Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.
Getting to know a child begins before they start their early year's provision and continues throughout the child's journey. Whether this be through assessment or observation, interaction with children or seeking the child and parents or caregiver's voice.
Practitioners:
- observe and understand each child's development and learning, assess progress, plan for and act on next steps
- support babies and children to develop their own sense of identity
- identify any need for additional support
- keep children safe
- value and respect all children and families equally.
Key to the guiding principal headings
Each section below is structured under a set of headings. For an explanation of these headings see Key to guiding principals headings
Background information
Link to prime area(s)
Personal social emotional development
Description of expected Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP)
This applies to ALL children in the setting
Parent or caregiver's knowledge about their child is used to form initial and ongoing understanding about what the child can do, what they like and what they don't like. This information including the required information is gained before the child starts in a setting and is part of an ongoing conversation between practitioners and parents or caregivers (e.g., All About Me, My Profile, please see the Appendix for example templates)
Strategies and examples to support implementing the expected OAP
Use information from parents or other professionals to plan activities, the environment or additional support needed to help the child settle in.
Settling children, crying children by Cathy Gunning
Self-regulation strategies | EEF
Help for early years providers : Mental health for early years children - Self Regulation Strategies to use with young children.
Transitions and settling in – A Guide for Practitioners
Links to area(s) of need (where applicable)
N/A
Additional strategies to support specific area(s) of need
Development Matters – Non-Statutory Curriculum Guidance
Meet in advance
Link to prime area(s)
Personal social emotional development
Description of expected Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP)
This applies to ALL children in the setting
There are planned opportunities for the child and parent/caregiver to meet practitioners and explore the environment before they start.
Strategies and examples to support implementing the expected OAP
For example, home visits, stay and play sessions and/or taster sessions.
Transitions and settling in – A Guide for Practitioners
Links to area(s) of need (where applicable)
N/A
Additional strategies to support specific area(s) of need
None
EAL
Link to prime area(s)
Communication and language
Description of expected Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP)
This applies to ALL children in the setting
Understanding that every child's family is also unique. It is important for practitioners to get to know every child and their families. To value and understand them. Children and families who have English as an additional language are fully supported.
Strategies and examples to support implementing the expected OAP
Get help to improve your practice – English as an Additional Language
Links to area(s) of need (where applicable)
N/A
Additional strategies to support specific area(s) of need
None
Risk factors
Link to prime area(s)
Personal social emotional development
Description of expected Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP)
This applies to ALL children in the setting
Practitioners are aware of the risk factors that impact individual children's learning and development, including knowledge around ACES and disadvantaged groups. All staff are aware of their statutory duty with regards to safeguarding children.
Strategies and examples to support implementing the expected OAP
Childhood trauma: Adverse childhood experiences | Early Years Educator
Refer to settings own Safeguarding policy for implementing safeguarding procedures and pathways to report concerns.
Links to area(s) of need (where applicable)
SEMH: Some examples include, being withdrawn, difficulty forming relationships with staff/peers, and are overly emotional.
Additional strategies to support specific area(s) of need
Speak to the Early Years Inclusion Team about potential staff Attachment training and sessions held by the Early year's inclusion team Educational Psychologists.
Resources (beaconhouse.org.uk)
Other professional involvement
Link to prime area(s)
Physical development
Description of expected Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP)
This applies to ALL children in the setting
Where a child attends more than one setting, or already has a number of professionals involved, a clear communication channel is established to ensure all the children's needs are understood.
Strategies and examples to support implementing the expected OAP
Use information from parents/other professionals to plan activities/the environment/additional support needed to help the child settle in.
Links to area(s) of need (where applicable)
S/PN: Visual and hearing impairments, medical needs and physical disabilities.
Additional strategies to support specific area(s) of need
Hold initial meetings with all professionals involved and parents/careers to ensure that all relevant information is gathered and shared with relevant members of staff, with parents/careers consent.
Speak with the early year's inclusion and specialist teacher team for more support and advice as required.
Challenging behaviour
Link to prime area(s)
Personal social emotional development
Description of expected Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP)
This applies to ALL children in the setting
Practitioners understand that the behaviour individual children display is based upon how a child communicates. When a child is distressed, withdrawn or finding it difficult to engage positively in learning, practitioners can carry out in depth assessments to clarify their concerns and discuss the child's difficulties with their parents/caregivers, involving other professionals as necessary.
Strategies and examples to support implementing the expected OAP
Anna Freud/Pacey – Managing Challenging Behaviour in the Early Years
Links to area(s) of need (where applicable)
SEMH: Anxiety in busy unpredictable environments
Displaying behaviour that challenges.
Desire to follow own agenda.
SLCN: Finds it hard to express and communicate wants and needs to key adults.
Additional strategies to support specific area(s) of need
- Preparation for change of activity, environment or routine
- Small group / 1 to 1 tasks and activities
- Calm learning environment
- Clear communication of expectations
- Visual timetable
- Use of social stories
- Transition groups e.g., getting ready for nursery or getting ready for school - see Transition forms in appendix.
- Consistent message but flexible approach
- Reasonable adjustments are made and consistently delivered.
- Explore and try to understand the basis for the behaviour and recognise that behaviour is a method of communication (e.g., use of ABC to explore the purpose of the behaviour and what the child is trying to communicate).
- Please see an example of an ABC Chart in the Annex and link to guidance on how to complete below: ABC Charts - Bury Council
- Consideration of the timetable and supported transitions
- Explore the sensory needs of the child
- Explore communication needs of the child
- Help the child to co/self-regulate
- Have a safe space for children to co/self-regulate
- Risk assessment and individualised safety plans implemented
- Communication with home/family e.g., what is going on at home, other agencies' involvement?
- Regular review of Assess, Plan, Do, Review
- Consider using s igns, starting with 2/3 commonly used signs and building this up with time.
- If interested, you could consider training staff in a specific program e.g., Makaton
- Using visuals – e.g., photos of snack time
- Communication in print/pecs
PECS is a communication system which settings can choose to use.
PECS - Norfolk CYP's Health Service
PECS - Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust - Form an attuned relationship with the child and speaking with the parent/careers to find out common wants/needs and how this child may communicate with them.
Assessment of progress
Link to prime area(s)
All three prime areas
Description of expected Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP)
This applies to ALL children in the setting
There is an embedded cycle of assessment for all children. Assessments take on many forms and should have a clear purpose. Assessments and observations should not take a practitioner away from interacting with children and Ofsted do not need to see physical evidence/examples of assessments or observations.
Strategies and examples to support implementing the expected OAP
Assessment can be used to help identify if a child is at risk of falling behind and address this quicky. The Development Matters Document observation checkpoints can support with this assessment.
The Early Years Developmental Journal can be helpful to capture progress when this occurs more slowly due to a known or emerging need.
A celebratory approach to SEND Assessment in the Early Years.
SEND and alternative provision improvement plan - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Think about the child's development, what will their next milestone be, what do they need to get there?
Take a look at Julian Grenier's video around assessment.
Links to area(s) of need (where applicable)
CL: Despite appropriate differentiation making less than expected progress over time across the curriculum and working below age related expectations
Additional strategies to support specific area(s) of need
- Differentiation to ensure the development of literacy, numeracy, expressive language, communication skills, minimise behaviour and emotional dysregulation and promotion of appropriate interpersonal skills with other children or young people.
- Clear and simple instructions, breaking down longer instructions and giving one at a time.
- Visual timetable
- Visual cues and prompts
- Recognising and celebrating success in other areas of their life.
- Allow learning breaks.
- Break instructions into smaller steps and provide task planners.
- Repeat instructions or information and check for understanding of tasks
- Provide multi-sensory learning opportunities
Next steps
Link to prime area(s)
All three prime areas
Description of expected Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP)
This applies to ALL children in the setting
Every child has clear 'Next Steps' that are individual to their learning and development. These 'Next Steps' should be shared with the parent and supported with advice around activities and experiences.
Strategies and examples to support implementing the expected OAP
EYFS next steps examples:
EYFS Identifying next steps for assessment and planning
Links to area(s) of need (where applicable)
N/A
Additional strategies to support specific area(s) of need
The next steps should be clear and tailored to the individuals learning and development. This should involve the child's Key person and shared with their parents/carers.
2-Year progress check
Link to prime area(s)
All three prime areas
Description of expected Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP)
This applies to ALL children in the setting
The progress check at 2 must be undertaken for all children on roll aged between 2 years and 3 years. This is done in collaboration with the parent or caregiver. A written summary is provided for parents or caregivers. It is good practice to liaise with the local health visiting team regarding 2-year checks.
Strategies and examples to support implementing the expected OAP
Explaining the Progress check at 2 to parents
Progress check for 2-year-olds
Links to area(s) of need (where applicable)
N/A
Additional strategies to support specific area(s) of need
None
Graduated approach
Link to prime area(s)
All three prime areas
Description of expected Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP)
This applies to ALL children in the setting
Where assessment indicates a concern about a child's development this must be shared with the parent or caregiver and adaptive (differentiated) support should be put in place to address the child's need, this is when the 'Graduated Approach' would begin.
Strategies and examples to support implementing the expected OAP
Explaining the graduated approach to parents and carers
Please refer back to page on Graduated Response for a visual representation of the Assess, Plan, do and Review cycle.
Links to area(s) of need (where applicable)
N/A
Additional strategies to support specific area(s) of need
For support about how to share development concerns with parents, Barnardo's have a useful document to support this.
Consent for sharing
Link to prime area(s)
All three prime areas
Description of expected Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP)
This applies to ALL children in the setting
Written consent is to be obtained from parents so information can be shared with professionals as necessary.
Strategies and examples to support implementing the expected OAP
Consent forms should be signed by parents/carers to share information or for external professional involvement.
Links to area(s) of need (where applicable)
N/A
Additional strategies to support specific area(s) of need
When required, the appropriate consent for involvement forms should be signed by parents and carers. It is important that parents and carers understand what the form is for and the purpose of external professional involvement.
Assess, plan, do, review
Link to prime area(s)
All three prime areas
Description of expected Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP)
This applies to ALL children in the setting
A 6-12 weekly cycle of Assess, Plan, Do, Review is used to ensure that children with Support Plans are making progress.
Strategies and examples to support implementing the expected OAP
Please refer back to the assess, plan, do, review section of this document.
Links to area(s) of need (where applicable)
N/A
Additional strategies to support specific area(s) of need
Target monitoring evaluation may be a useful tool to monitor the progress made by individual children. When reviewed, if progress has been made then the target could be changed or the next step. If progress has not been made, it would be a good time to consider what could be done differently to support the child making progress.
Childrens communication
Link to prime area(s)
Communication and language
Description of expected Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP)
This applies to ALL children in the setting
Listening to the voices of individual children is embedded in practice. Children's views are sought particularly around their own strengths and difficulties. This is used as part of the child's assessment and enables practitioners to provide an interesting and challenging curriculum.
Strategies and examples to support implementing the expected OAP
Listening to Children's perspectives
How children may communicate and ways we can listen. E.g., observations, choices and direct questions:
Listening and understanding – help for early years providers.
Links to area(s) of need (where applicable)
SLCN: Difficulties saying what they want and being understood
Additional strategies to support specific area(s) of need
- Modelling language
- Repeating back what they have said so that they hear a clear model
- Small group or individual language sessions
- https://lbhfinspirehub.com/
- Language programme devised by a SALT
- Allow time for child to process and respond, count to 5 before prompting, repeating or further questioning.
- Slowing down your responses to encourage them to do the same.
- Use of a variety of language rich activities e.g., rhymes, songs, poems, pretend play.
- All attempts to speak/communicate are supported.
- Providing an additional method of communicating e.g., symbol communication (symbols), use of ICT e.g., through Talking Mats
- Reduce pressure to speak and provide alternative means of contribution such as pictures and gestures.
Heading and link to prime areas
This shows the heading for the focus of information presented in the row as well as how it links to the EYFS prime areas of learning and development:
- Personal, social and emotional development
- Communication and language
- Physical development
- All 3 prime areas
Description of expected Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP) This column applies to ALL children in the setting.
This column aims to provide a description of the expected OAP for ALL children your setting (this may include some general strategies).
Strategies and examples to support implementing the expected OAP
This column provides strategies and specific examples to support staff implementing the expected OAP.
This column may also signpost to further information available, e.g., videos, relevant professionals to contact, and guiding documents.
Links to area(s) of need (where applicable)
This column will link the expected OAP (where appropriate) to a specific area(s) of need:
- Speech, language, and communication needs (SLCN)
- Social, emotional, and mental health needs (SEMH)
- Cognition and learning (CL)
- Sensory and physical needs (S/PN)
Additional strategies to support specific area(s) of need
This column will provide additional strategies to support children who have identified or emerging additional needs.
Emerging needs may be when a child is finding a skill or a particular activity tricky and may benefit from some further support. This may be before external professionals become involved.