Introduce
Every child should be supported with physical development, regardless of their needs or background. Systems and settings need to spend time reflecting on their approach to inclusivity and how they might effectively support the needs of a wide range of children with SEND, allowing them to thrive and reach their full potential.
Dingley’s Promise have a mission to transform the Early Years for children with SEND and have many resources to support practitioners on their website. The video below explores specific strategies for supporting children with SEND:
Dingley’s Promise have worked with the Department for Education to develop the following assessment tools and supporting materials which might be a helpful resource when developing inclusive approaches to physical development:
Help for early years providers : SEND assessment guidance and resources
Develop
What is the STEP tool?
The STEP tool, designed by the Youth Sport Trust, is one of the most effective ways to support inclusive physical development. STEP stands for Space, Task, Equipment and People.
- SPACE – adapt the space you and your children have to play in (the size, width, length) to make the task easier and harder, depending on their ability.
- TASK – adapt the task for your child to enjoy to ensure it is age-appropriate and challenging yet achievable.
- EQUIPMENT – explore changing the size, shape and weight of equipment, or change the purpose of equipment to achieve different results.
- PEOPLE – People can be included in games in lots of different ways: as partners, team members, or oppositions! If your child finds an activity easier or harder, you can adapt the role of other people to encourage them to set new goals.
STEP is a simple way for making changes to activities. It’s commonly used in PE and school sport settings so that everyone can join in and take part together. But the principles work in all settings, including the home.
Reflect
Stop and Reflect: Think about children you know or have worked with. How were these children different from each other? Take 5 minutes to write a list of all the diversities you can think of. In inclusive early childhood settings, none of these diversities (or any other) are a reason to exclude a children from accessing opportunities for physical development.
– How do you identify when a child may need additional support or intervention?
– What steps do you take to collaborate with specialists or other professionals in such cases?
– How do you ensure that all children, regardless of ability, have the opportunity to reach their potential?