🎯 Our Early Years Campaign Aims

🎓 1. Strengthen Inclusion Education Within Early Years Qualifications

The Inclusion Needs Infrastructure Campaign advocates for stronger, more comprehensive, consistently delivered and practically assessed inclusion education within relevant early years qualifications in England.

We recognise that existing early years qualifications, including the Level 3 Early Years Educator qualification, already contain requirements relating to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), equality, child development, inclusive practice and the practical application of support strategies.

However, meeting qualification requirements does not necessarily guarantee that every practitioner has experienced or developed confidence in supporting the diverse additional needs they may encounter in everyday practice.

Understanding legislation, recognising the four broad areas of special educational need and learning about inclusive strategies are important foundations. However, practitioners also need opportunities to develop the practical skills, confidence and adaptability required to apply this knowledge in real situations.

Knowing what inclusion should look like and knowing how to deliver it in practice are not always the same thing.

The campaign therefore seeks to investigate whether the depth, consistency, assessment and practical application of existing inclusion education adequately prepare practitioners for the responsibilities they may encounter.

We believe professional education should equip practitioners to recognise, understand and respond appropriately to a broad range of needs, including:

• Autism, ADHD and other forms of neurodivergence.

• Speech, language and communication differences, including the use of alternative and augmentative communication (AAC).

• Sensory processing differences, sensory sensitivities and sensory accessibility.

• Physical disabilities, mobility differences and accessibility requirements.

• Learning difficulties and developmental differences.

• Emotional regulation difficulties, anxiety and overwhelming fear.

• Demand avoidance, difficulties with transitions and individual responses to expectations.

• Medical conditions and individual healthcare requirements, within the practitioner's professional responsibilities and training.

• Visible and hidden disabilities and additional needs, including those that may not be immediately apparent.

Education should build upon existing requirements and move beyond general awareness towards meaningful practical understanding, individualised adjustments and inclusive everyday practice.

The campaign also advocates for strengthening the assessment of inclusion knowledge and practical competence, building upon existing qualification requirements to ensure practitioners can demonstrate how inclusive approaches are applied in real-world situations.

This could include opportunities to explore practical scenarios, reflect upon individual needs, consider appropriate adjustments and demonstrate inclusive responses within supervised learning environments.

Our aim is not to disregard existing qualification standards, but to strengthen their practical delivery and help ensure practitioners are meaningfully prepared to apply inclusive principles in everyday early years settings.

🤝 2. Introduce Supervised Practical Inclusion Experience

Understanding inclusion through legislation, theoretical learning and professional guidance is important. However, supervised practical experience can provide valuable opportunities for practitioners to develop confidence, apply their knowledge and understand how individual needs may present in everyday environments.

Existing early years qualifications already include practical learning and assessment requirements. However, the range and depth of additional-needs experience available to individual trainees may vary depending on their training provider, placement setting and opportunities to work alongside children with different support needs.

The campaign proposes:

A minimum of 1 working shift of supervised, inclusion-focused practical experience, with 12 hours recommended where appropriate or possible, within a suitable specialist or additional-support environment as part of relevant professional qualifications.

For early years trainees, suitable opportunities could include:

• Specialist early years provisions supporting children with additional needs.

• Inclusive nurseries with established SEND support and opportunities for supervised learning.

• Specialist education settings supporting younger children.

• Appropriate early intervention or additional-support services offering relevant practical experience.

The intention is not simply to increase placement hours, but to provide structured opportunities to observe, understand, reflect upon and appropriately participate in inclusive practice.

Meaningful supervised experience could help trainees develop a greater understanding of:

• Adapting communication to meet individual needs.

• Recognising sensory differences and adjusting environments or activities appropriately.

• Supporting emotional regulation through responsive, individualised approaches.

• Understanding communication and behaviour as potential expressions of unmet needs, distress or difficulty.

• Adapting learning activities and routines to improve accessibility and participation.

• Working collaboratively with families and specialist professionals.

• Recognising individual differences rather than relying on assumptions associated with a diagnosis.

• Reflecting upon professional practice and identifying when additional guidance or support is required.

Placements should provide meaningful learning opportunities, appropriate supervision and reflective practice, rather than simply requiring attendance.

Placement expectations should be proportionate to the qualification level and professional role, with appropriate safeguarding arrangements, supervision and consideration of existing relevant experience.

Where an existing placement already provides suitable, evidenced inclusion-focused experience, this should be recognised without unnecessary duplication.

The proposed 1 working shift minimum and recommended 12-hour period are campaign recommendations, not existing statutory requirements or established evidence-based thresholds. Their suitability and implementation would require further consultation, research and consideration of existing qualification structures.

Our aim is to strengthen practitioners' confidence and practical understanding through supported experience, not simply increase the number of hours required to complete a qualification.

🧩 3. Improve Access to Specialist Support and Practical Resources

Early years practitioners should not be expected to manage complex situations without appropriate guidance, training or professional support.

Although early years settings operate within established frameworks for identifying and supporting additional needs, access to specialist advice, resources and professional development can vary depending on local services, setting circumstances and available support.

The campaign aims to highlight the importance of:

• Accessible specialist advice when additional needs are identified or suspected.

• Practical SEND resources that can be incorporated into everyday learning and care.

• Clear guidance on reasonable adjustments, accessible environments and inclusive approaches.

• Ongoing professional development that reflects developing knowledge and evidence-informed practice.

• Appropriate staffing, time and resources to implement individualised support effectively.

• Effective communication between practitioners, families, SENCOs and relevant specialist professionals.

• Opportunities for practical guidance and reflection when practitioners encounter unfamiliar or complex needs.

The campaign seeks to investigate the challenges practitioners experience when accessing support and identify where improved training, professional guidance and practical resources could make a meaningful difference.

This includes recognising that having knowledge of an inclusive strategy does not automatically mean a practitioner has the time, resources, staffing or specialist support necessary to implement it effectively.

Inclusion should be supported by the wider system, not dependent solely on the determination, experience or personal resources of individual practitioners.

👨‍👩‍👧 4. Strengthen Partnerships Between Practitioners and Families

Parents and carers often have extensive knowledge of their child's individual needs, communication preferences, sensory differences, emotional responses and everyday experiences.

This knowledge is invaluable and should be listened to, respected and incorporated into individual support planning.

However, there is an important distinction between families sharing their knowledge of their individual child and families being expected to provide the professional education practitioners need to fulfil their responsibilities.

Parents and carers should not routinely be placed in a position where they must explain the fundamentals of neurodivergence, SEND or inclusive practice because appropriate professional preparation or guidance is unavailable.

Equally, practitioners should have access to the knowledge, training and resources necessary to understand and respond appropriately to the information families provide.

Our campaign promotes genuine collaboration, where families contribute their understanding of their child and practitioners bring appropriate professional knowledge, training and resources.

Effective partnerships should involve:

• Listening to parents and carers and recognising their knowledge of their child.

• Respecting individual differences and avoiding assumptions based solely on diagnoses or labels.

• Sharing information appropriately, with consideration for confidentiality and data protection.

• Working together to identify reasonable adjustments and practical support strategies.

• Recognising professional responsibilities while valuing family contributions.

• Maintaining open, respectful communication, particularly when challenges arise.

• Reviewing support collaboratively as children's needs and circumstances develop.

The aim is to build trust, consistency and shared understanding, supporting appropriate and coordinated approaches between home and the early years setting.

Families and professionals should work together as partners, with neither expected to compensate for gaps in the wider support system.

🌱 5. Promote Early Recognition and Support Without Unnecessary Barriers

Children develop at different rates, and additional needs may become apparent gradually.

Some children may have an established diagnosis, while others may be awaiting assessment or experiencing difficulties that have not yet been formally identified.

A child's access to appropriate support should not depend solely on having a diagnosis.

Within England's existing SEND framework, early years settings have responsibilities relating to the identification of special educational needs and the provision of appropriate support.

Similarly, duties to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 are not universally dependent upon a formal medical diagnosis. Whether those duties apply depends on the relevant legal criteria and individual circumstances.

However, access to certain specialist services, assessments or funding arrangements may involve additional eligibility requirements.

The campaign seeks to encourage:

• Early recognition of emerging developmental and support needs.

• Responsive adjustments based on observed difficulties and individual circumstances.

• Appropriate communication with families.

• Timely access to specialist advice and assessment pathways.

• Supportive environments that recognise different developmental journeys.

• Greater understanding of hidden needs, including difficulties that may not be immediately apparent.

• Proportionate, needs-led responses that do not unnecessarily delay everyday support.

We also recognise that some children may communicate distress or difficulty through changes in behaviour, withdrawal, avoidance, emotional responses or differences in participation.

Practitioners should be supported to consider what these responses may communicate, rather than relying solely on behavioural expectations or assumptions.

Early years inclusion should focus on understanding the child and responding to their needs, rather than waiting for difficulties to escalate.

Recognising a child's needs and providing appropriate everyday adjustments should not automatically require a diagnostic label.

💜 6. Support the Wellbeing and Confidence of Early Years Professionals

Inclusive practice relies on practitioners who feel valued, informed, supported and equipped to carry out their responsibilities.

When practitioners lack appropriate training, resources or specialist support, this can contribute to stress, uncertainty and reduced professional confidence.

Supporting children with additional needs can involve adapting communication, modifying activities, supporting emotional regulation, responding to sensory differences and working collaboratively with families and other professionals.

These responsibilities may require additional planning, specialist knowledge, professional reflection and access to appropriate resources.

The campaign aims to promote:

• Realistic expectations of practitioners and their professional responsibilities.

• Accessible continuing professional development that includes practical approaches to inclusion.

• Opportunities for supervision, reflection and professional discussion.

• Greater recognition of the complexity of inclusive early years practice.

• Supportive workplace cultures where asking for guidance is encouraged.

• Clearer access to specialist advice when practitioners encounter unfamiliar or complex needs.

• Recognition of the time and resources required to implement meaningful individualised support.

• Professional confidence developed through training, experience and ongoing guidance, rather than reliance on individual trial and error.

The campaign also recognises that professional wellbeing and children's experiences are interconnected.

Practitioners who feel appropriately prepared and supported may be better positioned to respond confidently, consistently and sensitively to children's individual needs.

Supporting practitioners is an essential part of supporting children.

📊 Listening to Early Years Professionals

Your Experiences Matter

A key part of the Inclusion Needs Infrastructure Campaign is gathering evidence directly from people working within early years settings.

Our Early Years Workforce Survey explores practitioners' experiences of:

• Initial qualification training, including the balance between theoretical learning and practical preparation.

• Opportunities to develop practical experience supporting children with additional needs.

• Confidence in applying inclusive approaches within everyday early years environments.

• Accessing specialist advice, guidance and practical resources.

• Working collaboratively with parents and carers.

• Identifying potential gaps in professional education, assessment and supervised experience.

• Understanding what improvements could help practitioners feel more confident and supported.

The survey is not intended to criticise individual practitioners, employers, training providers or settings.

Its purpose is to understand the experiences of professionals and investigate whether there are areas where existing training, practical preparation, resources and professional support could be strengthened.

We recognise that experiences will vary. Some practitioners may feel well prepared by their qualifications and placements, while others may identify challenges or areas where additional preparation would have been beneficial.

Both positive experiences and reported difficulties are valuable to the campaign's evidence gathering.

Participation is voluntary, and responses will be reviewed to identify common experiences, challenges and areas for improvement.

The findings will help inform the campaign's future recommendations and proposals.

Survey findings will be presented in an aggregated form, without identifying individual respondents.

As participation is voluntary, the findings will reflect the experiences of those who choose to respond and will not necessarily represent the entire early years workforce.

Nevertheless, these experiences can provide valuable insight into the challenges practitioners encounter and help identify areas requiring further investigation.

💜Early Years — Supporting Children With Additional Needs – Fill in form

Your experiences can help highlight where professional education, practical preparation, resources and support could be strengthened.

🌈 What Do We Hope to Achieve?

Through professional engagement, evidence gathering and constructive advocacy, we hope to contribute towards:

🎓 Better-Prepared Practitioners

Professionals entering the early years workforce with a stronger understanding of individual differences, additional needs and inclusive practice, supported by meaningful opportunities to apply their knowledge.

We want practitioners to feel more confident in recognising support needs, adapting their approaches and responding appropriately to children with different abilities and developmental experiences.

🤝 More Consistent Practical Inclusion Experience

Greater opportunities for trainees to develop supervised, meaningful experience supporting children with additional needs, building upon existing practical qualification requirements.

We want to explore how structured inclusion-focused experiences could help practitioners develop confidence, reflect upon their learning and apply inclusive approaches in everyday settings.

🧩 More Accessible Professional Support

Settings and practitioners having clearer routes to specialist guidance, practical resources and ongoing professional education.

Support should be accessible, relevant and practical, helping professionals apply inclusive approaches within everyday early years environments.

👨‍👩‍👧 Stronger Partnerships With Families

Parents and carers feeling listened to, respected and involved, without being expected to compensate for gaps in professional training.

Families should be recognised as important partners in understanding their child's individual needs, while practitioners remain supported in fulfilling their professional responsibilities.

🌱 Earlier and More Responsive Support

Children receiving appropriate adjustments based on their individual needs, including before a formal diagnosis is established.

We want to encourage responsive, needs-led approaches that recognise emerging difficulties and provide support without unnecessary delays.

🌈 More Inclusive Early Years Environments

Settings where children with visible and hidden needs can participate, learn, communicate and develop a genuine sense of belonging.

Inclusive environments should recognise that children experience the world differently and may require adjustments to communication, activities, routines, sensory environments and expectations.

💜 Greater Confidence and Wellbeing for Practitioners

Early years professionals feeling supported, valued and appropriately prepared for the responsibilities involved in inclusive practice.

We want to encourage working environments where practitioners can seek guidance, develop their knowledge and access the resources necessary to support children effectively.

🤝 Long-Term Improvements to Professional Education

Evidence-informed proposals that encourage training providers, awarding organisations, professional bodies and relevant policymakers to strengthen inclusion education and practical experience.

The campaign aims to contribute to constructive discussions about how existing qualification requirements can be developed to better reflect the diversity of needs encountered within early years settings.

Our objective is not to suggest that existing qualifications provide no practical inclusion education, but to investigate whether current expectations and opportunities consistently provide the preparation practitioners need.

💜 Our Message

Inclusion begins with understanding, but understanding requires education, experience and support.

Every child deserves the opportunity to feel safe, valued, understood and included.

Every early years practitioner deserves the knowledge, training, resources and professional support necessary to help make that possible.

Our campaign recognises that meaningful inclusion requires more than individual goodwill. It depends on effective professional education, accessible resources, appropriate support systems and genuine collaboration between practitioners, families and specialist services.

We want to contribute towards an early years sector where children's individual needs are recognised, practitioners feel prepared and families can have confidence in the support available.

A qualification should demonstrate not only that a practitioner understands the principles of inclusion, but that they have been meaningfully prepared to apply those principles in practice.

Because meaningful inclusion shouldn't depend on luck, individual experience or whether someone happens to know the right person to ask.

Inclusion Needs Infrastructure

Visible Needs. Hidden Needs. Lifelong Inclusion.