Electronic Developmental Support Tool (EDST)

Research shows that all children and young people are able to thrive in mainstream education if their needs are adequately supported in a timely manner. However, support is often diagnosis-led, meaning that many children and young people must have a particular cluster of difficulties (e.g., those associated with autism or ADHD), and reach a clinical threshold to receive tailored support within the classroom.

Meanwhile, there are also children who do not currently, and may not ever, meet clinical thresholds, yet still face difficulties in the classroom. These children also need to be adequately supported. We must, therefore, move from a diagnosis-led system to a needs-led system, which will allow for all children to receive the support they need to thrive. In many cases, effective support can be delivered through inclusive, quality first teaching for all, backed up by simple adaptations to common policies.

Importantly, research has demonstrated the ability of early statutory assessments – such as the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) – to identify unmet need (e.g., a child later being identified as having Special Educational Needs). However, the EYFSP was never intended for this purpose.