Module

2
Strategies and
Techniques for
Supporting
Children and
Families
Workbook
Introduction
Welcome to the workshop workbook for “Module 2: Strategies and
techniques for supporting children and families.” This workbook is
designed to be your companion as you engage in insightful activities,
discussions, and reflections during our workshop sessions.

In this workbook, we'll further develop the knowledge and skills you've
acquired during your eLearning sessions. Through interactive and
engaging activities with your fellow learners, you'll gain a deeper
understanding of the subject matter.

This workbook is an important part of your learning journey and will serve
as evidence of your attendance. Your workshop tutor will allocate time at
the end of the session for you to upload it to Bud and will be available to
provide any assistance or guidance you might need.

The aim of this workshop is to develop your understanding of the role of

the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) in early years settings
by exploring key responsibilities, Education, Health, and Care Plans
(EHCPs), and effective strategies for supporting children and families,
enabling them to apply this knowledge to professional practice and career
progression

Within the eLearning, you have come across some icons that highlight
some of the personal development areas you would have covered within
the module, this will be the same within your workshop.

Some of the icons you will see during this module are the following:

We hope you enjoy your Module 2 workshop!

Ice Breaker: Collaboration Board

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Instructions:

 Your tutor will set up a collaboration board on the screen.

 Take a couple of minutes to reflect on what you have taken from
Module 1’s workshop
 When instructed, add two sticky post-it notes to the
whiteboard

Your Notes:

I found discussing different methods of identifying and supporting both

staff and children facing developmental delays or potential special
educational needs to be beneficial. Additionally, during the last session, I
learned the significance of having a comprehensive and clearly
articulated SEND policy, as it can greatly affect the setting's SEND culture
—shaping how we assist SEND children and staff, among other aspects.

Activity 1: Graduated Approach

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Objective: Critically evaluate the Graduated Approach by analysing case
studies and formulating tailored intervention strategies to support children
with additional needs.

In this activity, you will work in groups to explore how the Graduated
Approach supports children with additional needs. You will analyse a case
study and apply the remaining steps of the approach to create an
appropriate support plan.

Instructions:

 Your group will be assigned one of the two case studies.

 Read through the case study carefully and discuss the child’s
background and assessment findings.
 Work together to complete the remaining steps of the
Graduated Approach (Plan, Do, and Review), making notes on the
strategies and interventions you would put in place.
 Choose 1 person to give feedback to the group.

Case Study 1

Child’s Background:
Ella, aged 4, recently relocated to the UK with her family from Poland. She
has been attending the early years setting for four months but has shown
limited verbal communication in English. Ella understands basic instructions
such as "sit down" and "tidy up" but rarely speaks in English, relying on
gestures or one-word responses when interacting with peers and staff.
At home, Ella speaks Polish fluently with her parents and older sibling. Her
parents note that she is comfortable and chatty in her home language but
becomes quiet in English-speaking environments. They report that she
enjoys listening to English nursery rhymes and watching English-language
cartoons but does not attempt to use English spontaneously.
Staff have observed that Ella appears engaged in activities but avoids group
discussions, often nodding or shrugging instead of responding verbally.
When other children try to talk to her, she sometimes walks away or uses
non-verbal communication like pointing. In some cases, she appears
frustrated when she cannot express her thoughts effectively. While she
enjoys role-play and sensory activities, she tends to play alongside rather
than with other children.
Her key person has raised concerns about her limited English development,
particularly in expressive language. The team is keen to support her in
developing the confidence and ability to communicate with others while

Case Study 1

Step 1: Assess 3
Observations in the Setting:
 Social Interactions:
Case Study 2
Language Modelling:
Child’s Background:
Liam, aged 3 years
Use simple and 10
language months,
during is an active, curious, and playful child
interactions.
who thrives in physical activities such as climbing, running, and outdoor
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 Repeat keywords regularly to reinforce vocabulary and understanding.
play. He enjoys sensory experiences like water play and messy play but
becomes easily
Interactive distracted and struggles to sustain attention in structured
Storytime:
tasks. While he is enthusiastic about new experiences, he quickly moves
 Choose engaging books with repetitive text and props.
from one activity to another, rarely completing a task before shifting his
Case Study 2
Step 1: Assess
Observations in the Setting:
 Attention & Focus:
o Liam moves between activities quickly, often abandoning tasks after a few minutes.
o He finds it challenging to sit for longer than a couple of minutes in structured group
activities such as Storytime.
o When given an instruction with multiple steps, he often completes the first part but
forgets the rest.
 Task Engagement:
o He enjoys gross motor activities but shows less interest in table-top or fine motor tasks.
o When encouraged to complete puzzles, mark-making, or construction tasks, he
sometimes throws items down or says, "I don’t want to."
o He needs repeated prompting to complete simple tasks like tidying up or finishing a
painting.
 Social Interaction & Communication:
o Liam enjoys playing with peers but frequently interrupts conversations or shifts topics
rapidly.
o He struggles with turn-taking and may become impatient if he has to wait.
o During group discussions, he provides off-topic responses or seems distracted by
background noise.
 Emotional & Sensory Reactions:
o When overwhelmed or frustrated, Liam sometimes runs away from the activity area or
throws objects aside.
o He enjoys sensory-based tasks like playdough and sand play but avoids those requiring
fine motor control.
o He occasionally seeks movement, such as rocking or bouncing, when sitting for an
extended time.
Parental Input:
 Parents express concern that Liam does not always listen at home and requires frequent
reminders.
 They have noticed that he struggles with tasks that involve sitting still, such as reading a book.
 His mother shares that he enjoys active play but becomes restless when expected to focus on a
quieter activity.
 Parents are unsure whether his behaviour is part of normal development or if he may need
additional support.
Progress Monitoring & Assessments:
 Tracking sheets show that Liam engages well in short, active bursts but struggles with
Your Notes:concentration.
sustained
 His EYFS assessments indicate a delay in attention and fine motor skills.
 Observations over four weeks reveal a pattern of impulsivity, task avoidance, and difficulty

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 Activity 2: EHCPs
Objective: Apply the principles underpinning Education, Health, and Care
Plans (EHCPs).
Synthesise and justify SMART goals and effective record-keeping
strategies within an EHCP to support a child’s learning and development.

In this activity, you will work in groups to create, analyse, and evaluate an
Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) request for a child with additional
needs, ensuring it aligns with goal setting, tracking progress, and
statutory requirements.

Instructions:

 You will be put into groups and given a case study to work from.
 Together in your groups, complete the EHC request document
(guidance below).
 Choose 1 person to feedback to the group.

Guidance on what to include in the request document:

 Currently reports/evidence.
 Examples of your concerns and the rationale for your request.
 A brief explanation of the assignments and activities your child
finds easy and the ones they find difficult.
 Any strategies that help the child to express what they need,
make choices, and let you know when something is wrong, or they
are unhappy.
 Add what support is needed and why.

Child’s Profile 1
 Name: Noah
 Age: 3 years, 10 months
 Setting: Attends a private nursery, 4 days per week
 Family Background: Lives with both parents and an older sibling (aged 6). English is the first language spoken at home.
Parents are engaged and keen to support Noah’s development.
Developmental Concerns
Noah has global developmental delay (GDD), which affects his cognitive, speech and language, and motor skill development. He

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has difficulty meeting age-related milestones in the Prime Areas of Learning within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS):
 Communication and Language:
o Limited vocabulary (uses single words rather than sentences).
o Struggles to follow multi-step instructions.
o Difficulties with social communication—limited eye contact and challenges in engaging in back-and-forth
conversations.
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 Child’s Profile
 Name: Amelia
 Age: 4 years, 2 months
 Setting: Attends a maintained nursery school five mornings a week
 Family Background: Amelia lives with her mother and older brother
(aged 7). The family speaks Polish at home, and English is a second
language for both Amelia and her mother. Her mother is keen to
support Amelia’s learning but feels unsure how to help due to the
language barrier.

Developmental Concerns
Amelia is experiencing significant speech, language, and social
communication difficulties, impacting her ability to engage with peers
and access learning effectively. She is currently not meeting age-related
expectations in the following areas:
Communication and Language:
 Limited English vocabulary – mostly single words, gestures, and
pointing.
 Struggles to follow instructions unless supported by visual
prompts.
 Finds it difficult to express needs and emotions, often becoming
distressed when not understood.
Personal, Social & Emotional Development:
 Prefers playing alone rather than interacting with peers.
 Becomes anxious in unfamiliar social situations, particularly
during group activities.
 Limited ability to take turns or engage in back-and-forth
conversations.
Cognitive Development & Learning:
 Struggles with story comprehension, often unable to recall or
sequence events.
 Difficulty engaging in activities that require verbal communication,
such as group discussions or imaginative play.
 Shows strength in problem-solving through hands-on activities
but avoids speaking.
Current Support & Interventions in Place
 A key person has been assigned to help Amelia with structured social
interactions.
 Staff use visual aids (e.g., picture cards, visual schedules) to support
understanding.
 Small-group interventions focus on developing social interaction
and turn-taking skills.
 The nursery provides additional time for responses and
encourages the use of non-verbal communication methods
(gestures, pictures, or first-language support).
Parental Concerns & Requests
 Amelia’s mother is concerned about her daughter’s lack of
progress in English language development.
 She wants guidance on how to support language learning at
Your Notes:
home.
Current Reports/Evidence:
 She is worried about Amelia’s transition to Reception, particularly 8
Amelia struggles with speech, language, and social communication. She mainly
uses single words and gestures, has difficulty understanding instructions without
Activity 3: SENCo Job Description

Objective: Evaluate the key responsibilities of a Special Educational

Needs Coordinator (SENCo)

In this activity, you will collaborate together what roles and responsibilities
you would find in a SENCo job description.

Instructions:

 The tutor will put up a collaboration board.

 Share 1 thing you think would be in the job description.
 Share why certain responsibilities are essential.
 The tutor will then share a real job description.

Your Notes:

Ensure that the settings' special educational needs policy is up to date and in
line with national legislation and guidelines. Keeping track of the children with
SEND to inform future teaching strategies and interventions.

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Recap: Support Strategies
In this recap activity you will add examples of support
strategies that are used within your setting, to support children,
particularly those with potential SEN.

Instructions:
 The tutor will put up a whiteboard
 Write down examples of support strategies used in your setting, considering
all children’s needs.
 Be prepared to explain how and why these support strategies are beneficial.
 Makes note in your workbook or screenshot and paste the photo into your
workbook

Your Notes:

Visual boards and cards

Key worker who plans activities and resources in line with children's interests,
needs and next steps.

Consistent routine

Room visits are conducted before the transition to build confidence and
familiarity with the new room, and settle-in sessions are provided for new
children.

Implementing activities that teach essential social skills and emotional

regulation strategies, promoting positive interactions among peers.

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Reflection
Using the questions below complete a reflection of your
workshop.

 What were the most important things you learned

during the workshop?
 How do you plan to apply what you learned in
your work or daily life?
 Did the workshop challenge any of your
previous ideas or beliefs? If so, how did your
perspective change?
 What activities or exercises in the workshop did
you find most helpful or enjoyable? Why?
 Which personal development skill resonated
most strongly with you, and how could further
developing this skill enhance your effectiveness in your role?
 What initial step can you take to cultivate this skill?

Your reflection:

The most important thing I learned is how to create an EHCP and an

EHCP request form. I plan to apply various strategies that I have
gained during the discussions, such as setting individual SMART
targets to support children's needs and track their development. This
is particularly relevant for our focus children, which involves
observing and tracking 2-5 children each week and writing an
observation each day. It didn’t challenge any of my previous ideas or
beliefs; instead, it solidified my knowledge of the EHCP and the
graduated approach. The personal development skill that resonated
most with me, active listening, truly stood out. It reminded me of the
importance of fully hearing and understanding the needs of children,
parents, and staff. Strengthening this skill would help me build trust
and develop more effective support plans for pupils with Special
Educational Needs (SEN). A simple first step is to begin reflecting on
what others say in meetings to show that I’m listening and to ensure I
understand their views. It’s a small change, but it could make a
significant difference in how I support others.

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