EYFS Best Practice in Schools: Providing the best environment for children with SEND

As growing numbers of children enter mainstream Reception classes with autism or suspected autism, forward-thinking schools are coming up with imaginative ways to support their increasingly neurodivergent cohorts. Break-out rooms, sensory-rich safe spaces, fidget toys at carpet time, visual aids and structured bouts of physical activity are just some of the measures being put in place by teachers who are adapting their practice to cater for the rise in childrenwith neurodivergent processing differences.

But with over 180,000 autistic pupils in mainstream education in England, according to the National Autistic Society, many schools, despite their efforts to be inclusive, are reaching crisis point.

‘The rise is exponential; the needs are getting higher, and the education system is drowning,’ explains Alison Pettitt, an autism specialist teacher. Pettitt supports mainstream schools in the North-West of England with children who have been diagnosed as autistic, or with other SEND needs.

Miriam Nadarajah, senior leader for autism at Kentish Town CofE Primary School (see Case study, page 21), who leads a SEND hub of 20 schools in Camden, north London, says, ‘The message from primary schools is that they are struggling with the number of children coming in with SEND, particularly autism. We are also taking pupils with higher levels of need than previously, due to special schools being full and catering for children with even higher levels of need.’

Portage workers, who provide educational support to pre-school children with the highest level of additional needs and their families, report ‘huge rises’ in the number of children being referred to them with ‘social communication difficulties’ – one of the key behaviour characteristics of autism.

RISING NEED

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is the most common type of special educational need for those children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), according to the latest Government data. In Summer 2023, 103,429 pupils with an EHCP identified as having a primary need of autism. On top of this, more than 1.5 million pupils in England had a special educational need (SEN), an increase of 87,000 since 2022.

‘The SEND crisis is largely related to the rise in autism that is being talked about continuously on the ground, but not in higher places,’ explains Pettitt, who began working as a teacher with autistic children over 30 years ago.

But as awareness about autism increases, so too do waiting lists. A report published by the Child of the North initiative, in partnership with Anne Longfield’s new Centre for Young Lives think-tank, found there has been a 306 per cent increase in the number of children waiting for an autism assessment since the Covid-19 pandemic. One in four parents have been waiting over three years to receive support for their child.

All these factors are placing a significant strain on schools, which are already facing budget cuts and increased pressure on staff.

‘The system is starting to collapse,’ Pettitt says. ‘Many children arrive in Reception without EHCPs and there is no funding in place for them. Teaching assistants are often just supporting SEND children, or in some cases, running intervention groups for them. And teachers are constantly balancing the needs of SEND children with the rest of the class. Sometimes it tips into crisis.’

CHILDHOOD PRESENTATION

Research from the National Autistic Society reveals that autistic children and young people are being failed by a ‘woeful lack of appropriate school places’ and teachers are not being equipped to meet their needs. Mainstream schools are ‘not making basic adjustments’ to suit the needs of autistic pupils, despite a legal duty to do so under the Equality Act 2010, the charity says. And teachers need more support and training to identify the signs of a child with autism becoming overwhelmed, and then how they can make reasonable adjustments to the classroom environment to help them.

Because autism is a spectrum condition, children present differently. However, for a diagnosis to be made, a person usually has persistent difficulties with social communication and social interaction, restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour, activities and interests, and sensory differences relating to sound, vision, touch, taste, smell and temperature.

Pettitt, who works in a dozen schools as a consultant and trainer for Reach Out ASC, typically sees up to five children in each Reception class with needs that come under the umbrella of autism: those with severe learning difficulties and/or autism, those on the pathway to be being diagnosed, or those with autistic traits who struggle socially but are cognitively able and can access the curriculum. ‘Some only manage a morning, or worse, an hour, at school,’ she explains. ‘Their level of need is either so high that they cannot cope with the environment, or there just isn’t the funding for them to stay longer.

‘One boy I work with, who is now in Year 2, is developmentally at around 12 to 18 months, still at the stage of picking everything up and mouthing it. He needs such a specialist approach that he has to be educated in a classroom with just one or two other children so that he doesn’t try to eat all the equipment.’

ENABLING ENVIRONMENTS

Enabling environments where children’s social, emotional and physical needs are being met and they feel safe and secure are key features of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). But according to SEND consultant and trainer Cheryl Warren, some children with additional needs ‘simply do not feel safe’ in today’s noisy, overcrowded classrooms.

‘There needs to be more flexibility in delivery,’ she explains. ‘Turn the strip lights off, get children moving as much as possible, let them use stim toys and sit on wobble cushions, take the learning outside, understanding that a child might not be able to sit down and concentrate for carpet time and teacher input without regulatory aids. Delve deeper into children’s sensory profile to understand that they might not be able to bear the feel of the itchy carpet, the peer that sits too close and hurts them when their shoulders brush because of their sensitivities to touch, or the overwhelming smell wafting from the dining hall.’

If autistic children do not have emotionally and socially safe environments at school, they may start masking or hiding their true self to ‘fit in’.

‘While this may just look like a child following instructions and conforming, it can be at a huge emotional detriment to them, resulting in meltdowns after school and low self-esteem,’ explains Georgina Durrant, author of SEND Strategies for the Primary Years(2024), which looks at practical strategies, recommended resources and interventions to support children with SEND in Reception and beyond.

FEELING SAFE, SEEN AND SOOTHED

When looking at how to set up a classroom for autistic children, Nadarajah advises teachers of all age groups to look at how this is done in the EYFS, because the classrooms are set up for independence.

‘Good practice centres around the unique child and looking at different approaches to learning,’ she explains. ‘Everything is labelled with a picture and a word. Children know where to go to access resources. Pathways are clear; there’s easy access to the different areas of learning and the areas are clearly defined – it’s obvious where to go to read a book or play with sand. The social cues are there, it’s about encouraging children to understand them.’

But some autistic children are not able to navigate rich and stimulating Reception classrooms that have displays hanging from the ceiling and resources on display for self-selection. They need quiet spaces and breakout rooms for small group sessions where there is minimal stimulation, not too much wandering around and structured activities.

Pettitt says, ‘The switch from free play to increasing amount of carpet time and teacher input is too difficult for some children. The majority of our special children are highly likely to have difficulties processing verbal information or problems sitting down still.’

‘Routine is also key,’ explains Emily Fox, a Reception teacher at Kentish Town CofE Primary School. ‘Children need to know what’s happening and what’s coming next. We follow a strict timetable that supports all children. But it’s important that teachers let go of the idea that all children need to be doing the same thing at the same time. Look at what’s right for the individual child. They don’t all need to be on the carpet. Allow them to have the space and freedom to do what they need to do at given times.’

Matt Bawler, Reception teacher and early years development lead at the Villa School and Nursery (see Case study, page 19), says teachers often feel the top-down pressure to get children to read and write, but it is important to focus on the foundational needs first. ‘If you really invest in making children feel safe, seen and soothed, academic progress will follow,’ he says.

CASE STUDY: The Villa School and Nursery, Forest Hill, south London

The Villa School and Nursery’s whole-school approach is to embed inclusion in the curriculum, daily routines and the enabling environment. The Reception class has wobble cushions, weighted blankets, fidget toys and emotional toolboxes, resources that would be out of place ten years ago.

‘Classrooms have changed,’ explains learning support teacher Christina Blair-Oliphant. ‘We don’t expect children to be sat down with their legs crossed and not wriggle around.’

With 24 children per class in this one-form-entry independent school that goes up to Year 2, and a number of children with EHCPs, children are not singled out for their additional needs. Instead, teachers focus on how their classrooms and provision can help all children, including those with SEND.

‘All children learn about emotions and zones of regulation and they all have movement breaks,’ Blair-Oliphant adds.

The Reception class has a sensory space with calming toys, such as liquid timers and squeezy toys with facial expressions, for those who prefer to express themselves physically. Ear defenders are available for children who find noises overstimulating, and chew toys for those who self-soothe by putting things in their mouths.

‘Children can use these tools when they’re feeling dysregulated and they need help to calm down,’ explains early years development lead Matt Bawler.

Children with autism or those with sensory processing needs can leave the classroom for individualised sensory circuits where they can stretch over a gym ball or spin around in circles.

‘We use visual timetables and now-and-next boards,’ Bawler explains. ‘Which really help to pre-warn children and reduce anxiety levels. Our walls aren’t too busy with bright displays, and we have a “problemometer”, a visual display which helps children regulate by working out the size of their problem. This has made a huge difference to children with autism and SEND.’

Blair-Oliphant says the whole-staff training in SEND received from Aperion has been invaluable.

Strategies to support children with autism and SEND

• Transitions: Use transitional objects or cue cards. For example, hold up a PE bag or a picture of the playground to show it is PE next
• Quiet spaces: Provide quiet, calm spaces where children can go to self-regulate when they feel overwhelmed.
• Let them stim: Allow fidget toys, squeezy balls, bands around chair legs that they can push to get a sense of where they are. If they flap their hands or click, understand that it is their regulatory response to excitement, fear or heightened emotions.
• Sensory breaks: Set up sensory circuits with an organising activity, such as throwing beanbags into a bucket, an alerting activity like jumping on a trampette, and a calming activity like wrapping in a weighted blanket.
• Personalised timetables: Effective if children are struggling with long periods of continuous provision or are unable to access longer verbal input on the carpet.
• Tacpac: A music and touch session which uses everyday objects for tactile input. This can be helpful for supporting pupils with learning, physical disabilities and/or autism.
  
  

Interacting socially

Georgina Durrant, author ofSEND Strategies for the Primary Years, published by Bloomsbury. She is a former teacher, SENDCO and founder of The SEN Resources Blog, a SEND website in the UK.

‘Autistic people may experience and interact socially in a different – but not less – way, which should be respected with a neurodiversity-affirming approach.

‘This means being understanding and respectful of these differences in social communication, which might include: taking things literally, not understanding social cues, not holding eye contact, being direct in speech and alexithymia, which is not being able to understand and describe their own emotions.

‘We can help children develop skills to maintain friendships and interact with others, but we must not try to make them neurotypical.

‘For example, not insisting on eye contact if the child finds this physically uncomfortable.

‘And explaining unwritten rules explicitly, such as when we are expected to use a loud/quiet voice, i.e. a loud voice is OK in the playground and a quiet voice should be used during classroom activities.’

CASE STUDY: Kentish Town CofE Primary School, north London

Kentish Town Church of England Primary School launched its Autism Resource Base (ARB) in September 2010, redesigning each classroom and shared space so that children with autism are fully included in all aspects of school life. The one-form entry school, which prides itself on being fully inclusive, receives funding for one adult for every two children that access the ARB, on top of a child’s individual EHCP funding. ‘We operate a team model where all staff have training and experience in working with pupils with autism and they support all the children, rather than the child becoming reliant on one particular person,’ explains senior leader for autism Miriam Nadarajah.

Each year group has between two to six children with EHCPs who are integrated into mainstream classes. Those with higher levels of need can access the ARB, which refers to the specialist provision on offer, not a separate building or space.

The school also has additional provision for children with physical disabilities.

Reception-class children with autism spend most of the day in mainstream classes, but interventions take place in the withdrawal room, which is a low-arousal classroom.

‘Some children need to practise pre-learning, structured workstation activities, such as insert puzzles, numbers, posting, matching and sorting activities, in a calm space with no visual or auditory stimulation before they move onto these activities in the classroom,’ Nadarajah explains.

Children access activities at their own communication level and are supported though visual, auditory and kinaesthetic resources, as well as symbols, pictures and Makaton.

Nadarajah says, ‘Some pupils are pre-verbal when they start with us; some are emergent verbal and some are already verbal. We use communication boards with our pre-verbal children so they can indicate if they want more of something, if they’ve finished, or what activity they want to choose. It’s about giving them as much autonomy over their learning as we can, using visuals to support their independence. One particularly successful auditory approach is play scripts, where we use a resource, such as a toy animal or cars, and introduce a two- or three-step play sequence with language alongside, that adults can model and children can join in with.

‘We’ve also got two sensory rooms in school, which are great for understanding more about cause and effect – traits that autistic people often don’t have a strong sense of. There’s a light-up floor which changes colour when you step on it and bubble tubes. It’s a relaxing, regulating space, which is great for communication.

‘There’s also a therapy room where the children with physical disabilities have physiotherapy. It contains sensory equipment, such as swings for proprioception and vestibular input, and it’s great for regulation.’

MORE INFORMATION

• Child of the North (2024) A country that works for all children and young people: https://tinyurl.com/ydffsz56
• Gov.uk (2023)Special educational needs in England: https://tinyurl.com/3rx2frz6
• Gulliver K. (2023)Children with Williams Syndrome: Experiences of mainstream primary schools. University of Plymouth: https://tinyurl.com/5hdp3777
• The National Autistic Society (2024)Education report: https://tinyurl.com/ms2z33cf See online version for more