Dingley’s Promise are delighted with the Government announcement to invest £200 million in SEND training.
We have long stated the vital importance of early years SEND inclusion training and the need to develop an early years with the skills and confidence to effectively respond to the growing and diverse needs of a range of children.
Current research highlights just how much this investment is needed: Coram Family and Childcare Survey 2024 stated that 90% of Local Authorities are “particularly concerned” about the skills of the workforce, citing it as a major barrier to expanding childcare entitlements. LGA Early Years Research Report 2024 (Page 5) highlighted that 93% of LAs specifically report difficulties in ensuring sufficiency for children with SEND, directly linking this to workforce capacity issues.
As providers of early years inclusion training, we know first-hand its importance and impact, with 97% of our learners stating that they are able to support more children with SEND as a result of our training. We are encouraged that this investment will finally provide much-needed support to settings and educators, ensuring that children with SEND are no longer turned away from early years settings due to the fear of not meeting their needs.
We are pleased that the government has stated training expectations will be highlighted within the SEND Code of Practice and look forward to seeing how this ties in with the increased focus on inclusion in the recently reviewed Ofsted Inspection Framework.
We have been clear in our call for every educator, not only the SENCO or SEND specialist, to have a basic level of inclusion training, ensuring the consistency and the whole setting approach required for true inclusion. Not only does this support the confidence of settings, but it builds trust among families who want to see every educator knowledgeable in how to support their child effectively. We are therefore pleased to hear the government’s commitment to ‘every teacher nationwide receiving training to support pupils for more children and young people with SEND to thrive.”
Children with SEND require a tailored, flexible, and practical approach to their learning, which we hope will be fully funded to enable effective delivery of the Government’s Early Years CPD programme.
We celebrate the intention to support educators to take a more holistic approach and ‘deepen knowledge of how to adapt their teaching to meet a wide range of needs in the classroom, including visual impairments and speech and language needs.
Crucially, Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson has committed to banishing the current postcode lottery for children with SEND, pledging that “Every child, wherever they live and whatever their needs, should have the opportunity to go to a local school where they can achieve and thrive.”
We share in the vision of ‘a truly inclusive education system’ which values each individual child, provides access for all, opportunities to thrive, and an environment in which they can belong. Crucially this investment has the potential to ensure that they are supported by a workforce which is equipped and confident to respond to their needs.