Identifying additional needs
The triggers for intervention could be the practitioner’s or parent’s concern about a child who despite receiving appropriate and consistent early education experiences:
• Makes little or no progress even when teaching approaches and resources are particularly targeted
to improve the children’s needs.
• Continues working at levels significantly below those expected for children of a similar age in
certain areas.
• Presents persistent emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, which are not eased by
behaviour management techniques usually employed in the setting.
• Has sensory or physical problems, and continues to make little or no progress despite the provision
of personal aids and equipment.
• Has difficulties communicating and/or interacting, and requires specific individual interventions
in order to socialise and communicate with both adults and peers.
• If this intervention does not enable the child to progress the SENCO will take the lead in
seeking advice and support from external agencies.
Triggers for referral for seeking help from outside agencies could be that, despite receiving an individualised programme and/or concentrated support, the child:
• Continues to make little or no progress in specific areas over a long period.
• Continues working at a curriculum level substantially below that expected of children of a
similar age.
• Has emotional or behavioural difficulties which substantially impact upon the child’s own learning
or that of the group, despite having an individualised behaviour plan.
• Has sensory or physical needs, and requires additional equipment or regular visits for direct
intervention or advice by practitioners from specialist services.
• Has ongoing communication or interaction difficulties that impede the development of social
relationships and cause substantial barriers to learning.
When early years/primary practitioners who work day to day with the child, or the SENCO, identifies a child with additional needs, they should devise interventions that are additional to or different from those provided as part of the setting’s usual curriculum.
In summary the SENCO and Leadership Team will:
• Collaborate with colleagues and collect information about the child.
• Build on the existing knowledge of child.
• Together with the child’s key worker, teacher and parents, decide on the ACTION needed to help
the child make progress.
• Ensure that appropriate next steps and targets are identified and IEPS are completed.
• Record the strategies which have been implemented and measure the impact they have made.
• Review IEPs – invite parents and all professionals involved to the review meeting.
• Involve and liaise with other professionals.