Supporting Inclusion in the Early Years

Supporting Inclusion in the Early Years – brief summary

• Background Warnock Report (DES 1978) significant landmark in special education stating that the purpose of education for all children is the same, the goals are the same, but the help individual children need in progressing towards them will be different.

• The Children Act (1989) and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 both defined disability as:--

"A child is disabled if he is blind, deaf, or dumb or suffers from a mental disorder of any kind of is substantially and permanently handicapped by illness, injury or congenital deformity or such other disability as may be prescribed". (Children Act 1989:17.11)

• Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation stage (Dfee/QCA 2000) which established a framework of stepping stones towards early learning goals (replaced desirable learning outcomes) encompassing children from their third birthday to the end of the reception class year. Guidance states that no child should be excluded or disadvantaged because of SEN, ability or disability.

• 1993 Education Act require the secretary of state to issues a code of practice on the identification and assessment of children with SEN The Code (DFE 1994) provided a common framework for all schools LEA to follow in identifying, assessing and providing for children with perceived SEN.

• The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (SENDA) 2001

• SEN code of Practice (DfES 2001) (supercedes original code of 1994) came into effect from January 2002, forming a framework direct at identifying, assessing and providing for children with perceived SEN as quickly and early as possible. It states at the outset that LEA should work with settings to "to ensure that any child's special education needs are identified early".

Principals of the revised code:

• A child with SEN should have their needs met
• SEN normally be met in mainstream
• View of the child sought and taken into account
• Parents have a vital role to play in supporting children's education
• Children with SEN should be offered full access to a broad, balanced and relevant education, including an aoopriate curriculum for the foundation stage.

Also included changes in relation to previous code re official categories and labels g.e. learning difficulties, emotional and behavioural difficulties, physical disabilities (all old code) to communication and interaction, cognition and learning, behaviour, emotional and social development, sensory or physical.

Code of Practice (2001) has a graduated model of assessment referred to as EARLY YEARS ACTION AND EARLY YEARS ACTION PLUS. And also explains the formulation of individual education plans (IEPS) as a central feature of the graduated approach. An overview of this graduated model of assessment can be found in chapter 3 of Jones (2004) Supporting Inclusion in the Early Years Maidenhead: Open UP This chapter also discuss the role of the SENCO.

The decision regarding initial referral rests largely with the individual early years practitioner and is likely to be partly subjective as the point of referral may vary. The SEN Toolkit (DfES 2001) points out that decisions about which actions are appropriate for which children should be made on an individual basis and should take into account careful assessments of the child, consideration of the child's needs for different approaches to learning and the early education setting or school context.

The Five stages of assessment portrayed from 1978 - 2001

Warnock's 5 stages (1978) Code of Practice 1994 Code of Practice 2002
Stage 1 : class teacher/head teacher collect information and make arrangements for in-school support. Inform parents and monitor and review. Stage 1: class teacher or early years worker express and record initial concerns, gather information and make arrangements for differentiation. Inform parents. Monitor and review. Early Years Action. Information gather. IEP in place for child recoding additional provision and strategies. Special Educational needs co-ordinator and staff monitor and review.
2. class teacher discusses difficulty with special education expert teacher. Provide specialist programme. 2. IED, target setting. Discuss with SENCO. Monitor and review. Early Years Action Plus.
Involvement of outside agencies.
3. assessment by external agency e.g. GP, ed.psy. 3. seek advice from external agencies. Request for statutory assessment.
4. multi-professional assessment. 4. LEA multidisciplinary assessment. Written statement of SEN provision.
5. special education forms completed. Record of special education external to ordinary school. 5. written statement of SEN giving detail of resources provided by LEA

This is only a brief introduction to SEN and changes relating to assessment of children's needs.

Recommended reading for an up to date summary:-

Jones Caroline (2004) Supporting Inclusion in the Early Years Maidenhead: Open UP