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Inclusion

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Our commitment

The Alliance is committed to the effective inclusion of all young children into early years provision.

We provide a comprehensive package of support for early years settings including:

For more information about the services the Alliance provide, please contact Nicky Gibson (Inclusion Manager) on 020 7697 2557 or by email

Defining inclusion

The Early Childhood Forum (a coalition of 48 professional associations, voluntary organisations and interest groups working in the early childhood sector) defines inclusion as:

“a process of identifying, understanding and breaking down barriers to participation and belonging.”

The word ‘inclusion’ is commonly used to describe the integration of disabled adults into society and disabled children into education. However, it is now starting to be used in a wider sense to cover all children. Groups that suffer discrimination and disadvantage also traditionally make the least use of family services so it is particularly important that we work hard to include children and families from these groups.

An inclusive society is one in which every person is fully accepted, respected and valued. The colour of their skin, their gender group, religion or belief, disability, social status or any other factor should not affect the way each person is valued. However, the reality is that many people in the UK are still prejudged on these or other differences rather than on their individual qualities as a person.

Early years provision

We need to ensure that our thinking and practice contribute to an environment where all children, staff, visitors, volunteers, parents and carers feel equally valued and included, as well as ensuring that through our beliefs, actions, policies, procedures and practices no-one is discriminated against.

It would be incorrect to suggest that we all start from an equal footing in life and have the same chances to access life’s opportunities. Prejudiced attitudes and discriminatory behaviour arise out of, and reinforce, these inequalities. Our actions, reactions and what we say or do not say have a strong influence on children’s learning and development. Putting equality and inclusion at the heart of early years practice will ensure that everyone is equally valued and respected for who they are. The children we care for can grow up free from prejudice and discrimination and learn not to be prejudiced or discriminatory themselves.

Working towards equality and inclusion is a process. It involves examining our own attitudes, behaviours and practices, as well as creating a vision and strategy so that we can develop inclusive practice in our settings.

The Pre-school Learning Alliance recognises the importance of having a ‘whole team approach’ to inclusion. It’s also important to have a named and appropriately experienced individual who supports the rest of the team in identifying and addressing general equality issues, such as an Equality Named Coordinator (ENCO) or the more specific role of the Special Educational Coordinator (SENCO). Settings need to work towards creating an environment where children, staff and volunteers feel secure, happy and valued and where parents and other family members are welcomed and encouraged to get involved in their child’s learning and development.

Early years settings which have no minority ethnic or disabled children may feel that they do not have to consider inclusion. However, children in any setting are part of a wider society, so preparing them for a future where these issues are likely to impact on their lives is important. Settings with children from minority ethnic communities are perhaps more likely to take into account at least some of these issues. Whatever backgrounds the children and families using the setting come from, or wherever the setting is located, the principle of inclusion is the same, although the practices may vary.

A common (and often unrecognised) form of exclusion within the sector is that of men working in childcare roles and the involvement of fathers in early years settings. More information on the Alliance’s work on the involvement of fathers into early years setting is available further down the page.

We live in a society made up of people from a range of backgrounds, cultures, experiences and knowledge. It is important that all our children learn to value this diversity and combat inequality, even if such diversity and inequality do not appear to be present in their current environment.

Formulating an Equalities Action Plan in an early years setting

The Alliance recommends that all settings have an Equalities Action Plan. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) suggests that settings implement a Race Equalities Action Plan, but we believe this should be extended to also include disabilities and gender.

Effectiveness in the inclusion of many different excluded groups has remained patchy, despite many early years settings having an Equal Opportunities Policy or an Equality and Diversity Policy. An Equalities Action Plan should therefore be used to focus on the actions that a setting needs to take in order to implement the longer term vision of the Equal Opportunities or Equality and Diversity Policy.

Equalities legislation now requires public bodies to produce schemes showing how they are actively promoting equality and removing discrimination in relation to race, disability and gender in their area of work. This requirement also covers certain private or voluntary sector bodies when they are carrying out public functions on behalf of the state. This means that some early years settings (such as children’s centres) will need to ensure that they are covered by an Equalities Plan. Contact your local authority for further information.

The Equalities Action Plan can take the form of three separate plans (disability, gender, race) or a single plan which addresses each of the three areas. So a plan might include:

A monitoring mechanism

As part of the scheme or plan staff need to monitor the setting’s performance in relation to inclusion. For example:

It is good practice to allocate responsibility for each task. You could also involve parents and carers to create a real sense of ownership. Your setting may have an individual who is responsible for ensuring that equality and inclusion are addressed by the setting (ENCO). Remember, though, that as well as having an ‘equalities champion’ it is important that there is a ‘whole team approach’ to addressing equality and inclusion with all staff – including management – committed to it.

For further information please see the following publications:

Supporting transfer to a new placement

In 2005 the Alliance investigated the effectiveness of the transfer of children with additional needs into school. The findings from this project revealed that staff at both early years settings and primary schools thought that the transitional process was ineffective. Both sectors reported the need for additional information to be forwarded from the early years setting to the new placement during the child's last term. It was felt that this key information would ease the transfer for the child and help the new school meet their needs more appropriately.

In response to the project's findings, the Alliance has produced a transfer document which can be used for pre-school children with additional needs (this also includes children with English language needs). The document allows for easy and clear recording of key information to effectively communicate the needs of each child to the new placement. The form should be completed in conjunction with current and future early years guidance on transferring documents.

The Alliance has also produced a leaflet for parents to explain how to help their children with special educational needs transfer to a new setting or school.

Rights and legislation

Over the last thirty years there have been many changes to the UK policy and legislative framework on rights and equality. These policies and laws underpin International/European directives and Conventions on equality.

More information is available from our factsheet.

Initiatives supporting the inclusion process

Every Child Matters

Every Child Matters (ECM) sets out five outcomes that matter most to children and young people. The outcomes aim to ensure that children can:

These five outcomes are at the heart of the Children Act (2004). The Act followed the publication of ECM which arose from the death, in February 2000, of Victoria Climbié as the result of severe physical abuse and neglect. In the months leading to her death, Victoria was known to 12 different services (including social services departments, hospitals and child protection teams) but none of them took adequate steps to protect her and they failed to work together to identify the extent of her abuse. The report by Lord Laming (2003) made many recommendations which included:

The overall aim of the report was to protect children more effectively by ensuring that there would be less chance of professionals failing to recognise individual need.

For more information, see www.ecm.gov.uk

Every Disabled Child Matters (EDCM)

EDCM is a campaign by four leading organisations working with disabled children and their families – Contact a Family, Council for Disabled Children (CDC), Mencap and the Special Educational Consortium (SEC). The campaign sets to challenge politicians and policy-makers to make good on the Government’s commitment that every child matters.

EDCM supports and represents thousands of disabled children, young people and families. Through CDC and SEC, the campaign represents hundreds of organisations, professionals, and disabled people working with and for disabled children, young people and their families.

The Alliance is a member of the campaign and offers its support by working in partnership with EDCM and other member organisations in supporting the rights of disabled children to live ordinary lives.

For more information on the campaign go to www.edcm.org.uk

Early Years Foundation Stage

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together Birth to Three Matters, the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage and the National Standards for Under 8s Day Care and Childminding into one comprehensive framework. It comes into force in September 2008.

The EYFS applies to all settings, both those required to register and those that are exempt, such as nursery and reception classes in schools. The EYFS aims to provide an integrated approach to care and education and the framework continues to promote the five outcomes for children as described in Every Child Matters. Underpinning the framework is a play-based approach to an education programme that supports the development and learning of children from birth to five in all early years settings.

The framework also recognises the key influence of parents and families in children’s learning and the importance of working in partnership with parents. Planning for individual children will also ensure the early identification of their particular needs. There is also a strong emphasis on valuing diversity in the local community, including recognising the importance of children’s home languages.

The Early Years Foundation Stage is based around four themes:

Each theme expresses four underpinning ‘principles’. The principle underpinning a unique child is ’Every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured’. Each principle is supported by four ‘commitments’. Inclusive practice is a ‘commitment’ that underpins ‘A unique child’.

The EYFS states that inclusion is important as ‘it promotes a culture of equality of opportunity and high achievement for all children, by encouraging the development of more flexible attitudes, policies and everyday practices. It also promotes community cohesion and integration through understanding and respect for others.‘

For more information about inclusion in the Early Years Foundation Stage, go to www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/eyfs/

Early Support

The Early Support Programme is the central government mechanism for achieving better co-ordinated, family-focused services for young disabled children and their families across England.

Early Support builds on existing good practice and works in partnership with families who use the services, as well as with the many agencies that provide services for young children.

The programme has been developed specifically for children under the age of three. However, in announcing its intention to roll out the programme across the country, the Department for Children, Families and Schools has indicated that the principles of Early Support are applicable to all children under five.

Learn more about Early Support training and the Alliance's involvement

Including fathers in early years settings

Fathers are a group that have often been overlooked (and when we say ‘fathers’ we include all father figures). Historically early years settings, in common with other family services, have worked with women (mothers and other female carers) and children. The Pre-school Learning Alliance has been actively involved in carrying out research and developing effective practice in the important area of involving fathers.

Why work with fathers?

In the last decade there has been a focus on involving fathers, both because of the increasing number of mothers entering the labour force and the evidence that children do better in a whole range of areas – such as academically and socially – when their fathers are actively involved in their upbringing. What seems to be best for children is when both mothers and fathers recognise and value the importance of each others’ roles.

Improving practice

A leaflet has been produced that brings together ideas on effective practice in engaging with fathers. The most effective methods will depend on local factors and which fathers you are targeting. For example, you may wish to target unemployed fathers, fathers working long hours, teenage fathers or fathers living apart from their children. So, what works in one area may not work in another.

A training programme for practitioners called Time for Dads! has also been produced. This programme enables practitioners to address the issues around effectively engaging with fathers and start forming an action plan. For more information, please contact your local divisional office.

Inclusion events can be found on the Events page