SEND and inclusion - early years

Early years funding and referral pathways

Here you will find information relating to:

• Early years inclusion funding
• Disability access fund (DAF)
• Ealing’s pathways for referral

Early years funding

The available forms for relevant SEND and Inclusion funding (SENIF) are as follows:

Early years disability access fund form (word)
Early years inclusion funding/support procedure (pdf)
SEN inclusion fund application form (word)
SEN inclusion fund review form (word)

Inclusion funding/support panel dates 2023/24

Here are the special educational needs inclusion funding (SENIF) panel dates 2023/2024:

• Monday 5 October 2023
• Monday 30 October 2023
• Monday 27 November 2023
• Monday 18 December 2023
• Monday 29 January 2024
• Monday 26 February 2024
• Monday 25 March 2024

Applications must be received one week prior to panel dates to ensure they can be collated and presented at panel.

Please send securely to inclusionsupportrequest@ealing.gov.uk

Referral pathways

Here is the referral process:

• pathways for referral (FIS).
• Referral process (Padlet) Practitioners and SENCo’s can access with ease.

Please note that the referral processes can be subject to change, and you will be informed if this occurs.

Attendance

Good attendance at school and early years provision is one of the most important factors in ensuring that children and young people have the maximum life chances. Good attendance is strongly linked to positive outcomes for children and young people, as well as overall development. Promoting positive full attendance is therefore everyone’s responsibility.

Guidance on reduced timetables in schools and early years provision - October 2021 (pdf) sets out the legal obligations and suggested approaches for all schools and early years settings in Ealing when they are considering the use of reduced timetables (sometimes referred to as 'part-time’ timetables).

Example phased transition plan (Appendix 1 to the above guidance)

SEND toolkit

The SEND Toolkit is an interactive Padlet where you can access information, guidance, tools and strategies for supporting children across the four broad areas of need, which are:

• Communication and Interaction
• Cognition and Learning
• Social, Emotional and /or Mental Health
• Physical and/or Sensory Development

The toolkit is organised into columns and enables you to offer universal and targeted support for children whose development may diverge from typical pathways. You can access the Padlet here