As part of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework , all early years providers and OFSTED registered childminders should ensure your child’s is able to engage and learn in an inclusive environment, where their needs are supported. 

Your child’s early years setting should respond quickly if they identify children in their settings who may be experiencing difficulties and have clear arrangements in place to support children with learning and developmental delay/SEND.  

Early years settings should have a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO).  

Childminders should identify someone to act as their SENCO who’s job it is to advise colleagues and involve parents.  

Professionals working in the early years settings should access support from specialist teachers, health professionals and family support/social care professionals as appropriate to support the child and families holistic needs.  

This could include: 

• Local Authority Advisory Teachers and SEND advisers
• Speech and Language Therapists as part of the All Talk universal Programme and Support4Talk targeted programme
• Autism Education Trust (AET) training & support
• Family Hubs/Early Help  

In an early years setting you should expect the following support to be offered as part of a graduated approach in line with the SEND Code of Practice and Early Years Inclusion Pathway and would include. 

Your early years setting should: 

• ensure Practitioners keep parents and/or carers up to date with their child’s progress and development.
• if a provider is worried about a child’s progress practitioners must discuss this with the child’s parents and/or carers and agree how to support the child. Practitioners must consider whether a child needs any additional support, including whether they may have a special educational need or disability which requires additional support.
• make reasonable adjustments as part of their Ordinarily Available Practice/Inclusive practice
• use the SEN Inclusion Funding (SENIF) Notional Budget Funding that they receive from the Local Authority to support the delivery of inclusive provision. (all early years setting receive an SEN Notional budget)
• support you with applying for Early Years Pupil Premium (if you are eligible) so that your early years setting can claim additional funding to meet your child’s needs
• when a child is aged between two and three, practitioners must review their progress and provide parents and/or carers with a short written summary of their child’s development in the following areas:
• communication and language
• physical development
• personal, social and emotional development
• complete an Early Years Foundation Stage profile which assesses your child’s level of progress when your child leaves nursery to go to reception class at primary school 

Your early years setting should: 

• create and implement an individual Early Years Foundation Stage based learning and development support plan for parents/carers to use to support their child through fun and practical play activities at home and by practitioners in the setting
• keep parents and/or carers up to date with their child’s progress and development. Practitioners should address any learning and development needs in partnership with parents and/or carers, and any relevant professionals
• may also provide social stories to help your child understand their environment
• apply for SEN Inclusion Funding (SENIF) funding as appropriate to enable setting to meet child’s additional needs you can find more details about what your early years setting needs to do to apply for SENIF funding here
• support you with applying for Early Years Pupil Premium and or Disability Access funding (if you are eligible) so that your early years setting can claim additional funding to meet your child’s needs
• work with parents/carers to gather information to support a referral to specialist health services (as appropriate) 

Your early years setting should: 

• create and implement an individual Early Years Foundation Stage based learning and development support plan for parents/carers to use to support their child through fun and practical play activities at home and by practitioners in the setting
• keep parents and/or carers up to date with their child’s progress and development. Practitioners should address any learning and development needs in partnership with parents and/or carers, and any relevant professionals
• also provide social stories to help your child understand their environment
• apply for SEN Inclusion Funding (SENIF) funding as appropriate to enable setting to meet child’s additional needs you can find more details about what your early years setting needs to do to apply for SENIF funding here
• if your child receives Disability Living Allowance (DLA), a nursery or childminder can claim additional funding to provide suitable support   
• support you in applying for Early Years Pupil Premium and or Disability Access funding (if you are eligible) so that your early years setting can claim additional funding to meet your child’s needs
• work with parents/carers to gather information to support a referral to specialist health services (as appropriate)
• access support from Occupational Therapist and/or Physiotherapist for any specialist equipment required in setting
• access support from Community Nursing Team for any health specific training for child’s care 

The early years setting may also provide social stories to help your child understand their new environment. 

Where, despite the setting having taken relevant and purposeful action as part of the universal, targeted and specialist elements of the Early Years Inclusion Pathway, and claimed SENIF funding to identify, assess and meet the special educational needs of the child, the child has not made expected progress, the setting should consider requesting an Education, Health and Care needs assessment.