ABSTRACT
The children enter school with a broad diversity in terms of development, experience, interests and skills. There are children with special educational needs and disabilities(SEND), including children with more significant SEND, across the entire mainstream spectrum. Planning for teaching and learning is most effective when children with SEND are in mind from the beginning, and where they are at the hub of the planning process. It is natural for teachers and teaching assistants to want to support and care for the child, and parents are very keen for their child to have as much support as possible. Teachers also are keen for a child with SEND to have a high level of support to allow them to get on with teaching the rest of the class. But the high level of teaching assistant support that some children receive in reception can itself be a barrier to successful inclusion in a year and beyond.
