| SKILL | WHAT TO DO Identifying and supporting need | ASKING FOR HELP Starting Assess, Plan, Do, Review | WHEN MORE HELP IS NEEDED Targeted support |
| Literacy | Classroom/Early Years room: Implement evidence-based recommendations around preparing for literacy in the Early Years. Early Years practitioners to receive training in literacy approaches used to ensure a consistent approach. They should also be aware of what to expect at each age and stage, how children’s literacy skills typically develop, and how to assess this development. Engage parents/carers and share activities with them, so that children can use the same approaches outside of the setting (e.g. create ‘story sacks’ or ‘toy sacks’ for children to take home and share with parents/carers; send the group teddy home for the weekend and ask families to describe activities completed together the following week). Regular tracking and assessment and observation of children’s early reading and writing skills. Combined early literacy approaches, e.g.: Storytelling and group reading. Activities to develop letter knowledge, knowledge of sounds and early phonics. Singing songs and rhymes together; missing out words of familiar songs to allow children to fill in the gaps. Introductions to different kinds of writing. Approaches should cover a range of activities and focus on both early reading and writing skills. Reading: Collect a range of books appropriate to the age and developmental stage of the children. Allow children to handle books from an early age and draw their attention to pictures. Read board or cloth books to babies. Allow them to hold the book as you read and talk to them about what you can see in the pictures. Create an attractive book area where adults and children can share books together – use puppets, soft toys and real objects as props to share stories. Provide frequent opportunities for children to read books with adults, where adults model reading skills and comment on pictures. Adults point to words as they read them. Adults ask questions about concrete information from the story. Create a ‘print-rich’ environment where children can learn words and model the language of print. Provide opportunities to act out stories in play. Adults demonstrate phonic decoding of words (e.g. by using ‘big books’). Sort pictures or real-life objects into semantic categories (e.g. clothes vs toys) to support understanding of different types of words. Use Story Pictures or Story Stones to create a story. The child chooses cards or stones which each contain features of a story (e.g. location, characters etc.) and then think of a story. Use Black Sheep Press Narrative icons to support structuring stories. Early phonics activities: Clapping syllables. Actions or noises for keywords (i.e. clap when you hear…). Story bags – pick out an object that’s mentioned in a story. Lift the object up when they hear its name. Tongue twisters. Singing and rhyming games to encourage recognition of rhyme, the sounds in words, patterns, rhythm. Tuning into sounds (e.g. nature sounds, different instruments). Listening, remembering and copying sounds (clapping patterns etc.) Support in recognising their own name (e.g. read name on coat peg etc). Picture sequencing (i.e. providing child with pictures which tell a story, ask the child to order the pictures to tell the story in the correct order). This supports understanding of story patterns, sequencing etc. Phonics programmes such as Read Write Inc (RWI), Sounds Write. Activities or games to support phonological processing: matching sounds to pictures or objects (e.g. things with a ‘ch’ sound); Robot phonics (breaking words up into phonemes accompanied by robot arms); looking for the same letter/sounds in a book. Writing: Ensure that babies hear a wide variety of words. Allow babies to explore what happens when they use their hands and feet. Draw and paint with the child and comment on what you’re drawing. Attach meanings to marks in various contexts (e.g. point out simple words on displays and read what they say). Provide regular access to activities to develop gross and fine motor skills underpinning handwriting skills (e.g. painting big pictures or circles to build shoulder strength and stability, use of playdough and hand and finger exercises to improve fine muscle control, such as Dough Disco). Provide frequent mark-making opportunities using different techniques (e.g. sand writing, painting etc.) to encourage recognition of spelling patterns and familiarity with writing words. Record things that children say to highlight that what they say can be written down and read by others (e.g. write something they say to share with parents/carers). Model writing for a purpose (e.g. shopping list, letters to friends they can pretend to post, messages or cards for parents/carers). Provide opportunities for writing during role-play activities (e.g. notepads in doctor’s surgery role-play). Use of resources from Go To Grow Tameside. | Targeted small-group support, in addition to whole group early literacy activities. Alongside the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) tracker identify and complete appropriate assessments to establish a greater understanding of the child’s needs. For example: Observation. Discussion with parents/carers. Play-based assessment (see ‘Thinking Skills’). Fine-grained assessment tools (e.g. Early Years Developmental Journal). The Schedule of Growing Skills provides a rapid and reliable measure of child development through the assessment of nine key areas: Passive Posture, Active Posture, Locomotor, Manipulative, Visual, Hearing and Language, Speech and Language, Interactive Social and Self-Care Social. Refer to the Celebratory Approach to SEND Assessment in the Early Years document for further guidance. Increased use of play-based assessment in an ongoing way for children who may require more fine-grained assessment of skills or who may not fit easily into Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) tracker (e.g. those with language difficulties). Consider which forms of adult mediation are most appropriate or useful for some children: Helping the child feel at ease (building rapport, using familiar and enjoyable activities). Focusing the child on the task (e.g. using visual and verbal prompts, moving things into their line of sight). Using ‘hand over hand’ guidance. Modelling how to do the activity first. Mediating meaning by focusing the child on relevant features of the task (e.g. feeling objects, demonstrating use, pointing to buttons or switches). Focusing the child on the adult’s role and involvement (turn-taking, modelling, demonstrate trying and failing and asking for the child’s help). Assisting generalisation of the skill (e.g. show the child how to use a toy in a different way, or different toys in the same way). Helping the child to plan (e.g. making tasks visually clearer by reducing the number of items in front of the child, providing non-verbal demonstration, talking through what to do next). Helping the child to break down tasks through modelling and demonstration (do one-step at a time and encourage child to copy); teach the sequences of pretend play. Helping the child to feel successful (using verbal and non-verbal praise, encouragement and tangible rewards). Helping the child feel that they’ve made progress (providing task-specific praise; stating what they can do at the end that they couldn’t at the start). | See ‘Thinking Skills’ section. Further adaptation of the adult role in play and learning and the form(s) of mediation needed – children in this group may need more frequent and higher levels of mediation (e.g. ‘hand over hand’ guidance). Increased sensory play for children with more complex needs. Adaptation of play resources and environments to meet complex needs, e.g.: Physical needs Visual impairment Hearing impairment Support from specialist services may be required (see Sensory and/or Physical needs section). Use individualised Play Plans and or Engagement Profile and Scale to address specific skills identified through assessment. Use of appropriate mediation strategies: Helping the child feel at ease (building rapport, using familiar and enjoyable activities). Focusing the child on the task (e.g. using visual and verbal prompts, moving things into their line of sight). Using ‘hand over hand’ guidance. Modelling how to do the activity first. Mediating meaning by focusing the child on relevant features of the task (e.g. feeling objects, demonstrating use, pointing to buttons or switches). Focusing the child on the adult’s role and involvement (turn-taking, modelling, demonstrate trying and failing and asking for the child’s help). Assisting generalisation of the skill (e.g. show the child how to use a toy in a different way, or different toys in the same way). Helping the child to plan (e.g. making tasks visually clearer by reducing the number of items in front of the child, providing non-verbal demonstration, talking through what to do next). Helping the child to break down tasks through modelling and demonstration (do one-step at a time and encourage child to copy); teach the sequences of pretend play. Helping the child to feel successful (using verbal and non-verbal praise, encouragement and tangible rewards). Helping the child feel that they’ve made progress (providing task-specific praise; stating what they can do at the end that they couldn’t at the start). |