Assessment tools to use in your setting

Tools to support assessment of developmental strengths and needs.

For many children, additional assessments, such as the Oxfordshire Developmental Journal, can help settings to better understand, appreciate, and celebrate a child’s strengths and attainment. They can also support practitioners to plan future learning as part of the Graduated Response Early Years children with SEND.

This section includes assessment tools that settings may use to learn more about a child’s strengths and identify areas where additional support may be needed.

For all children with SEND

Alongside the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework and non-statutory guidance documents such as Development Matters - GOV.UK and Birth To 5 Matters – Guidance by the sector, for the sector, the following assessment tools can help settings better understand a child’s individual strengths and identify areas where additional support may be needed.

Progress checks

Health and Early Education 2-year check is the holistic assessment of a child's health and development, which takes place between 24 and 30 months by the Health Visiting Service.

The Progress check at age 2 helps practitioners review a child’s development in the prime areas of the EYFS framework, identify any additional needs, and work with parents and professionals to plan appropriate support.

Early Years SEND Indicators Tool

This strength-based tool helps identify whether a child's educational needs are being met within the universal offer or whether the child requires further support and action in line with the Graduated Response.

Oxfordshire Developmental Journal

Oxfordshire Developmental Journal (ODJ) (docx format, 417 KB). This is a detailed assessment and planning tool that can be used to support early years children with SEND

To support practitioners in using the Oxfordshire Developmental Journal within their setting, the following materials are available:

Communication and Interaction needs

WellComm

WellComm - GL Assessment is a complete speech and language toolkit that supports early identification and intervention for children with speech, language and communication needs. It can be used by Early Years and Primary settings to screen children’s communication skills and plan appropriate support.

In Oxfordshire, all early years settings have been provided with a WellComm toolkit to support universal screening and intervention. Childminders also have access to the digital tool. Health visitors, speech and language therapists, EY SEND advisory, and EY advisory colleagues all support the universal and targeted use of WellComm. Bespoke Oxfordshire training is available here: WellComm training for professionals via Oxfordshire | Education Services

 Oxford Health- Speech and Language Therapy

Speech Sounds development chart outlines the sounds a child will be learning around certain ages, examples of words containing those sounds and the most common errors they make. 

Tools that can be used to identify children who may require referral for speech and language therapy:

Speech and Language UK

Speech and Language UK progress checker. A tool for parents and educators to monitor and track the development of children's speech, language and communication skills.

Speech and Language UK’s Universally Speaking booklets show where children should be with their communication skills at any given age. 

Oxfordshire’s SCERTS in Action

For children with Autism use the Oxfordshire’s SCERTs in Action: Social Communication Emotional Regulation Transactional Support (SCERTS) - a framework that supports assessment and planning for children with autism. 

Cognition and Learning needs

Early Support Developmental Journals:

Down Syndrome - A Developmental Journal is designed to help families and professionals track and understand the development of a child with Down Syndrome.

Early Years Developmental Journal . A resource designed to help families and practitioners understand early development and track children’s progress.

Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs

Engagement and Understanding Behaviour

The Leuven Scale of Active Engagement in Learning -  A helpful measure of well-being and engagement. It is contained within the Oxfordshire Developmental Journal to support assessment. 

ABC chart (pdf format, 268 KB)- a way of collecting information to help determine the communication behind a child’s behaviour. Also available is A guide to using an ABC in Early Years (docx format, 301 KB) to support the implementation of ABC charts.

Sensory Processing Differences

That National Autistic Society has produced  an Autistic-Sensory-Experiences-resource.pdf which encourages families and practitioners to explore individual sensory preferences, and offers advice on how these can be supported at home, in school or in an early years setting.

Risk Assessments

Templates that can be used to help identify and manage potential risks for a child in an Early Years setting.

Sensory and or physical needs

Early Support Developmental Journals:

Success from the start  is a resource that can be used to help the families of deaf children and the people that support them to observe, monitor and record the progress that children make

Multiple Needs - A Developmental Journal that is designed to help families and practitioners support the achievements of children whose development is affected by multiple factors that result in learning challenges.

Additional assessments for children with Hearing Loss

 If a child/ young person appears to have a hearing difficulty that has not been previously identified, the first step is a GP referral to community paediatric audiology for further assessment. Parents should be asked to discuss this with their child’s GP. Diagnosis of a difficulty by the community paediatric audiology team will trigger the involvement of the SENSS Deaf and Hearing Support team who will work alongside the school to support the child’s access to learning.

Additional assessments for children with Vision Impairment

If a child appears to have a visual difficulty that has not been previously identified parents should be referred to an optician or the child’s GP. The optician or GP will be able to make a referral to an eye hospital if necessary. Diagnosis of a difficulty by the eye hospital will trigger the involvement of the SENSS Vision Impairment team who will work alongside the school to support the child’s access to learning.

Additional assessments for children with Multi-Sensory Impairment

If a child appears to have a multi-sensory difficulty that has not been previously identified, contact the Advisory teacher for Multi-Sensory Impairment (MSI) from SENSS. An advisory teacher from the SENSS Multi-Sensory Impairment Team will undertake specialist assessment and provide specialist advice. S/he will also advise about involving any other professionals.