Early identification of special educational needs and the definition of ‘at risk’: The Early Years Transition and Special Educational Needs (EYTSEN) Project

Abstract

Education in the early years is a key element in the Government's current strategy. Recently, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) funded a major study of Effective Provision of Pre‐School Education (EPPE). The Early Years Transition and Special Educational Needs (EYTSEN) Project developed from the EPPE research and was also funded by the DfES. The authors of this article, Brenda Taggart, Pam Sammons, Rebecca Smees, Kathy Sylva, Edward Melhuish, Iram Siraj‐Blatchford, Karen Elliott and Ingrid Lunt, all worked on the EYTSEN Project, based at the Institute of Education, University of London. In this article, they provide a summary of the findings from the EYTSEN Project, reviewing the impact of pre‐school provision on children said to be ‘at risk’ of developing special educational needs. They suggest that pre‐school experience has a positive impact on cognitive attainment and social or behavioural development and that integrated centres (where education and care are fully combined) and nursery schools have the most positive influence among the different f o rms of pre‐school provision. This paper also discusses the identification of special educational needs; quality in pre‐school centres; parents' perspectives; and future developments. The article closes with a call for improved training for practitioners working in early years settings.