More than a fifth of trainees on a government-funded early years special educational needs programme dropped out, according to an evaluation.

The evaluation, undertaken by consultancy Ecorys UK, found that while 7,064 trainees registered for the Early Years Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) Training Programme over two years, 22 per cent went on to drop out.

The training was part of the Department for Education’s Early Years Education Recovery funding, a £180m package of support to help the early years sector recover from the pandemic. The fully-funded training, delivered by Best Practice Network (BPN)  from August 2022 to August 2024, comprised a four-month online course, delivered through a mix of group sessions, mentoring, self-guided study, online enrichment, and an assessment.

A third of those who dropped out of the programme cited capacity or time challenges as the reason. The researchers found that the main challenge was the amount of work to complete in four months, which some trainees found demanding, particularly those that were unable to complete it during working hours.

The report found there was mixed engagement from local authorities which may have affected take up and support in different regions.

In the post-training survey, almost all (95%) practitioners stated that the course content was either “excellent” or “good”. Trainees who completed the programme reported feeling motivated and equipped to improve Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) monitoring processes, cascade learning to and improve capacity of staff in the setting.

Sian Marsh, director of early years and ITT at BPN, said: “Best Practice Network shares the Department for Education’s focus on the early years workforce and SEND and this programme is a valuable opportunity for us to work closely together to successfully deliver what is a vital element of the government’s Education Recovery Programme.”

She added: “The evaluation report shows that the programme has been a great success so far. It points out that SENCOs say the programme has created “significant positive change” in their knowledge, skills and confidence. 

“The report also states that trainees felt motivated and equipped to improve SEND monitoring processes, share their learning and improve the capacity of staff in their settings.

“We carefully monitored drop-out rates throughout the programme and found that many participants left the programme early because of staffing challenges in their settings. Several others weren’t able to complete their course due to personal issues.

“While the report states that almost all trainees who completed the training programme rated it as engaging, interesting and time well spent, any drop-out is a concern so we have continued to refine the programme with the aim of reducing drop-outs, including extending it from four to six months.”