This article has been brought to you by Slough Borough Council's Early Years Advisory Teacher, Karen Loft, for the attention of all schools.
Early Years SEND Assessment Guidance and Resources
The new DfE Early Years SEND assessment guidance and resources, developed by the Department for Education in partnership with Dingley’s Promise, are now available on the Help for Early Years Providers platform. They have been created to support a child-centred, strengths-based approach to assessing children’s needs and enable early years educators to share their progress and development with parents, carers, professionals and local authorities.
There is practical advice on assessment, alongside tools and downloadable resources to support early educators in assessing what children with SEND can do, capturing their voice, and setting targets for progress and learning.
The guidance and resources follow the SEND Code of Practice and align with Early Years Foundation Stage assessment policy. They use best practice and evidence-based methods to provide early educators with practical advice to meet the needs of children with SEND in their care.
Catherine McLeod, CEO of Dingley's Promise -“This assessment toolkit was developed for the Department for Education in partnership with a range of settings, local authorities, and early years experts. We hope that every local authority and setting will adopt this process, so that children, families, and practitioners will be confident that needs are being identified and met as early as possible, regardless of where they live in the country”.
Help for early years providers : SEND assessment guidance and resources (education.gov.uk)