Category: DP News

Securing inclusion for children with SEND in the early years is our main priority and we are excited to work with the new government to make vital changes over the coming months to give more children with SEND access to early years education.

In conversations with us, the Labour party have shown their understanding of the need to ensure that every child can access their early years entitlements, and Bridget Phillipson has emphasised how important the Bell Review will be in outlining the steps the new government will be taking around early years SEND. We are keen to see the party action the crucial de-linking of Disability Access Funding from Disability Living Allowance to take pressure off families and release funding quickly so that settings can welcome children with SEND. We also hope to see mandatory inclusion training for all early years professionals. It is also vital for the high needs block to be ringfenced to support children with high needs in the early years.

We must focus on early intervention as this will give our children the foundations for a bright future in which they can achieve their full potential.

Our young children with SEND need the fairer education system the government is proposing, and Dingley’s Promise are committing to helping them to achieve it.

2^nd March 2023

We welcome the release of the Government’s SEND and AP Plan, and are particularly happy that within this plan, early education is repeatedly acknowledged to be a key stage in the wider educational journey of every child.

The Plan recognises ‘the important role of the early years sector in the early identification of needs and in building up effective working relationships with parents about their child’s needs’. Reflecting on the consultation process, the Government notes that ‘respondents highlighted the crucial role of high-quality early years support in preventing unnecessary escalation of need and providing children with a strong foundation for their future educational journey.’

For the early years sector, this formal recognition of the vital role we play in providing the best start for children with SEND is crucial and we appreciate the actions taken by the government in response to requests for more details on the early years in the plan. We also welcome the news that the review of the Level 3 early years educator qualification is likely to see the addition of a section on SEND  which will  increase knowledge, understanding and confidence of all newly qualified early years practitioners to work inclusively.

The key action linked to the early years is the commitment to provide more Level 3 Early Years SENCO training. While this is important, we agree with the view also expressed in the plan that ‘a whole-setting inclusive ethos improves the sense of belonging for those with SEND’. We would therefore encourage development of the  plan to incorporate inclusion training for ALL early years practitioners rather than focusing only on the SENCO.

We welcome the inclusion of early years in other areas of the plan including; the focus on high quality early intervention, the creation of practice guidance, national standards, early years sufficiency data, transitions to school, Ofsted area inspections and funding.

As a charity running early years specialist Centres across the country and delivering a vital service, we are concerned that early years is not mentioned in conjunction with strengthening AP provision. We would encourage the analysis of the use of independent specialist AP in the early years to understand whether this has similar benefits for children and families as it does later in the education system. If similar benefits are found, then there should also be a focus on supporting the development of more of this kind of provision in the early years.

We are committed to supporting the development of the SEND and AP system as described in the plan, with a focus on ensuring that where the plan makes clear recommendations in relation to early years, these result in clear actions.

This is an encouraging starting point for an improved SEND system that acknowledges the early years as a vital stage in all children’s development and recognises that early intervention is critical both for both children and families.

Catherine McLeod – CEO Dingley’s Promise

Read the Government plan in full here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-and-alternative-provision-improvement-plan

Last night our CEO Catherine McLeod spoke to BBC News on behalf of Dingley’s Promise about staffing and recruitment in the early years. As a sector, recruitment and retainment is a huge issue, and the struggle to find and keep good staff is having a direct impact on children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Families are being turned away from settings as they don’t have the staff to meet the child’s needs, contributing to the exclusion of children with disabilities and creating stress and anxiety for families with no support.

“Early intervention is absolutely vital; the earlier we can understand their needs and how we can support them, the better life outcomes they will have”

At Dingley’s Promise we recognise and appreciate the highly skilled nature of the early years workforce, however in the current climate there is a lack of funding for staff and the cost of early years settings across the country. The importance of early intervention needs to be recognised for the huge impact it can have for children with SEND; investment in the early years is life changing for children and their families. As part of the All Party Parliamentary Group, we are committed to speaking out on the challenges faced by children with special educational needs and disabilities, and will continue to push for positive change in the early years.