Most practitioners are confident spotting that a child needs extra help. The harder part is what comes next: turning a worry into evidence, running support that actually changes things, and knowing when and how to ask for more. This course takes your team through the graduated approach step by step, from the first dated observation to a well-evidenced request for an Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment.
It is practical throughout. Each lesson ends with a short task to try in your own setting, and the course comes with ready-to-use downloads, including a support plan with a one-page profile and an EHC evidence checklist.
Why the graduated approach matters
In the early years, months matter. A child who waits eighteen months for a developmental assessment should not also wait eighteen months for help. SEN support does not need a diagnosis. It starts when a child needs provision that is different from or additional to what you offer every child, and the decision to begin it is the setting’s to make, on your own evidence.
The SEND Code of Practice 2015 is statutory guidance that applies to all early years providers, including childminders, and you must have regard to it. Group settings must have a named SENCO, and parents must be involved and informed at every stage. The records you keep through each assess, plan, do, review cycle are also the evidence that funding panels and local authorities will ask for later.
What’s in the course
- SEND in the Early Years: The Code of Practice and Your DutiesWhat the Code asks of you, the four broad areas of need, and who does what in your team.
- Early Identification: Noticing, Observing and ActingSpotting patterns, turning a feeling into evidence, and the first honest conversation with parents.
- Assess, Plan, Do, Review: The Cycle in PracticeEach stage on an ordinary nursery day, and what to do with the three possible review outcomes.
- Writing Support Plans That Actually HelpObservable outcomes, deliverable provision, the one-page profile and the bank staff test.
- Bringing in Outside Help: Professionals, Funding and the Local OfferArea SENCOs, therapists and educational psychologists, EYPP, the Disability Access Fund and local inclusion funds.
- Requesting an EHC Needs AssessmentWho can request one, the 6-week and 20-week timescales, and the evidence that makes a request stand up.
- Assessment10 questions. Pass mark 80%. Resit as many times as you need.
What you’ll learn
- The four broad areas of need in the Code: communication and interaction, cognition and learning, social, emotional and mental health, and sensory and/or physical
- How to write specific, dated observations across different contexts, noting strengths as well as difficulties
- How to use the two-year progress check and everyday formative assessment to pick up emerging concerns
- Why a support cycle in the early years should be measured in weeks, and why you set the review date the day you set the plan
- How to tell an outcome from provision, and why two or three outcomes per cycle is plenty
- Which funding can help pay for support, including asking about the Disability Access Fund when parents mention Disability Living Allowance
- How to use your local authority’s Local Offer and signpost families to it
- What a strong EHC request shows, starting with at least two full, documented assess, plan, do, review cycles
Who this course is for
- Early years SENCOs, and practitioners stepping into the role
- Key persons, who usually notice concerns first and deliver support day to day
- Managers and room leaders who oversee SEND records and review meetings
- Childminders, who are encouraged to identify a person to take the SENCO role
How it works
- OnlineStudy on any device and pick up where you left off.
- 6 short lessonsAbout 45 minutes in total.
- 10-question assessmentPass mark 80%. Resit as many times as you need.
- CertificateIssued when you pass. NFAQ accredited.
Training your team
SEN support is a whole-team responsibility with a named coordinator, so it helps when every key person understands the cycle, not just the SENCO. Choose the number of learners at checkout, with group rates from 3 learners, or get it as part of the Training Portal for £5 per learner per month. For more depth, see Special Educational Needs – SENDCO (Level 4) and Identifying and Supporting Speech, Language and Communication Needs.
Frequently asked questions
Does a child need a diagnosis before we can give SEN support?
No. Support follows need. If a child needs provision that is different from or additional to your usual offer, you should provide it straight away. A diagnosis is also not required to request an EHC needs assessment.
How long does an EHC needs assessment take?
The local authority must decide within 6 weeks whether it will assess, and the whole process from request to any final EHC plan should take no more than 20 weeks. If you think a child will need a plan for school, start early.
Who can request an EHC needs assessment?
Parents, the setting or others involved with the child. In the early years a request is often strongest when the setting and parents make it together, each adding their own evidence.
Does the course include templates?
Yes. Downloads include a support plan with a one-page profile, an observation record, a review meeting sheet, an outcome writing guide, a Local Offer finder sheet and an EHC evidence checklist.
What happens if I don’t pass the assessment?
You can resit it as many times as you need until you pass. Your certificate is issued as soon as you reach the 80% pass mark.
Will this help at Ofsted?
Ofsted does not approve training providers. Your certificate is evidence that the training was completed, and the course helps you show how your setting identifies and supports children with SEND.
