Today (16 January) The Department for Education has announced a £200 million investment into a SEND training programme to upskill staff in schools, colleges and early years settings across England.
There will be an expectation set out in the SEND Code of Practice that requires all educational staff (including childminders) to undertake new courses to deepen their knowledge of how to adapt their practice to meet a wide range of needs for the children and young people they teach. This includes courses on visual impairments and speech and language needs. The training will also explore the use of assistive technology in supporting children with SEND, including text dictation tools.
This training will ensure that more children and young people with SEND receive the correct support to both identify their needs and support them to thrive throughout their education.
Ka Lai Brightley-Hodges, Head of Coram PACEY comments:
“We warmly welcome the new SEND training offer and its mission to upskill educational staff (including childminders) across England to provide the best support to children and young people with SEND. It is encouraging to see that this commitment is supported by funding as children with SEND are often overlooked in educational settings with their needs unmet. We hope this training will feed into the wider work on SEND reforms to improve the entire system of support for children and young people.
We will be working closely with the Department for Education to ensure that this training is relevant, accessible and flexible for childminders whilst also increasing our own library of resources, guidance and training on SEND. Early years practitioners are pivotal in the early identification of children with SEND and childminders are often a great option of support as they can provide flexible care that meets the individual needs of the child. For children with SEND to receive the best care and education, childminders will need to have access to the shared knowledge and expertise provided by this new training.”
