It has been well-documented throughout this year that the pandemic has cast a long shadow over our youngest children's learning and wellbeing. As our new series on observations highlights (page 18), many of our youngest children may well have been born during lockdown, and all of them will have experienced its effects in a variety of ways – for good or bad. Its long-term impact is not always obvious and children cannot be expected to ‘grow out’ of any ill effects. This situation makes meeting provision for SEND in early years increasingly complex.
Following the release of Ofsted's annual report (13 December), the national media was quick to pick up on its stark message about the current crisis in special educational needs. The number of children with SEND has increased by 77,000 in the past year, with around 1.5 million children identified with SEND in schools.
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