College teachers will be expected to complete special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) training as part of government reforms, the Department for Education has announced.
Ministers have committed £200 million, to be spent over the course of this Parliament, on a new national programme of training courses and materials for staff in early years, schools and colleges to be rolled out from next year.
But the department stopped short of fully committing to teachers of learners and apprentices at independent training providers having access to the scheme.
An “expectation” will be written into the SEND code of practice, statutory guidance covering local authorities, schools, colleges and early years providers, which will “make sure every teacher nationwide is reached”.
The DfE said the training offer would include flexible online self-study and live, in-person sessions, alongside high-quality training materials developed with experts to support in-house SEND and inclusion training. The package also includes plans to invest in training for teaching assistants, developed in collaboration with the sector.
Skills minister Jacqui Smith told FE Week: “I saw the dedication of further education teachers myself when I visited Heart of Worcestershire college group.
“Their highly trained staff offer brilliant, specialised support so that young people with special needs and disabilities no longer have to travel for miles to access the excellent education that they deserve.
“Every young person deserves the same experience, which is why today we’re announcing the largest and most ambitious ever package of teacher training, from early years to colleges, to make sure every teacher, leader and member of support staff has the skills they need.
“Everyone working in education will know how to adapt to the needs of their students, make the most of technologies like speech-to-text dictation tools, and create inclusive environments in every college.”
In response to questions from FE Week, the department said it anticipated the courses and training materials would be available to ITPs and apprenticeship providers, but added that further detail on eligibility and application processes would be published “in due course”.
It said teachers and leaders working for ITPs and apprenticeship providers can already access SEND-specific training through the existing universal SEND service offer.
The announcement comes weeks ahead of a schools white paper which is expected to set out wide-ranging reforms to improve the performance and financial sustainability of the SEND system.
Officials said training for teachers on SEND and inclusion had been “inconsistent” and was concentrated around initial teacher education and leadership development instead of being available throughout a teacher’s career.
College leaders welcomed the programme.
David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, said: “Colleges are highly inclusive and this substantial investment should help them to build on the brilliant work that they do.
“The timescale is realistic, and will allow the DfE to engage with colleges to make sure the training offer fits the distinct needs of college students, and the lecturers and support staff who work with them.”
Bill Watkin, chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said: “Sixth form colleges welcome the government’s recognition of the need for additional support and funding to address the increasing number of young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
“College teachers play a vital role in meeting the diverse needs of SEND students, and they will benefit from the government’s commitment to this agenda in developing both capacity and expertise.”
Your thoughts