Early Years education for parents and carers of children with special educational needs and disabilities

All Early Years Settings must have arrangements in place to support children with SEN or disabilities. Maintained nursery schools and other settings that are funded by the local authority to deliver early education places must have regard to the Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice. All nursery schools and other Early Years Settings have a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) who will work with nursery staff and other outside specialists to put in place appropriate SEN provision.

A member of staff will contact you if they think your child may have special educational needs or disability (SEND). They will arrange a meeting with you to discuss what support is needed and then put a plan in place to support your child’s development.

Once your child has been identified as needing SEN support, staff will observe your child’s play and progress even more closely. They will meet with you at least three times each year to discuss how your child is getting on and plan the next steps.

All early years settings are expected to offer a range of support for children who have additional needs. Please see Ordinarily Available Provision in Early Years for Coventry’s expectations of what should be offered by early years settings.