Admissions Criteria
TOUCAN – Specialist provision for Two Year olds
Summary of eligibility criteria
Toucan provides early education and child care for children who are two years old and who have a complexity of need that makes it difficult for them to attend a mainstream setting. In order to be considered for a place, children need to meet the national criteria for free early education (Together for Twos). A 2-year-old can get free early education and childcare if they live in England and the family are in receipt one of the following benefits:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Universal Credit - if you and your partner have a combined income from work of £15,400 or less a year, after tax
- Tax credits and you have an income of £16,190 or less a year, before tax
- The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
- Support through part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act
- The Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
A child can also get free early education and childcare if any of the following apply:
- They’re looked after by a local council
- They have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
- They get Disability Living Allowance (see above)
- They’ve left care under a special guardianship order, child arrangements order or adoption order
- Applications will also be considered for a child where the parent/carers have made a supported application for DLA and are awaiting or appealing an outcome.
In addition children applying for a place at Toucan must have:
- A learning difficulty (defined as skills developing 12 months or more behind their chronological age at age 2). Evidence of this can be submitted through a standardised assessment e.g. Bayley Scales of Infant Development, developmental checklist or schedule, EYFS tracking.
AND
- Complex and ongoing needs requiring several professionals involved in their care i.e. physio, medical professionals, nursing, speech and language therapists
OR
- Exceptional medical needs which mean that it is not possible for the child to attend a mainstream setting and have resulted in the child missing out on key early experiences.
OR
- Borderline evidence of meeting the above criteria but the child is living in a family with high levels of social need evidenced by involvement of Children’s Social Care.
Toucan may be an appropriate placement for children who:
- Have spent long periods of their early life in hospital
- Have complex medical conditions requiring specialist care i.e. emergency or routine medicines; enteral feeding or ventilation.
- Need complex postural management
- Have a sensory impairment as part of their condition
Requests for places in Toucan Class are considered at the monthly meeting of the Early Years Co-ordination Team (a multi-agency team of professionals representing Health and Children’s Services). A request for a place needs to be accompanied by:
- Detailed evidence from the professionals working with the child that s/he meets the admissions criteria.
- A record from the Teacher in Charge that the family have visited the setting and that the staff consider the child meets the Toucan criteria
- Confirmation from a professional working with the child that the parent/carer(s) would like the child to be considered for a place at Toucan Class.