Early years - supporting children with SEND

All early years providers have access to support, advice and guidance from the North Somerset early years area special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs). 

The role of the early years area SENCO is to: 

• provide advice and practical support to early years providers for children aged 0 to 5 years prior to school entry with additional or special educational needs and disability (SEND) as part of their graduated response
• help early years practitioners to develop their inclusive practice
• offer specific advice that will help meet individual children’s learning and development needs
• signpost to other specialist support services

If you are an early years provider

The graduated response document outlines how you can access SENCO and other support as part of your graduated response. It provides advice on strategies which you can implement to support children’s unique learning needs.

Early years providers can request additional support and advice from the area SENCO team as part of the graduated response for a particular child. You will need to complete an early years inclusion support request form together with the parents and carers.

Guidance for early years providers making an online request for inclusion support

Step one

Discuss your plans to apply for inclusion support with the child's parents or carers. Then complete the early years provider comment section of our parent and carer contribution for request for inclusion support form. Make sure you pass the form to the child's parents or carers for their contributions. This may be done by sending a copy electronically by email or by giving them a hard copy to complete.

Step two

Please draw parents and carers attention to information about the early years inclusion support privacy notice. 

When the form is returned, check parents and carers have ticked the confirmation box and signed the form. If the form has been sent and returned by email, you must get the parents and carers to sign a hard copy. The signed form must now be kept with the child’s record.

Step three

Transfer the parent and carer comments onto our online inclusion support referral form.

Step four

After submitting the form, you will receive an email confirming your form has been submitted. The email will contain a copy of the information you provided.