PLANNING FOR TRANSITION INTO A RECEPTION CLASS FOR AN EARLY YEARS CHILD WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS (SEN)

Guidance on the procedure for transition into a Reception Class for children with a complex level of Special Educational Needs and Disability.

Context

The majority of children with additional or special educational needs will not require special resources or enhanced staffing to be successfully included in a school reception class; most schools meet the additional needs of their children very well. However some children with a highly complex need may require additional support.

The Early Years Foundation Stage framework states:

‘Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil their potential.’ (EYFS p.5)

Local Authorities and providers must have regard to the SEND Code of Practice (2014) and the Equality Act 2010, and be able to demonstrate how they are implementing a graduated approach to support all children to fulfil their potential.

‘5.4 Providers must have arrangements in place to support children with SEN or disabilities. These arrangements should include a clear approach to identifying and responding to SEN.’ (SEND Code of Practice - January 2015 update)

Children under compulsory school age are considered to have SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made and when they reach compulsory school age are likely to have greater difficulty in learning than their peers, or have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the facilities that are generally provided. There is an additional precautionary consideration, that they are considered to have a learning difficulty or disability if they would be likely to have a learning difficulty or disability when they are of compulsory school age if no special educational provision were made for them.

The majority of children with SEN are likely to receive special educational provision through the services set out in the Local Offer. A local authority must conduct an EHC needs assessment for a child under compulsory school age when it considers it may need to make special educational provision in accordance with an EHC plan. Where an EHC plan may be needed, the local authority should involve fully the child’s parent and any early years or school setting attended by the child in making decisions about undertaking an EHC needs assessment and whether provision may need to be made in accordance with an EHC plan.

1. Funding of Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools

Pupils with SEN without an Education and Health Care Plan who are educated in mainstream schools are supported through elements 1 to 3 of the SEN funding:

  • Element 1 funding is the amount every pupil attracts on roll at a mainstream school (AWPU)
  • Element 2 funding is in schools budget as the notional SEN budget which is calculated as £6K per child using prior attainment as a trigger
  • Element 3 funding is top-up funding which may be agreed by the Local Authority either at school support (without an EHC plan) or with an EHC plan.

The SEND Code of Practice gives clear guidance for schools on funding for SEN support.

6.95 All mainstream schools are provided with resources to support learners with SEN. Most of these resources are determined by a local funding formula discussed with the local schools’ forum which is also applies to local academies. Schools and academy sixth forms receive an allocation based on a national funding formula.

6.96 Schools have an amount identified within the overall budget, called the notional SEN budget. This is not a ring-fenced amount, and it is for the school to provide high quality support from the whole its budget.

6.96 it is for schools, as part of their normal budget planning, to determine their approach to using their resources to support the progress of pupils with SEN. The SENCo, headteacher and governing body or proprietor should establish a clear picture of the resources that are available to the school. They should consider their strategic approach to meeting SEN in the context of the total resources available including any resources targeted at particular groups such as the pupil premium

6.98 This will enable schools to provide a clear description of the types if special educational provision they normally provide and will help parents and others to understand what they can normally expect the school to provide for pupils with SEN

6.99 Schools are not expected to meet the full costs of more expensive special education needs from their core funding. They are expected to provide additional support which costs up to a nationally prescribed threshold per pupil per year. The responsible local authority, usually the authority where the child or young person lives, should provide additional top up funding where the cost of the special educational provision required to meet the needs of an individual pupils exceeds the nationally prescribed threshold.

Schools have information in their budget letters on funding support for learners with SEN. A clear matrix of what schools are expected to provide to meet learners’ needs is published on the Local Offer. This matrix includes school support and top up.

PLANNING FOR TRANSITION INTO A RECEPTION CLASS FOR AN EARLY YEARS CHILD WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS (SEN)