OPINION
We’re being led to believe there’s a glimmer of hope for the future of SEND provision – but what about the children who need it now?
Melanie is responsible for resources that support best practice in all matters relating to the EYFS.
The SEND and Alternative Provision Green Paper, published in March 2023, explores the issues present within the current SEND system and sets out the government’s proposals for enhancing provision. It states that the aim is to improve outcomes for children and young people, as well as families’ overall experiences by reducing the adversity and frustration they face, while also delivering financial sustainability.
As such, the overall aim is for a set of National Standards to be in place by 2025. But, while the future is looking more positive, what is the situation for those children who need support now?
In the early years, providers work diligently to provide “quality and consistency, so that every child makes good progress and no child gets left behind” (EYFS paragraph 3). There’s also an expectation that, where a child’s progress gives cause for concern, educators “consider whether a child may have a special educational need or disability that requires additional support”. Early years settings are inspected on whether they meet these – and other – requirements, with a judgement made as to their overall effectiveness. Consideration of overall effectiveness includes “the extent to which the curriculum and care practices that the setting provides meet the needs of the range of children who attend, particularly children with SEND”.
The standards set by the EYFS must always be met, regardless of children’s individual circumstances or differences. When undertaking inspections to make a judgement, Ofsted remind us that their strategic priorities for 2023 include giving children “the best start in life”, with a “high-quality early years education” being “vital” to that: “Children attend nurseries, pre-schools, and childminders at a crucial developmental point in their lives. What they learn during this time forms the foundation for their future educational attainment, as well as their future health and happiness. Making sure children achieve their potential at this stage is therefore of the upmost importance.” (Ofsted’s 2023 priorities for early years, Gov. UK, February 2023).
Providers that are judged as ‘requires improvement’ – or, at worst, ‘inadequate’ – must improve or face further sanctions, despite lack of funding and access to specialist support for children with SEND. Doing nothing is not an option, so providers continue to fight for the most vulnerable children, supporting their parents to beat the odds time and time again while simultaneously seeking to meet statutory requirements.
Some providers cannot improve, not because they don’t want to, but because policymakers simply do not understand the challenges settings are facing. Typically, those that are doing it well become victims of their own success: often, they quickly gain a good reputation for supporting children with additional needs and become the provider of choice for both LAs and parents alike. Their success is then heralded as an example of best practice and a model for others to adopt, but, in a system that’s already at capacity, these are the settings that inevitably reach breaking point.
And what happens when, after all the care and hard work of the early years setting in following EYFS best practice while creating an environment geared towards additional needs, the time for school arrives?
We hear too many stories of children whose additional needs are met by early years providers yet who are then failed when the time for schooling arrives. These providers nurture every child, have high expectations for them, secure education, health and care plans (EHCPs) if necessary, and continually uphold the overarching principles of the EYFS.
Imagine, then, how devastating it is for these providers to hear that the unique child that they have nurtured throughout their early years cannot access the specialist provision needed for the next stage in their journey. Imagine supporting the parent or carer whom you have guided along the path of having a child with SEND, only to have them tell you that there’s no space for their child in the provision they need when the time comes.
Mainstream school is sometimes offered as an option in the interim, but schools are also under huge pressure and, as a result, are unable to cater for some children’s more complex needs. There’s little funding spare for 1:1 support, and teaching assistants are often left to support a child whose complex needs are beyond that for which they’ve been trained.
The ‘best start in life’ grinds to a halt as children are placed in some kind of educational holding pattern. Suddenly, 2025 seems an awfully long way away...
Here at Under 5, we would like to hear about your experiences of supporting children with SEND to transition to school. How positive has the experience been and what challenges, if any, have you faced as a setting?
To share your experiences, or those of families in your community, please email: editor.u5@eyalliance.org.uk.