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Transition to primary: pupils with SEND

Find out how you can help pupils with SEND make a smooth transition from early years to reception. Get tips on how to build relationships with parents and carers, and download our handy planner for early years leads.

Last reviewed on 13 January 2026
•Ref: 52871
Contents
  1. Download our planner
  2. If the child has an education, health and care (EHC) plan
  3. Become familiar with the needs of your new pupils
  4. Prepare parents and carers for the transition
  5. What if the pupil hasn’t attended an EYFS setting before?
  6. Personalise induction for pupils with SEND
  7. Make the transition less of a shock
  8. Stay in touch with EYFS practitioners and nursery staff

Download our planner

Designed with Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) primary leads in mind, our planner can be adapted to suit your context and your local authority (LA)'s admission procedures.

It will help you keep on track throughout the year, with key tasks to smooth the transition to primary for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND): 

KeyDoc: transition to primary for pupils with SEND – planner DOCX, 134.2 KB
Download

If the child has an education, health and care (EHC) plan

The current setting should have completed the statutory review and, ideally, your special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) and/or EYFS lead will have been invited to attend the review meeting.

Once the pupil starts at your school:

  • Review the EHC plan annually
  • Adapt provision and approaches on an ongoing basis, in response to the pupil's changing needs

Identify needs as early as possible, so you can plan