Opinion

Catherine McLeod: Is early years inclusion the key to fixing the SEND system?

In the wake of a new government, Catherine McLeod believes there could now be a fighting chance that disadvantage due to SEND can be tackled and overcome.
'Educators must acknowledge the need for our way of working to change, in order to ensure that all children can thrive.'
'Educators must acknowledge the need for our way of working to change, in order to ensure that all children can thrive.'

Our discussions with providers tell us that one of the biggest pressures on the sector at the moment is the rise in the number of children with SEND. Sadly, in our own research, Dingley’s Promise found that one in five parents of children with SEND had been turned away from settings, and this is expected to rise as the increased early years entitlements put even more pressure on the sector.

Coram’s annual research found that a mere 6 per cent of local authorities believed they had enough provision for children with SEND in the early years, and their manifesto talks of an ‘early years inclusion crisis’.

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