Inclusion is the ideal, but what is the reality? Early years practitioners perceptions of the access and inclusion model in preschools in Ireland

The establishment of educational policies both nationally and internationally has led to an increased awareness of inclusion for children with special educational needs. In Ireland, the development of the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) in 2016 is a government initiative to introduce a comprehensive support system for the early years sector. This paper will explore inclusive education, specifically children with additional needs, in preschool under the Access and Inclusion Model ¹ introduced in 2016 in Ireland, from the perspective of early years practitioners. Data is collected using an online survey completed by 194 early years practitioners who have experience working with AIM. The researcher uses thematic analysis to categorise repeated patterns that emerge from the responses. Findings from this study concluded that AIM is working effectively in supporting preschools to strive for an inclusive environment under 7 Levels of support available. However, some barriers remain in achieving inclusion for all children in mainstream preschool in Ireland.