Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the example of Daniella on page 40 of the SEND review he presented to Parliament on 29 March 2022 (CP 624); how many children aged four are educated at a nursery; what proportion of four year olds in England are so educated; what proportion of four year olds does he estimate to have special educational needs or disabilities (SEND); what number of four year olds have been assessed to have SEND; how many four years olds have an Education and Health Care Plan, and what proportion of the total population of four year olds in England does that constitute; and how much has been spent in each of the last 12 financial years by the Government on SEND specific CPD for nursery staff.

There were 10,778 pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan aged five or under and in attendance at a special school in January 2021. This constitutes 2.5% of all EHC plans in January 2021.

There were 11,662 pupils aged five or under attending a special school in January 2021. 34% of children aged five or under with an EHC plan were attending a special school in January 2021.

The figures above are derived from data published in the Special Educational Needs in England publication, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/ef0839de-baad-422d-86a5-e25ea50cd63b.

A table is attached providing the number of four-year-olds by provider type and the proportion of four-year-old children registered at each provider type.

The number and percentage of pupils receiving funded early education who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) for three and four-year-olds combined are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/18857e7f-46db-4c02-af16-939bd652c6e0.

The total number of four-year-olds with an EHC plan specifically is not available. The number of children aged 0-4 with an EHC plan was 16,536. This includes all children with an EHC plan, whether attending a school or not.

The amount spent in each of the last 12 financial years by the government on SEND-specific continuous professional development for nursery staff is not held by the department.