KAREN BOARDMAN, HEAD OF EARLY YEARS EDUCATION, EDGE HILL UNIVERSITY, UK
MARIA RERAKI, SENIOR LECTURER EARLY YEARS EDUCATION, EDGE HILL UNIVERSITY, UK
LISA DORRITY, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION, SIL-LTD, UK
JANETTE DUFF, EARLY YEARS EDUCATION PARTNER, SIL-LTD, UK
This perspective article outlines the main findings from an evaluative stakeholder study of a new Early Years SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) advocacy training programme developed by SIL-Ltd (SIL). SIL offered this new training programme for Early Years professionals to be trained as an Early Years SEND Advocate (EYSA), to support the work of the special educational needs coordinator (SENDCo) in the setting. The EYSA SIL training programme was introduced in response to growing local and national challenges. SENDCos reported that they were experiencing increasingly heavy workloads, while schools reported a rise in the number of children presenting with individual complex SEND needs. In addition, these pressures were compounded by concerns around time, workforce and staff wellbeing. To address these issues, the EYSA programme was developed and launched in January 2024, offering 20 places to local schools for each cohort – all of which were quickly filled via headteacher emails.
The EYSA training offers professionals theoretical and practical aspects of SEND support across six fortnightly sessions, while further developing the skills, knowledge and understanding of SEND in Early Years. The training aims to support professionals to know and understand more about supporting children with SEND. As an EYSA, professionals can then work closely with the school’s SENDCo to support the early identification of individual need and to offer tailored and/or graduated support to children and their families. The SIL training aims are:
- to gain an understanding of the principles, statutory guidance and legislation underpinning practice for children with SEND in an Early Years setting
- to understand how participants can support and assist the school SENDCo, including supporting staff and working with families across Early Years education to understand the school’s vision for SEND
- to understand early identification and action for children with SEND.
The primary aim of this article is to offer a strong case for SEND advocacy as inclusive and relational pedagogy, while accepting the structural constraints of funding and policy pressures sitting alongside this advocacy work. Here, we argue that advocacy can be an innovative pedagogical stance through:
- reconfiguring system roles (EYSA working alongside SENDCo)
- understanding the lived experiences of families within communities and services (DfEDepartment for Education - a ministerial department responsible for children’s services and education in England, 2026)
- foregrounding agency, compassion and partnership.
SEND policy
SEND in the UK refers to children and young people requiring additional educational support due to learning difficulties or disabilities. The principal statutory guidance is the SEND Code of Practice (DfE, 2015), which delineates four overarching categories of need:
- communication and interaction: encompassing speech, language and communication disorders
- cognition and learning: including moderate/severe learning difficulties and specific learning disorders such as dyslexia
- social, emotional and mental health: often associated with underlying mental health conditions manifesting in behavioural challenges
- sensory and/or physical needs: impairments that restrict access to educational environments.
Although these classifications provide a framework for assessment and intervention, they are not discrete and often fail to capture the heterogeneity of SEND (Squires, 2025). Current identification practices remain predominantly deficit-oriented, emphasising ‘within-child’ factors while often neglecting key environmental influences. Historically, policy developments such as the Warnock Report (1978) and the Education Act of 1981 advocated an interactionist perspective, conceptualising disability as the product of a dynamic interplay between individual and contextual factors (Frederickson and Cline, 2009). For example, when exploring the reasons behind the delays in a child’s language development patterns, information should be collected on the language input that the child receives, as well as their characteristics. As such, the prescriptive nature of the SEND Code of Practice (DfE, 2015), which defines SEND primarily in terms of significant learning difficulties relative to age, coupled with limited practical guidance, creates systemic challenges for practitioners. Mainstream educators, often the first to observe atypical learning, face constraints in conducting comprehensive assessments without multi-agency collaboration (EEF, 2020).
SEND advocacy
SEND advocacy focuses on special educational needs and disabilities law, policy and practice. Advocacy refers to a specific type of communication and action, designed to influence the educational rights of children and their families. Therefore, SEND advocacy in Early Years education is a critical component of inclusive education, given that it is not just perceived to be a pedagogical choice but is a human right, where families and young children are included. The OfstedThe Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills – a non-ministerial department responsible for inspecting and regulating services that care for children and young people, and services providing education and skills (2021) report on the experiences of children with SEND in mainstream schools noted that, in addition to the support offered by the SENDCos, the multi-agency offer should also include the use of SEND advocates (for example, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service – SENDIASS) to support children who learn differently and who require additional support in order to access and/or progress in education (Ofsted, 2021). Often, very young children with SEND face additional barriers to advocacy, such as communication difficulties or assumptions about their capacity (EEF, 2025).
Advocating for SEND means that SEND support and inclusionAn approach where a school aims to ensure that all children are educated together, with support for those who require it to access the full curriculum and contribute to and participate in all aspects of school life is not seen just as a pedagogical choice but as a human right, where all children with SEND and their families are involved at every point consistently (Cumming et al., 2024). Advocacy encourages professionals to listen, respect and act. SEND advocacy in the Early Years is a critical component of inclusive education. It is essential for ensuring equitable access to quality early childhood education and care, to support the needs, rights and voices of all children and families with SEND. We already know that research consistently highlights that early intervention can significantly improve outcomes for children with developmental challenges (EEF, 2025). Here, advocacy in this context refers not only to speaking on behalf of children and their families but also to fostering inclusive practices, challenging barriers and supporting policy implementation to uphold children’s rights under frameworks such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN, 1989). For advocacy to be effective, professionals need to be able to identify and support the diverse needs of children and their families, so that they can be fully included in learning and social environments.
The role of the Early Years practitioner in SEND advocacy
Early Years practitioners are key advocates in identifying individual children’s needs early and tailoring provision accordingly. The importance of early identification is well documented within research and evidence-informed practice, where developmental screening and responsive pedagogy can mitigate long-term disadvantages. Practitioners are also crucial in shaping inclusive environments that recognise neurodiversity and reduce stigma. According to Yates et al. (2015), effective practitioners mediate between children, families and support services to ensure coordinated and child-centred support. Moreover, working in partnership with families is essential for effective advocacy. Parental involvement in early intervention has been shown to enhance both academic and social-emotional outcomes for children with SEND. However, families often report feeling disempowered within formal settings, particularly during the education, health and care planning process. Effective SEND advocacy in Early Years requires a robust understanding of child development, inclusive pedagogy and the ability to navigate multi-agency systems. It is grounded in relational practice, research-informed strategies and a commitment to equity and children’s rights. To enhance advocacy, practitioners understand that they need ongoing professional development, institutional guidance, support and opportunities to engage in high-quality reflective and collaborative training and practice, such as this SIL Early Years SEND advocacy programme.
SEND advocacy training – the evaluative study
The study and findings
The findings from this stakeholder evaluative study of two cohorts of EYSA (34 participants across 33 schools) highlight the benefits of developing a more compassionate relationship with children and their families: children feeling more secure, understood and included in their settings. The evaluation design involved interviews with participants, the SIL training team, settings and a sample of parents/families.
Reported impacts on practice
Participants listed a range of benefits of the EYSA training on practice, such as:
- further adaptations to the curriculum – reduced timetables, adapted routines, etc.
- changes to transition policies and approaches
- implementation of nursery visits to support effective transition arrangements
- professional recognition and progression
- introduction and implementation of zones of regulation lanyards – positive impact on language and feelings
- implementation of bucket therapy
- opportunity to lead parent and family information sessions
- improved whole-setting SEND provision, consistency and approach.
Reported challenges
Findings also demonstrated some challenges experienced by delegates in their schools. These included the following:
- There was a lack of time or resources to do the best for the children in their settings
- The training was developed in recognition of the increased level of need in Early Years settings and the different pressures that this subsequently places on the staff team; with this in mind, stakeholders raised challenges ‘that SENDCos in schools were not able to support as much in Early Years as in the rest of the school’
- Supporting parents and families with understanding the terminology of the SEND process was a challenge and could also sometimes make advocacy feel overwhelming
- There was difficulty in unpicking the cultural and/or language barriers needed to support children and their families.
Headteachers noted the challenge of teacher release cover, recognising the justification within an ongoing impact of the programme in their schools.
Implications and future directions
This study offers suggestions for an expanded use of SEND advocacy training to enhance inclusion for children with SEND and their families. Key takeaways highlight the value of engaging in a sustained professional learning programme, with the six full training days providing essential time for deep reflection on existing practice, alongside thoughtful consideration of how new learning can be effectively implemented to support children with SEND. Stakeholders appreciated opportunities for rich professional dialogue, sharing good practice and collaboratively exploring strategies that could be taken back into their own settings to enhance provision and staff confidence. This training also offered important insights into locally available services and support pathways, enabling better signposting and advocacy for families, while strengthening connections between settings and wider community support networks.
Settings can begin to adopt SEND advocacy core principles by:
- prioritising strong, compassionate relationships with families
- focusing on a moral and rights-based stance on inclusion
- creating regular opportunities for staff reflection
- making flexible curriculum adaptations
- strengthening inclusive transition processes
- developing clear, accessible communication about children’s needs
- building links with local services to share strategies
- emulating the key elements of advocacy to strengthen inclusive support in settings.
While challenges persist – such as limited staffing capacity, variable SENDCo availability and the need for accessible, culturally responsive communication with families – these issues do not diminish the programme’s clear positive impact. How families are supported, given the 2026 reforms to a family-first SEND system focused on early community-based support (DfE, 2026), is paramount within advocacy.
The SIL team are delighted by the positive impact of the training on delegates, which is now evident within schools, families and individual children. The EYSA programme is fostering inclusive cultures where every child can thrive and feel a true sense of belonging.
