Alliance calls for early years to be central to SEND reform as Public Accounts Committee report on SEND provision is published
Please find a release below from the Early Years Alliance following the publication of the Public Account Committee's first report on Support for Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs which can be read . The report calls for urgent action to reform SEND provision and said the existing system is "inconsistent, inequitable and not delivering in line with expectations."
Commenting, Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said: “The Public Accounts Committee is absolutely right to call on the government to take urgent action to improve the SEND system, However, if the severe challenges highlighted in this report are to truly to be addressed, we’re clear that a focus on the early years must be at the heart of any reforms.
“Early educators are extremely committed to supporting children with SEND but they continue to face a system that is underfunded, overly complex and, frankly, entirely unfit for purpose. As a result, many providers warn of being unable to sustainably deliver provision, meaning that families are losing out on much-needed targeted support.
“We know that the earlier a child is able to receive the additional support they need, the greater the impact this will have on their learning and development. With the government naming SEND as a key priority for 2025, it is critical that the early years plays a central role in this. As it stands, the situation that children, families and providers are faced with is entirely unacceptable."