Expansion of fully-funded early years SENCo training announced by DfE
by Jess Gibson
An additional 2,000 fully-funded SENCo training places have been announced for early years practitioners by the Department for Education.
The accredited Level 3 early years SENCo (special educational needs coordinator) training expansion offer is particularly focused on increasing training uptake in the north-east and north-west of England, both of which are currently underrepresented.
Part of the early years education recovery programme, the DfE鈥檚 aim is to train up to 7,000 SENCos in total by August 2024.
Existing early years SENCos with a Level 3 EY educator qualification or those due to take up the role of SENCo, including childminders, are eligible for the training.
This announcement comes on the heels of another DfE initiative, which is set to see seven free special schools built across England to double the number of special schools places available from 8,500 to 19,000.
Commenting, Neil Leitch, Alliance chief executive, said: 鈥淲hile we welcome today鈥檚 announcement that the Department for Education will provide a further 2,000 training places for early years special educational needs coordinators, much more is needed if the severe challenges surrounding SEND provision in the early years are to be properly addressed.
鈥淥ur own research shows that the existing early years SEND system is simply not fit for purpose. Not only is it complex, inconsistent, and slow but funding regularly falls far below than what is needed, making it incredibly challenging for settings to be able to easily deliver high-quality education and care to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
鈥淚ncreasing the number of training places on offer is a step in the right direction, but the only way England鈥檚 early years SEND system can work effectively is if provision is realistically funded and a long-term plan is put in place that recognises just how crucial SEND provision is in early years and ensures providers are able to deliver it.鈥
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