There are many reasons why children might need support with their learning. Although it is not possible to list all the reasons why a child might need additional support, there are four broad categories:

Their learning environment may not be suitable for them

For example:

Family circumstances are affecting their ability to learn

For example:

They are disabled or have a health condition

For example:

They are experiencing social or emotional problems

For example:

In many cases, children can have multiple interacting factors that lead to them needing some extra help during their time in the ELC setting.

All ELC professionals (including those in local authority nurseries, partnership nurseries and childminders) have a duty to notice when children are finding things difficult or not fully benefiting from their early education.

Getting to know children well helps you see what they enjoy and what they struggle with. This understanding should always be built through partnership with their parents or carers. Families can share valuable insights about their child’s strengths, challenges and feelings about the setting. ELC settings are often where additional support needs are noticed for the first time, so it is important to be sensitive and keep communication with families open and supportive.

Colleagues can also help. Share observations and talk together about any concerns you may have. If you think a child may need more specialist input, contact your local authority’s additional support for learning team

When children become entitled to their 1,140 funded hours, the local authority is responsible for ensuring that any additional support needs are assessed. In practice, a lot of this will happen through the vital contribution of your observations, recording of any concerns and close work with children, their families, your colleagues and other professionals when needed. This applies no matter which setting they attend.

Often understanding children’s support needs happens as part of day-to-day observations in the playroom. You may notice that a child is having difficulty with some aspects of the environment, in interacting with other children, or with certain activities.

Sometimes, when a child has a specific difficulty, more targeted assessments may be needed. If you think a learner may need a more specialised assessment, it is best to speak to your local authority’s additional support for learning team. Some assessments might need input from other professionals, such as an educational psychologist, occupational therapist, speech and language therapist or autism specialist.

Remember – if you think a child might have additional support needs, it’s important to involve them, and their family, from the beginning and throughout the process. You can ask the child’s family if they share any concerns you have, and whether they would like the setting to request an assessment on their behalf.

Once a child is entitled to their 1,140 funded hours, their parents and carers have the right to request an assessment of their needs. This means if the nursery do not believe an assessment is needed, but the family would like one, they can request this directly themselves. Our webpage for parents and carers on Identifying and assessing your child’s needs  explains how they can do this.

It’s not unusual for children to face long waiting lists for a formal assessment of their needs.

It’s important to remember that children entitled to their 1,140 funded hours have a legal right to support, even if they do not have a diagnosis. This means you do not need to wait for a formal assessment to start supporting a child. You can work with the family and relevant colleagues or other professionals involved to identify areas of difficulty, agree on strategies to try, and set simple goals to review progress.

A child’s support should be kept under regular review. For example, support should be reviewed if a learner is still struggling with their learning despite certain supports already being in place for them. Similarly, if a child receives a report or diagnosis following a formal assessment, it is important to review their support to take account of any new information.

Supporting children’s learning is a shared responsibility. ELC staff, managers and local authorities each have a part to play in the process.

When a concern is raised by someone in the setting or a parent, it should first be discussed with the setting manager and they can begin an internal support plan.

If the child’s needs go beyond what the setting can provide through everyday practice, the concern should be passed to the local authority’s additional support for learning team. They may arrange further assessment or involve other specialists.

A support plan will then be agreed by the team around the child. Where children have additional support needs that require significant, co-ordinated help from multiple agencies beyond education, a co-ordinated support plan (CSP) should be developed.

Staff in the setting are responsible for noticing and recording concerns, sharing information with families and colleagues, and implementing strategies in daily routines.

Setting managers or ASN leads coordinate next steps, liaise with the local authority, and ensure records and plans are kept up to date.

Local authorities hold the legal duty to identify and meet additional support needs. They provide or arrange assessments, specialist advice and statutory plans such as co-ordinated support plans (CSPs), regardless of where the child accesses their funded hours.

Remember, understanding and assessing children’s needs is an ongoing process. Support should grow and change as children develop, and it should always be based on partnership between the setting, children, families and the local authority.