‘A Person who Genuinely Wants to Help Makes All the Difference’ – A Case Study Exploring Parent and Practitioner Perspectives of Special Educational Needs Provision within the Early Years Sector. '

This case study research was conducted to explore the experiences and perspectives of parents and practitioners accessing special educational needs provision within the early years sector, specifically within a small preschool in the North Somerset area of the United Kingdom. A convenient and purposive sampling procedure resulted in six participants, three parent and three practitioners, which represented a collective view over the last six years. The data collection method comprised of individual semi-structured interviews for all the participants, and a reflexive thematic analysis of the data revealed four themes including communication, advocacy, language that cares and the impact of government policies and procedures. The results revealed that practitioner participants felt at times overwhelmed with the workload in supporting children with SEN however, they felt the relationships balanced this. For the parent participants it was clear to see that they felt supported by the early years practitioners but under-supported by the government and local authority. The findings will be interesting to both parents and practitioners caring for children with special educational needs.