Early years
Update- Referral system
The Early Years Team is expanding. We are now pleased to inform you that Emma Riddle, specialist EY teacher, has moved over to work alongside the Portage Team and Area SENDCos under the EY Team umbrella. To ensure we can support you in an effective and efficient way, we are introducing a referral system. If you feel you need support from the EY team, please complete the referral form, Referral form for Early Years support, and return it to earlyyearsnelc@nelincs.gov.uk.
The referrals will be triaged weekly. The team may ask for further information or may offer you an online consultation. Following this, a plan will be made with you as to the best next steps, e.g., a setting/school visit, observation, or meeting with managers/teachers.
We appreciate this is a new process, but we have endeavoured to provide a service in-line with other services e.g., the Specialist Advisory Service. Any existing commitments/dates etc that are already in the team’s diaries will be honoured.
The Early Years team in North East Lincolnshire is based at Civic Offices, Cleethorpes. The team offer support, guidance and advice on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) to all Ofsted registered providers of care and education of children aged 0-5 years. This includes early years provision in schools, nurseries, pre-schools, childminders and out of school clubs. The Early years team work alongside other services and agencies both within the council and external stakeholders such as Portage who work with children and families and schools. NELC SEND Local Offer | Portage team – NELC SEND Local Offer (nelincs.gov.uk)
The team consists of a variety of staff that has broad areas of expertise in the EYFS, Sufficiency and Sustainability of childcare, 2, 3 & 4 year old funding and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). They provide support services to providers in these areas.
Our team consists of an Early Years Manager, an Area SENCo, an Assistant Area SENCo, two SEND early years practitioners, a sufficiency officer and a statutory assessment moderation and monitoring officer.
Our team aim to improve the standard and quality of early years provision across North East Lincolnshire. We offer bespoke advice and guidance for settings when identifying individual needs.
To access support from our service, we have developed a graduated approach framework which we would expect to be implemented which is outlined by the SEN Code of Practice (2015). The threshold of the graduated approach framework will determine the level of support available based on the need, provider engagement and latest Ofsted inspection outcome. Please download the graduated response from the Important Documents tab below.
The Early Years team provide training opportunities which can be found on the local offer training page. We offer a termly early years network meeting and termly SEND surgeries for professionals. We also offer termly childminder network meetings. Our training is tailored to meet the needs of the early years sector and is primarily identified from feedback of the needs of the workforce.
For more information or to request support from the Early Years team please contact:
Important Documents
Nasen- The SEND Code of Practice (2015) and the EYFS Framework (2021): at a glance
Early Years Observation parent consent form (Word, 55KB)
Signposting
Parent carers should know about the Early years page on the Local Offer. There is information on training and workshops, childcare, and more.