(UK) Govt provides $63M for preschool support; 10,000 more early childhood places

June 30, 2026, Nursery World - Training Today: Spotlight on SEND training - Nursery World

With the Government set to reform policies on children with special educational needs and disabilities, Karen Faux reports on the SEND training courses meeting rising demand

Upskilling early educators in SEND is no longer an option for the sector. it is fundamental to quality provision. With the number of children with SEND continuing to rise

The scale of the situation was flagged last year in the Department for Education's annual Childcare and early years providers survey, which highlighted that 90 per cent of nursery groups are supporting at least one child with SEND in each of their nurseries.

Now the Government has outlined proposals for reforming SEND and providing more robust support for early years training. The new Inclusive Early Years Fund will provide £47 million [$63M] of additional funding in 2026-27 to support the sector to become more inclusive, and it was asked to respond to the ‘SEND reform: putting children and young people first’ consultation, which will shape the strategy.

Applications are also now open to begin the fully funded Level 3 Early Years SENCO qualification, which is open to L3 educators across all PVI settings.

For Best Practice Network (BPN), which has been awarded the Government contract to roll out the training to a minimum of 9,500 educators, this represents the third phase of the programme, building on its delivery of the training between 2022 and 2026. Meanwhile, training company Realise is rolling out free SENCO training to around 300 nurseries in Lincolnshire. . . .

Special educational needs and disability charity nasen says its courses already align with many of the principles outlined in the proposed Government reforms, which focus on integrating specialist skills into overall best practice. Its courses are delivered by live sessions in-person and online, and it also offers bespoke training and commissioned courses. . . .

Sector feedback is also key for specialist SEND charity Dingley's Promise, with its courses meeting demand for building inclusive environments, how to respond to behaviours that challenge, having difficult conversations with parents, supporting transitions and supporting communication for children with SEND.

Its training programme has grown to offer a suite of ten practical and interactive online courses, and it has trained more than 32,000 educators across England.

Dingley's Promise has been at the forefront of working with Government to ensure that early years is considered in policy as key to child outcomes. CEO Catherine Mole says, ‘The key to the success of our training is that it is built on practice in our centres. We are a part of the early years sector, and we know what works on the ground – not just what the theory is.’ . . .

Dingley's says that according to its learners, its courses have created almost 10,000 more places in early years settings for children with SEND. ‘This is a critical increase at a time when local authorities are struggling to provide sufficient places,’ says Catherine. .