Handbook for Pre-School SEN Provision

The Code of Practice in Relation to the Early Years

Chris Spencer, Kate Schnelling

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• eBook ISBN: 9781134142330
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Designed specifically for those involved in pre-school education, including nursery teachers, learning support assistants and helpers in a range of provisions, this handbook has been updated to enable carers to comply with the latest requirements of the Code of Practice and to prepare for an OFSTED inspection. It will assist in the identification and assessment of young children with special educational needs. The book provides a ready-made system for record keeping at each stage of assessment and provides a comprehensive system for monitoring and evaluation.

Part 1
The revised SEN Code of Practice and practitioners in early years settings

After the original SEN Code of Practice had been in operation for several years, practitioners were consulted by the government on ways to improve the practicalities of making it work, and the outcome was the revised Code of Practice that was implemented from January 2002. It incorporated several fundamental and important changes, among which were:

• the five original stages leading to the issuing of a Statement of Special Educational Needs being replaced by three levels;
• children in all early years provision to be included in the legislation;
• a greater emphasis on the involvement of both the child and the parents;
• new rights of appeal for parents;
• a reduction of the paperwork involved;
• Individual Education Plans (IEPs) to focus only on what is additional to and different from the rest of the curriculum.

The five stages leading to the issuing of a Statement of Special Educational Needs being replaced by three levels

The revised Code of Practice simplified the process, going from identification of a difficulty to the issuing of a Statement of Special Educational Needs. The original five stages were replaced by three levels: Early Years Action (or School Action), Early Years Action Plus (or School Action Plus) and Statutory Assessment.

Early Years Action replaced the original Stages 1 and 2, and deals with the early identification of a difficulty, and methods of dealing with it in-house. Early Years Action Plus replaced Stage 3, and incorporated the involvement of outside agencies or specialists, while Statutory Assessment replaced Stages 4 and 5, possibly leading to the writing of a Statement of Special Educational Needs.

The three levels are discussed in depth in Parts 3, 4 and 5 of this book.

The inclusion of children in all early years provision

'All early years provision' means all pre-school settings, whether maintained, voluntary or private, that offer early years education; local authority day care providers such as day nurseries or family centres; registered playgroups and pre-school groups; registered child-minding networks and local authority Portage schemes. These settings have to write an SEN policy, designate a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO), adopt the recommendations of the Code of Practice, train staff to identify and work with children who have special educational needs, and link up with the local provision of services and support.

Inclusion is fast becoming an automatic part of the planning that goes on in early years settings. There still remains some confusion, however, about the difference between inclusion and integration, and indeed the terms continue to be used interchangeably by many people, although in fact they do not mean the same thing. From the earliest days of special educational needs legislation, 'integration' was the buzzword, and schools were eager to promote their ideas for integrating children with special needs into their settings. Over the following two decades there has been a gradual and almost subtle change in the best way of working to support these children, and the philosophy of inclusion has developed from this.

Inclusion or integration — what is the difference?

• Integration means placing children with special educational needs in a mainstream setting and expecting them to change in order to 'fit in'; integration does not encourage the changes in attitude necessary at institutional and individual levels, to enable the children to participate as fully as possible in what is on offer; the onus is on the child to change.
• Inclusion means placing the children in a mainstream setting and ensuring that the attitudes, policies and practices at institutional and individual levels enable the children to participate as fully as possible; the onus is on the setting and everybody involved in it to change, if necessary.

Young children are not in a position to ensure by themselves that they are included, so it is our responsibility as both adults and practitioners to make this happen.

What are the benefits of inclusion for children with special needs and their families?

• Children with SEN benefit from contact with peers of all abilities.
• Parents become fuller members of the community and are less isolated.
• Positive pre-school experiences mean that parents are more likely to choose mainstream primary schools for their children.
• Staff and children benefit from contact with children and adults who have special or additional needs.
• Good practice in the care and education of children with SEN can improve good practice for all the children in the setting.¹

Case study

A nursery in a segregated school for physically disabled children in the north of England decided to offer places to able-bodied children from the area. Within days, places for both the morning and the afternoon sessions were taken up and the start date for the scheme was fixed for the beginning of the new term. It got off to a flying start and very soon there was a waiting list of children who wanted a place.

Over the next few months, the parents of both the able-bodied and the physically disabled children began to make relationships and started to see each other socially, arranging coffee mornings at each other's houses, or going out for the evening to a pub or restaurant. Because they lived in different parts of the borough, they would not otherwise have met each other. They came to value their friendships and the support they offered each other, whether or not their child had disabilities.

The practitioners in the nursery heard comments such as I didn't realise it, but the disabled kids are actually just the same as any others, aren't they?' or 'Now I know Thomas can get on with other kids, I'm going to put his name down for our local school when he's five,'

Some general principles of inclusion

• Inclusion means celebrating the chiid's achievements and abilities.
• The philosophy of inclusion means that children with SEN will remain, wherever possible, in a mainstream setting for their education.
• Settings must make arrangements to ensure disabled children have their entitlements met.
• Regardless of children's difficulties, they have the right to be helped to fulfil their potential, in a setting that sees them in a positive light.
• Inclusion means:
  • - evaluating the resources in the setting and making sure that they are accessible to everyone;
  • - selecting appropriate books, making them available to everybody and using them regularly;
  • - looking at the physical layout of the room in which disabled children spend most of their time, and adapting it if necessary to enable them to access all the resources and equipment;
  • - making sure that every member of the group and their contribution to the day's activities are valued and their opinions are heard and respected by everybody else;
  • - ensuring that the children in the setting can meet and interact with a wide range of people who will help them to develop an appreciation of the diversity of talents, backgrounds and cultures of their shared society.

Some strategies for including children with special needs

• Use your setting's baseline measurements and/or the Foundation stage profile to check the child's achievement level, and plan the next targets from that point.
• Involve the child's parents and, if appropriate, the child in planning the IEP. (This is explored at relevant points in the appropriate chapters of this book.)
• Observe the child at work and play - what motivates, stimulates and challenges them? Use this information to plan the IEP and teaching strategies.
• Work towards IEP targets in small steps. If the child has difficulty with any of them, reduce them still further; if the child progresses quickly, challenge them by making the steps a little more demanding.
• When the child achieves success, even if it is not the final target, give lots of praise and some form of reward - something that has meaning for the child. Involve the child in their own record-keeping - filling in achievement charts or putting merit stickers in a folder have a magical effect.
• When the child needs support, work together in a small group or, if possible, in a one-to-one situation, whichever is better for the child.
• If the child has communi cation difficulties, take the time to learn a signing system, such as Makaton, which has symbols as well as text - many children with learning difficulties find this system helpful; the other children in the setting quickly pick it up and become enthusiastic users too. Liaise with a speech and language therapist for this.

Practitioners should:

• try to allocate a key worker to the child;
• always speak to the child in a positive way. For example, 'Come and sit with me, Charlie and we'll share this book' works better than 'Sit clown and stop doing that, Charlie';
• make sure they face the child when speaking. In this way, the child will get the whole message without losing either its beginning or its end;
• make sure their facial expression is always relaxed and warm;
• attract the child's attention by gently touching their shoulder and saying their name before giving instructions, information etc. But be aware of whether the child will tolerate this and/or where appropriate, bear safety and legal issues/'implications in mind;
• give instructions in small, easy-to-digest 'bite size' amounts, if necessary one step at a time;
• keep to the daily routine as much as possible;
• work with the child using games and play-based activities to achieve their targets;
• watch for any personality clashes - change the routine to avoid difficult situations, if necessary. Be aware that child-practitioner clashes can happen as well as child-child problems;
• establish a positive and mutually supportive relationship with the child's parents;
• learn to use equipment, communication systems or other special facilities that the child may have.

The setting's environment

• Reassess the furniture. Does the child need special or adapted furniture or equipment?
• Have adjustable tables, or a selection of different height surfaces.
• Position tables near natural light, or good quality artificial light.
• Make sure that chairs are the right height for a correct posture.
• Use chairs with arms for support and security in a sitting position.
• Make sure there is space between tables and other pieces of furniture to allow ease of moving around the room without collisions.
• Keep furniture and designated areas in the same place.
• Make sure the floor is not polished, to give a more secure foothold and to prevent light reflection.
• Are there any windows at floor level?
• Doors should be opened and closed easily, but not swing back to nip fingers.
• Keep cupboard doors and drawers closed - everyone should do this.
• Have handrails fitted to steps and ramps if necessary. (If you don't need to do this immediately because there aren't any children in the setting who require handrails or ramps, you can include it in your medium-term planning for redecorating and refurbishment of the setting.)
• Are the toilets and hand basins accessible?
• Have a quiet area always available. Make sure it is regarded as a pleasant place where the child can go to 'wind down' - it must never be used as a 'sin bin' or punishment.
• Display pictures, labels and captions etc. at the lowest child's height.
• Keep the layout of apparatus the same.
• Cover sharp and/or extruding corners with foam.
• Keep the floor clear of small items such as pencils, Lego and so on.

Resources, books and equipment

• Put sand and water trays at floor level for easy access by the child who works at floor level. It Is also a fun experience for the able-bodied children and, by all playing together, the children are fully included.
• Use big cushions or bean bags to support the child who works and/or plays at floor level.
• Keep easels and stands in good repair - are they steady and secure?
• Can the child hold the paintbrushes, crayons etc.? Use jumbo sizes or wrap standard sized handles in foam rubber.
• Try to exploit all the child's senses in routine activities such as sand or water play. Put colours and/or scents into sand or water.
• Have some musical instruments that vibrate. Have others that don't require vision to play. If you have a wooden floor use it to create vibrations by stamping or thumping on it. Let die children feel fee vibrations with their bare feet or their cheeks.
• Have easy-to-find-and-use door and drawer handles - knobs are best.
• Secure small equipment on surfaces using dycem mats (or similar).
• Use persona dolls and books to explore the concept of disability and to develop a positive image of people who have special needs.
• At story time, circle time or group discussions, use dolls with aids such as glasses, callipers or a hearing aid, as part of the session.
• Provide books with clear, bold images and pictures.
• Read books and stories that feature characters with a disability, but not necessarily as the main character.
• Have books and equipment on shelves that are at accessible heights.
• Make labels, cards etc. with tactile materials such as sandpaper, velvet, polystyrene, bubble wrap and so on.
• Have a variety of balls for catching and throwing games - for example, some with a bell inside, others with different surfaces such as smooth rubber or tennis balls, balls of different weights, balls that move erratically, balls with different smells made by soaking tennis balls in different scents.
• Is the small play equipment accessible? Is the outdoor equipment accessible?

You can find a useful framework for developing inclusive practices in Index for Inclusion: Developing Learning and Participation in Schools,² a publication of the Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education. The Index was circulated to all LEAs, primary, secondary and special schools and should be available from your LEA. You will find the contact details for obtaining a copy at the en...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• Part 1 The revised SEN Code of Practice and practitioners in early years settings
• Part 2 Expressing concern
• Part 3 Early Years Action
• Part 4 Early Years Action Plus
• Part 5 Statutory Assessment
• Appendix: Example of an early years setting's SEN policy
• Further reading
• Glossary