The Chancellor has stated that he wants ‘every child to have the best possible start in life and to fulfil their potential’ and, in line with this, is investing in family support in the early years, and an extra 30,000 places in schools for children with SEND.
Dingley’s Promise works specifically with children with SEND in the Early Years, and is flagging the potential danger of this
vulnerable group’s needs not being met by these new programmes.
Children with SEND in the early years are among those most seriously affected by the pandemic. Statistics from the Disabled Children’s Partnership show that 58 per cent of this group have experienced delays to accessing support, notably higher than other age groups. For almost three quarters of children with SEND, their ability to manage their condition regressed over the course of the pandemic. Families report being abandoned by their usual service providers, with 60 per cent of Dingley’s Promise’s families losing all other support during the crisis. Even now, nationally, three quarters of families of children with SEND say they continue to feel socially isolated as a result of the pandemic according to the Disabled Children’s Partnership.
New investment in the early years
In the Budget, Rishi Sunak announced a £500 million investment package to support families in the early years. This will include family hubs, mental health support, and further development of existing family support programmes.
While support for families of children with SEND is extremely important, without the available health and education services for their children, parents and carers are likely to experience higher levels of anxiety and stress directly linked to this. Family support will allow families to talk about their concerns, but if the services they need continue to be delayed or worse non-existent, then their situation will not improve.
Families tell us that one of the most frustrating things for them is to be offered ‘parenting advice’ and ‘training’, when in fact what they want is the right assessment and support services for their children, so that they can develop to reach their full potential. Waiting lists for assessments are currently months or years rather than the target of weeks. In many cases, it is not until children are in school that their needs are properly assessed and addressed.
New investment in school places for children with SEND
Rishi Sunak’s second announcement is a £2.6 billion investment to create an extra 30,000 places for children with SEND over the next five years. The fact that this funding targets both special education places and builds more spaces in mainstream schools (where 80 per cent of children with SEND study) is brilliant news, which will give reassurance to both families and sector professionals.
However, this funding appears to be focused on school-aged children whilst neglecting the proven lack of spaces for children with SEND in the early years. Coram’s 2020 research found that only 19 per cent of local authorities believe they have sufficient early years spaces for children with SEND, and this number continues to fall.
Similarly, the Early Years Alliance found that 73 per cent of settings felt the numbers of children with SEND were rising, with almost half of them regularly funding SEND support for those children themselves. This is clearly unsustainable and with a lack of sufficient government funding, settings are having to make the impossible choice between inclusion of children with SEND and the survival of their businesses.
Long term financial impact
The long-term impact of children with SEND in the early years falling through the cracks of the new investment programmes is that their life outcomes will be lower, as they will miss vital early interventions.
Many children who attend Dingley’s Promise have been told that they will never attend mainstream settings, and yet after high quality specialist early intervention, they go on to transition to mainstream primary schools.
The average cost of a place in a mainstream primary school compared to a special school is £24,437 less per child per year, demonstrating the huge financial cost of failing to support children early enough. High quality early intervention for children with SEND will reduce the long-term financial burden within the education system and should be seen as a vital investment not only for children and families themselves, but also for the economy.
Recommendations for decision makers
To really give children with SEND the best start that the Chancellor has committed to, we are calling on the government to do the following:
- Extend the investment in increasing school spaces for children with SEND to include Early Years settings.
- Investment in reducing the waiting lists for assessments and therapies
- Recognise the key role of early intervention in the Early Years to improve child outcomes, providing the necessary support to struggling families and reducing long term costs to the education system.
