(England) Questions over training all teachers in special education
When the government set out its major reforms for pupils with special education needs and disabilities, one of its key pledges was for new SEND and inclusion training to be delivered to all teachers.
This week the sector has been getting to grips with the first set of introductory training materials that have been produced for the government.
The training aims to support the Department for Education’s aim of ensuring that mainstream schools become more inclusive for pupils with SEND.
The first set of materials, which has been developed by Ambition Institute and is optional for schools, includes an introduction to the government’s SEND reforms, an introduction to inclusive teaching and “a deeper dive into speech, language and communication development”.
But how has the sector responded?
There have been concerns in schools about the scope of what has been published so far, the timing and specifically about the contents of the training for speech, language and communication development.
But the materials have also been praised for reinforcing the message that every teacher is responsible for every pupil in their class, and for providing distinctions between universal approaches, adaptations and additional support.
Reaction to SEND training materials for teachers
‘Glaring omission’ on speech, language and communication
Neil Maslen, education director at the charity Speech and Language UK, has raised a number of concerns about the deep dive materials on speech, language and communication.
He said: “SEND reform is totally dependent on the quality of the implementation of the positive ideas set out by the government like Experts at Hand, inclusion bases and teacher training. These materials are far from a reassuring start on this journey.
“Many teachers will be disappointed that these training materials aren’t giving them practical strategies that they can actually use to improve children’s outcomes, which is what we all want to see.”
He also warned of a “glaring omission”, with the materials failing to mention developmental language disorder (DLD) in the published slide packs.
Mr Maslen added: “SEND reform cannot be successful without a major initiative to improve knowledge of DLD.”. . .
She said that it reinforces the idea that every teacher is responsible for every pupil in their classroom.
“While this is not a new principle, the materials represent a more explicit attempt to embed inclusive practice within everyday teaching, rather than treating it as a statutory expectation led primarily by the Sendco,” said Ms Waring. . . .
“One message has come through consistently: settings are starting from very different places, so the materials need to be accessible, practical and adaptable to different contexts. Now the first set of materials is out, we encourage people to get in touch, share their views and help us shape the next set due later in the academic year.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We are proud to have kickstarted the most comprehensive teacher training offer in a generation, backed by £200 million [$265M] and developed with the sector to help put inclusion at the heart of settings across the country.
“We have been clear that this is the first step as part of a wider offer, with more materials to launch next year ahead of training courses in the autumn, and we’ll continue to work with the sector to make sure the support is practical, useful and works for the staff using it.”
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