For many children, using additional assessments, e.g., the Oxfordshire Developmental Journal, will support settings to better understand, appreciate, and celebrate children’s attainment and plan for their future learning as part of the graduated response to meeting the needs of Early Years children with SEND.
This section suggests assessment tools that settings might use to learn more about a child’s strengths and areas of learning/development need.
For all children with SEND
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework is the standard that schools and childcare providers must meet for the learning, development and care of children from birth to age 5.
Non-statutory guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage:
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.
Early Years SEND Indicators tool (xlsx format, 116 KB). 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 (ODJ) (docx format, 411Kb). This is a detailed assessment and planning tool that can be used to support early years children with SEND
Guidance on using the Oxfordshire Developmental Journal as a planning tool to support early years children with SEND.
Communication and Interaction needs
WellComm. A screening tool and intervention toolkit used to support the early identification of young children’s speech, language and communication needs.
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.
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:
The Autism Education Trust Sensory Assessment Checklist looks at how children respond to sensory experiences.
Affect Autism Sensory Screening Tool looks at how children respond to sensory experiences.
For children with Autism use the Oxfordshire’s SCERTs in Action - a framework that supports assessment and planning for children with autism. Social Communication Emotional Regulation Transactional Support (SCERTS).
- EY SCERTS in Action Assessment - Social Partner Stage (docx format 47 KB)
- EY SCERTS in Action Assessment - Language Partner Stage (docx format, 50 KB)
- EY SCERTS in Action Assessment - Conversation Partner Stage (docx format, 48 KB)
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.
Multiple Needs - A Developmental Journal is designed to help families and practitioners support the achievements of children whose development is affected by multiple factors that result in learning challenges.
Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs
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.
Behaviour iceberg (pdf format, 65Kb).To support understanding and identification of communication behind behaviours.
ABC chart (pdf format, 63Kb). An observation tool that helps with understanding behavioural responses, by recording what happened before, during and after events.
Templates that can be used to help identify and manage potential risks for a child in an Early Years setting.
- Risk assessment on behaviour template (doc format, 135Kb)
- General/Medical needs template for an individual risk assessment
Sensory and or physical needs
Success from the Start: A developmental resource for deaf babies and children aged 0-3 is a resource that can be used to help the families of deaf children and those who support them to observe, monitor and record the progress that children make:
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.
Training
An introduction to supporting Early Years children with Down's Syndrome
This training session is available in early years settings where a child with Down's Syndrome is about to start. It aims to better understand a child's learning profile with Down's Syndrome, strategies you may consider to promote inclusion and development through play, partnership working with families and additional sources of support. If you would like to request this training for your setting, please contact the SENDCO helpdesk
Identifying and supporting young children with speech language and communication needs
This course looks at the tools practitioners can use to support the identification of children with speech, language and communication needs in Oxfordshire.
It supports practitioners to develop their universal provision for all children but also unpicks how to develop a response for children who need targeted support, or who may need a referral for specialist support.
Enrol for Identifying and supporting young children with speech language and communication needs
Understanding Behaviour in the Early Years
Understand what children may be communicating through their behaviour. Gain a deeper understanding of children's social and emotional development and the factors influencing this. Find out how to provide, develop and maintain an emotionally secure provision for all children.
Enrol for Understanding Behaviour in the Early Years.
Autism Education Trust Making Sense of Autism in the Early Years
This whole setting face to face training aims to: enhance understanding and awareness of Autism and how Autism can affect children in the Early Years; highlight the importance of understanding the individual child and their profile of strengths and needs; highlight potential barriers to learning for Autistic children and equip staff with the knowledge they need to begin to make reasonable adjustments when supporting Autistic children. If you would like to request this training for your setting, please contact the SENDCO helpdesk.
Autism Education Trust Good Autism Practice in the Early Years
This training has been created to help practitioners understand the distinctive strengths and learning needs of Autistic children as well as advice on teaching approaches, methods and resources to use in educational practice for this group of learners.
Enrol for Autism Education Trust Good Autism Practice in the Early Years
Supporting Early Years children with Cognition and Learning needs
A training/information session developed in partnership with the Educational Psychology service and delivered by the Early Years SEND Team to understand more about how Cognition and Learning difficulties can be identified and supported in the Early Years as part of the Graduated Response.
Enrol for Supporting Early Years children with Cognition and Learning needs
Introduction to supporting sensory processing differences in the Early Years
This session was developed by a Lead Specialist Children’s Community Occupational Therapist and takes a practical approach to considering how you can support children in your setting with sensory processing differences.
Enrol for Introduction to supporting sensory processing differences in the Early Years.