All teaching staff in England will be eligible for SEND training as part of a £200 million new development package, government has announced.
As the sector awaits the government’s SEND white paper, the Department for Education (DfE) has announced new training courses on teaching pupils with special educational needs and disabilities will be made available “to all teaching staff”.
Announcing the news today, the government committed to investing £200 million in the scheme this Parliament – which runs until summer 2029 – to “upskill all staff in every school, college and nursery”.
The government’s SEND code of practice will also be updated with a new expectation that all staff “in every nursery, school and college” should receive training on SEND and inclusion.
The new training will help teachers “deepen knowledge of how to adapt their teaching to meet a wide range of needs”, says the DfE. It comes as the government strives to increase inclusion in mainstream schools in a bid to tackle the SEND crisis.
This will include adapting teaching for pupils with speech and language needs, and visual impairments.
‘Flexible’ training
The training will also include “building awareness of additional needs amongst all pupils”, and training teachers on how to improve access to education, such as using assistive technology.
It will also “promote practical skills” including “how to work effectively with parents” to boost inclusion.
The “comprehensive” scheme will launch next year, said the DfE. It is not yet clear if this means next academic year, or calendar year.
It will be “delivered flexibly to slot into teachers’ busy schedules”, with both online self-study sessions and live in-person lessons.
The DfE said high-quality training materials developed with experts will also be shared with every school and college, for in-house training.
‘A clear gap in support’
A rapid evidence review commissioned by the DfE suggested in September that teachers can play a key role in early identification of SEND, but that teacher training in this is “limited” and “more evidence-based training programmes are needed to support ongoing professional development”.
In October, an Ofsted review of initial teacher training found SEND training was broadly “comprehensive”, some was “fragmented”, leaving trainees “not as well prepared to teach pupils with SEND”.
But the government says the new training will be aimed more towards experienced teachers and leaders, for whom it will be “a marked shift”.
The DfE said while current training provided through ITT and NPQs focuses on new trainees and those stepping up to leadership, there “is a clear gap in support for those in-post looking to build their skills”.
“The new training courses will help target this gap,” it said.
Announcing the new training scheme, the DfE said: “For too long, training on SEND has been inconsistent, with almost half of primary and secondary teachers saying that more training would help their confidence in supporting pupils with SEND.”
It said the package will help children “feel safe and welcome in school – promoting good attendance, attainment and wellbeing”.
It will also help children receive “the right support early on”.
The DfE says investment in training for teaching assistants will also form part of the package, but provided no further details.
Schools Week has asked the DfE whether this will provided entirely free of charge to schools, but the department has not yet responded.
It is not clear who has devised the training materials that will be delivered to schools, or the training due to be delivered online and in person.
The DfE has been approached by Schools Week for more information.
