5:10. If the educational and/or developmental progress of the child under five gives rise to concern, the child's teacher, if the child is at school, should prepare a written report setting out the child's strengths and weaknesses and noting evidence for the concern.  The use of parent assessment material and developmental checklists should be considered.

District Health Authorities (DHAs) and National Health Service (NHS) Trusts must inform the parents and the appropriate LEA when they form the opinion that a child under the age of five may on have special educational needs.  They must also inform the parents if they believe that a particular voluntary organisation is likely to be able to give the parents advice or assistance in connection with any special educational needs that the child may have.


(Section 176)

5:11. The child health services may alert the parents or school, where appropriate, to the child's potential difficulties.  A child development centre or team will provide a multi-professional view at a very early stage.  For children under five very early contact with child health services will be important in order to ensure that there is no physical cause for the difficulty in question (such as a hearing or visual impairment) or to secure advice on the possible cause and the effective management of difficult behaviour.  Children's development and subsequent progress in school will also be affected by their general health status.  All nursery c asses and schools, playgroups (see Glossary) and opportunity playgroups should be aware of how to obtain information and advice on health related matters, using the school health service, the child's general practitioner or a relevant member of the child development centre or team, ensuring that parents are involved and can obtain as much help and advice as possible.

5:12. All services providing for young children, such as playgroups and day care facilities or other provision run by social services, child health services or voluntary organisations, should have information from the LEA on local procedures for the identification of special educational needs.  Such information might incorporate an initial record form on which the child's key worker or service provider will set out the causes for concern and the views of any relevant people; confirm that the parents have been informed of the concern; and provide evidence that the child has been observed and that the request for assistance is firmly based.  Social services departments have duties to register and to review day care arrangements in the statutory and voluntary sectors for children under eight.  Liaison between the LEA and the relevant social services departments should ensure that there is clarity about how best to express concerns and about the information required in order to make such a referral positive and constructive.

5:13. Where a health authority or Trust (perhaps on the basis of information provided by a general practitioner) consider that a child might have special educational needs, they must inform the parents of their views and give the parents an opportunity to discuss those views

with an officer of the health authority or Trust (usually a doctor who has appropriate knowledge and experience).  They must then inform the relevant LEA.