies and manages children and young people with SEN)
In recording pupils needs on an SEN record or register your criteria for “entering” a pupil on this record should include:
- What work has to be done before, by whom? (in this section you will need to write about the high quality teaching in your setting/school and the role of the practitioner/class teacher/subject specialist teacher/ in providing for all children/ pupils. The Code of Practice suggests that children/pupils are only identified as SEN if they do not make expected progress once they have had all the intervention/adjustments and good quality personalised teaching)
- Clearly state that practitioners/ teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of the pupils in their class, including where pupils access support from teaching assistants or specialist staff.
- Explain that high quality teaching, differentiated for individual pupils, is the first step in responding to pupils who have or may have SEN.
‘The class or subject teacher should remain responsible for working with the child on a daily basis *. Where the interventions involve group or one to one teaching away from the main class or subject teacher, they should still retain responsibility for the pupil. They should work closely with any teaching assistants or specialist staff involved, to plan and assess the impact of support and interventions, and how they can be linked to classroom teaching. The SENCO should support the class or subject teacher in the further assessment of the child’s particular strengths and weaknesses, in problem solving and advising on the effective implementation of support.’
(SEND Code of practice 0-25 years, p.101 para 6.52)
*In Private, Voluntary and Independent settings (PVI’s) this should be understood to mean the key person is responsible for working with the child on a daily basis, and when the child is worked with by other staff, or practitioner providing 1:1 support (if different) they should still retain responsibility for the child. The keyworker should work closely with any other staff involved, to plan and assess the impact of support and interventions, and how they can be linked to teaching. The SENCO should support the key person in the further assessment of the child’s particular strengths and weaknesses, in problem solving and advising on the effective implementation of support.
Describe:
- How your setting/school reviews and monitors attainment of all pupils and the quality of teaching and, where necessary develops practitioners/ teachers’ understanding of strategies to identify and support vulnerable pupils.
- How your setting/school decides whether to make special educational provision?
- Involve the practitioner/ teacher and SENCO
- Consider all of the information gathered from within the school/ setting about the pupil/ child’s progress,
- Compare with national data and expectations of progress.
- PVI’s- consultation with an Area Senco.
This should include high quality and accurate formative assessment, using effective tools and early assessment materials.
- Makes arrangements to draw on more specialised assessments from external agencies and professionals (consider a referral to Prospects Early Years Team), for pupils/ children with a higher level of need.
- How the decision made to place pupils on the SEND register? Describe the steps you take as a school/setting in applying the ASSESS – PLAN – DO - REVIEW cycle.
- How parents, families, children and young people are involved in this process?
SECTION 5: Managing pupils needs on the SEND support register:
Principles:
- Consider the PROCESS not the provision
- Remember that this is now a single category of support, SEND SUPPORT, so your school/setting needs to decide how you are going to break down the graduated approach into manageable chunks understood by everyone. (This is your opportunity to be innovative in your approach as there is no specific guidance on this) *.
*Although locally Private, Voluntary and Independent settings (PVI’s) will have some guidance for their use.
Key considerations:
- What cycle/system for assessing/planning/delivering, reviewing and recording provision do you use?
- Early Years PLP’s /IEP/Provision Maps/Person Centred Plans are only effective if they are living records which tell us:
- Exactly what needs have been identified,
- How to remove key barriers to learning effectively i.e. What works; the clear outcomes to be achieved within an agreed time frame.
- Who is responsible for maintaining an updating the record/plan?
- Who keeps this up to date?
- Early Years PLP’s /IEP/Provision Maps/Person Centred Plans are only effective if they are living records which tell us:
Is this a good point to start building a Greenwich profile on the child?
- How often is it reviewed and how does it feed into pupil progress meetings?
- How is the level of provision decided? (This may be a good place to write about your school/setting contribution to the Local Offer – you can include this in an appendix
- If your school/setting identify you are unable to fully meet the needs of a pupil through your own provision arrangements, refer to:
Schools-
Early Years providers-
Private, Voluntary and Independent settings (PVI’s) should refer to Early Years Inclusion Service.
- Explain the process for engaging additional support/engaging specialist services. Who monitors this? When and how are parents/families/children and young people involved? (Refer to RGB local offer)
- If the school/setting identify that additional funding and support are needed from the local authority, describe what this process looks like. Where do you find your information? Who needs to be involved?
- What referral documentation do you need to complete?
- How are pupils and parents involved?
SECTION 6: Criteria for exiting the SEND register:
- Do you have a process for this in your setting /school?
- In this section set out what else does your setting/ school do to support pupils with SEN? (If not already covered in your policy)
SECTION 7: Supporting pupils and their families.
- Provide a link for parents/pupils towards the LA local offer
Royal Borough of Greenwich Special Educational Needs Local Offer - Links with other agencies to support the family and pupil.
- What are your admission arrangements and where can they be found? (link to your school/setting policy)
- Transition – from room to room and to another setting/ school.
SECTION 8: Supporting pupils at school/ setting with medical conditions:
- The school/ setting recognise that pupils/ children at school with medical conditions should be properly supported so that they have full access to education, including trips and outside play.
- Some children with medical conditions may be disabled and where this is the case the school/ setting will comply with its duties under the Equality Act 2010.
- Some may also have special educational needs (SEN) and may have a Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan.
SECTION 9: Monitoring and evaluation of SEND:
Refer here to the schools practice in regularly and carefully monitoring and evaluating the quality of provision you offer all children/pupils explaining the active process of continual review and improvement of provision for all pupils
- How do you do this? Regular audits, sampling of parent views, pupils’ views, staff views?
- Role of the owners, company, or committee members?
SECTION 10: Training and resources:
- How is SEN funded?
- How are the training needs of staff identified and planned?
- SEND staff induction process or Good Practise guide in PVI’s
- Attendance at the LAs Consultation forum network meetings/ Group Care Networks in order to keep up to date with local land national updates in SEND.
- Link to Bespoke training offer by the Early Years Inclusion Service for SEND in settings
PVI-Training request form for settings
SECTION 11: Roles and responsibilities
- Role of SEN Committee Member/Governor
- Role of SEN Practitioner providing 1:1 support/Teaching Assistants – name of line manager
- Name of Designated Person/Teacher with specific Safeguarding responsibility
- Name member of staff responsible for managing PPG/LAC funding
- Name of member of staff responsible for managing the setting/school’s responsibility for meeting the medical needs of pupils.
- Name of the Area Senco providing support to the setting.
SECTION 12: Storing and managing information:
- Detail here how documents are stored. This will probably sit in line with a school policy on Information Management (this includes information on how long to store documents, when they should be destroyed, what should be kept, where etc.) and your confidentiality policy.
SECTION 13: Reviewing the policy:
- Detail here how you keep policy under review at setting/school.
SECTION 14: ACCESSIBILITY
Statutory Responsibilities
- The DDA, as amended by the SEN and Disability Act 2001, placed a duty on all school and LAs to plan to increase over time the accessibility of schools for disabled pupils and to implement their plans.
- Schools are required to produce a written accessibility plans for their individual school and LAs are under a duty to prepare accessibility strategies covering the maintained schools in their area.
Accessibility strategy for education settings in the Royal Borough of Greenwich
Greenwich recognises the unique position of some PVI’s and continues to seek to improve the accessibility of all settings.
- How does your school identify and remove barriers to learning?
- Describe current targets, strategies, and outcomes of your school’s successful accessibility planning approach.
- How does your school increase and promote access for disabled pupils to the school curriculum? This covers teaching and learning and the wider curriculum of the school such as participation in after-school clubs, leisure and cultural activities or school visits.
- How does your school improve access to the physical environment of the school? This covers improvements to the physical environment of the school and physical aids to access education.
- How does your school improve the delivery of written information to disabled pupils? Examples might include hand-outs, timetables, textbooks, and information about school events.
- How can parents and carers contact key staff? Want are the protocols in your school? Do you have a specific time of day/week where there is open access?
SECTION 15: DEALING WITH COMPLAINTS
- Detail here the link to the setting/school comments, compliments and complaints policies and procedures.
- Are there any specific arrangements for parents, carers, families and pupils with SENs to make a complaint? If so, what does this look like?
- Do you offer resolution support?
SECTION 16: BULLYING and BEHAVIOUR
It is generally agreed that the term ‘bullying’ is inappropriate in relation to the behaviour of very young children. However, the setting/school SEND policy should indicate the following either directly or through reference to the setting/school’s Behaviour Policy:
- What steps the setting/school take to ensure that vulnerable children are protected from possible harm (physical or verbal) inflicted by other children and how this will be dealt with if it occurs.
- What steps the setting/school take to reduce the likelihood of children with additional needs causing harm (physical or verbal) to other children and how this will be dealt with if it occurs.
SECTION 17: APPENDICES
- You may want to include a reference to or example of a SEND handbook for parents/teacher/support staff if you school provides this
- You may want to consider providing glossary of terms for this policy document, to promote accessibility for all stakeholders.
Related Advice
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SEND Outreach Support Services
SEND Outreach Support Services consists of the ASD Outreach Service, Early Years Inclusion Team, Sensory Service and STEPS Team (Support Team for Education in Primary and Secondary schools), all these teams provide services to children attending Greenwich mainstream schools/PVI’s.
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Early Years SEND - Interventions and strategies
To fulfil their role in identifying and planning for the needs of children with SEN, the Royal Borough of Greenwich has ensured that there is sufficient expertise and experience amongst local early years settings to support children with SEN by making use of Area SENCOs…