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The Department for Education (DfE) published its white paper, ‘Every child achieving and thriving’, on 23 February 2026, setting out the government’s plans for education and early support across childhood.
What ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving Means for Early Years
The Department for Education’s white paper sets out a “whole childhood” direction of travel, not just what happens “within the school gates”. It explicitly places early years at the start of that improvement journey:
“Our ambition for high-quality education therefore starts in the early years, where the foundations of future success are laid.”
For early years settings, the message is that high-quality practice, early identification and joined-up support sit at the heart of the agenda. This points to increased demand for practical, evidence-informed CPD that equips teams to embed inclusive practice in everyday provision with confidence and consistency.
A Stronger Inclusion Agenda, Backed by Funding
A key commitment is the Inclusive Mainstream Fund, described as “£1.6 billion over 3 years” to support “inclusive mainstream education” so that needs are:
“Identified early and met consistently. Alongside funding, the paper also points to firmer expectations around how settings evidence and track support. It proposes “a statutory duty on nurseries, schools and colleges to record and monitor SEN and provision” through an “Individual Support Plan (ISP).”
In practice, that suggests a shift towards more consistent documentation, review cycles, and clarity about what support is being provided day-to-day, which will likely drive training needs around assess–plan–do–review, adaptive teaching, and high-quality record keeping.
As a specialist early years training provider, we recognise the demands and pressures on the hardworking teams in the industry and that’s why we teamed up with the National College to offer hundreds of CPD courses to meet the growing demand to practitioners. Learn More
Earlier Send Support Through Best Start Family Hubs
The white paper also reinforces earlier, more joined-up family support through Best Start Family Hubs. It states:
“We will go further by ensuring every Best Start family hub has a dedicated SEND practitioner, backed by over £200 million in investment over 3 years.”
The intended purpose is practical, preventative support and better coordination: “identify emerging needs sooner” and strengthen “join-up between early years settings, health visitors and SEND teams.”
For early years providers specifically, the paper adds:
“We will provide additional funding from our new Inclusive Early Years Fund to early years providers to identify and respond where children have emerging additional needs.”
This is a direct acknowledgement of the current reality that some settings feel under-equipped, and it implies a growing expectation that inclusive practice is built into everyday provision, not reserved for specialist input.
Transition Into Reception, a More Structured Collaboration
The paper also describes funded partnerships that enable staff in “schools and early years settings” to work together:
“Spend time learning from each other and sharing knowledge, expertise and best practice,” including shared systems for early identification and consistent curriculum and instructional approaches across teams.”
Key Takeaways for Early Years Settings
- Early years is positioned as where “foundations” are laid, expect growing focus on quality and early intervention.
- Inclusion is being funded at scale: £1.6 billion over three years for schools, colleges and early years settings.
- A likely step-change in SEND documentation: proposed statutory duty to record/monitor support via Individual Support Plan (ISPs.)
- Earlier identification will be strengthened through hubs: dedicated SEND practitioners backed by £200 million in investment over 3 years.
- Early years-specific inclusion funding is confirmed via the Inclusive Early Years Fund.
