Early years education (0 to 5)

What early years providers must do

All providers of early years education must:

Have arrangements in place to identify special educational needs early. They use an adapted version of The SEND Ranges to do this.
Have arrangements in place to support children with SEN or disabilities, and provide information for parents on how they do this.
Work closely with the Council and other services to make sure that assessments and services are joined up.

The Early Years Foundation Stage framework sets out the standards that all Early Years providers must meet.

Reasonable adjustments must be made for children with Special Educational Needs and /or Disabilities (SEND).

Childcare providers have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments to offer children with SEND equal access under the Equality Act 2010 and SEND Code of Practice 2014.

This means young children should be able to:

use the space where service takes place
take part and enjoy the setting and services provided
engage with the Early Years Foundation Stage (the standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old)

Settings may be eligible for extra funding to support and meet the needs of children with complex Special Educational Needs. See financial support for children and young people with SEND.