Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much and what proportion of the Teacher Training Core Content Framework includes specific requirements relating to supporting pupils with speech, language and communication needs.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including pupils with speech and language needs.

Courses must incorporate the minimum entitlement set out in the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework. It remains for individual providers to design courses that are appropriate to the needs of trainees and for the subject, phase and age range that the trainees will be teaching.

Ofsted’s recent report on thematic monitoring visits found that, in the majority of the providers visited, the coverage of SEND in Initial Teacher Training is comprehensive and well integrated into programmes in the primary and secondary phases.

We have recently reviewed the content of the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework, adding significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and improving inclusivity for pupils with SEND. We have also committed to a further full review of early career teacher training in 2027, which will include a focus on SEND.

This will complement work to upskill the sector on best practice for effective teaching for all pupils, including those with SEND, such as a review of our suite of national professional qualifications and a £200 million training package to upskill staff in every school, college and nursery.