Supporting Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) as part of the graduated approach

Early Years SEND provision and funding guidance

• Early Years SEND Provision and Funding Guidance - Information for early years education providers and other agencies (PDF) [607KB]
• Early Years SEND Funding Band Value (PDF) [92KB]

Mainstream school provision descriptors and funding bands

• Top Up provision descriptors and funding bands (PDF) [1MB]
• Mainstream Banding Top Up Amounts 2023/24 (PDF) [161KB]
• Top Up Funding - Frequently Asked Questions (pre-16) (PDF) [209KB]

Quality First Teaching (QFT)

QFT aims to engage and support the learning of all children and young people. It places a strong focus on pupil participation in learning.

Pupil profiles

Outlines information about a child/young person's needs that can be shared with staff.

• All about me (PDF) [579KB] (younger child)

Short note

Early identification is the key to supporting a pupil's needs. A 'short note' of early discussions with parents/carers should be added to the pupil's record and monitored on a regular basis in partnership with parents/carers. These templates can be adapted by settings.

Mainstream banding descriptors documents coming soon.

• Quality First Teaching - early identification short note (Word version) (Word doc) [51KB]
• Quality First Teaching - early identification short note (PDF version) (PDF) [115KB]
• Short note about a child's emerging needs in early years (Word version) (Word doc) [52KB]
• Short note about a child's emerging needs in early years (PDF version) (PDF) [216KB]

Planning tools

These tools describe the type of support that early years providers, schools and colleges should be making for pupils.

Early years planning tools

• SEN planning tool for early years (PDF) [641KB]

Practical approaches to support inclusion

• Practical Approaches to Support Inclusion – Deaf Hearing Support (PDF) [390KB]
• Practical Approaches to Support Inclusion - Multi-Sensory Impairment (PDF) [234KB]
• Practical Approaches to Support Inclusion - Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs (PDF) [296KB]
• Practical Approaches to Support Inclusion - Speech Language Communication (PDF) [183KB]
• Practical Approaches to Support Inclusion – Pupils with a Visual Impairment (PDF) [272KB]
• Practical Approaches to Support Inclusion for Pupils with Cognition and Learning Needs (PDF) [231KB]
• Practical Approaches to Support Inclusion Autism and Social Communication (PDF) [137KB]
• Anxious about school guidance (PDF) [1MB]  (please note that this document is not accessible and is intended for print purposes only by practitioners - if you need an accessible version, please contact us)

Further education and post 16 planning tools

• Post 16 Quality First Teaching (PDF) [629KB]
• Further education (post 16) SEN planning tool - young people with speech language and communication needs (PDF) [750KB]
• Further education (post 16) SEN planning tool - young people with Autism (PDF) [532KB]
• Further education (post 16) SEN planning tool - young people with a hearing impairment (PDF) [520KB]
• Further education (post 16) SEN planning tool - young people with a visual impairment (PDF) [502KB]
• Further education (post 16) SEN planning tool - young people with learning difficulties (PDF) [425KB]
• Further education (post 16) SEN planning tool - young people with physical difficulties (PDF) [424KB]
• Further education (post 16) SEN planning tool - young people with social, emotional and mental health difficulties (PDF) [352KB]

My Story

This can be used by a child/young person and parent/carers to record background information, so that they do not have to repeat this information to different professionals.

• My Story (monochrome version) (PDF) [2MB]
• My Story (PDF) [2MB]
• My Story for younger children (PDF) [1MB]

SEND support

Within this section you will find documentation, guidance and templates to help support a child/young person with special educational needs and disabilities:

• Individual learning plan for EHCP reviews (Word version) (Word doc) [38KB]
• Individual learning plan for EHCP reviews (PDF version) (PDF) [1MB]
• Early Years SEN Support Plan template (Word doc) [46KB]
• Early Years SEN Support Plan template (PDF) [120KB]
• Early Years SEN Support Plan template example (Word doc) [51KB]
• Early Years SEN Support Plan template example (PDF) [183KB]