Head teacher Ruth Coleman estimates that her Ipswich setting has seen a tripling in SEND and challenging behaviour levels since the pandemic. ‘We’ve seen lots more children come in with either undiagnosed autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or in the process of being diagnosed, or suspected ASD that needs to be investigated.’
Nearly all early years settings have experienced an increase in SEND in the last year – as many as 95 per cent of settings report a rise in rates of additional needs, according to a survey by special educational needs charity Dingley’s Promise.
This finding is supported by Department for Education data, showing that in 2022/3, there were 27,181 children in this category, compared with 23,723 in 2021/2– and this is likely to be an underestimate, as those needs are often not flagged until school.
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