Special Educational Needs: Teachers

(asked on 15th March 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that there are sufficient numbers of specialist teachers to support children with special educational needs and disabilities.


Answered by
Robin Walker Portrait
Robin Walker
This question was answered on 21st March 2022

Education is a devolved matter, and the response will outline the information for England only.

The department is committed to ensuring that all pupils can reach their potential and receive excellent support from their teachers. The reformed initial teacher training core content framework (ITT CCF) and the new early career framework (ECF), both developed with sector experts, will equip teachers with a clear understanding of the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

All teachers are teachers of SEND. ITT courses must be designed so that trainee teachers can demonstrate that they meet the teachers’ standards at the appropriate level. This includes the requirement that all teachers must have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.

Consideration of SEND underpins both the ITT CCF and ECF, which were both produced with the support of sector experts. The ECF is designed to support all pupils to succeed and seeks to widen access for all.

The department is determined that all children and young people receive the support they need to succeed in their education. It is a legal requirement for qualified teachers of classes of pupils with sensory impairments to hold the relevant mandatory qualification, referred to as an MQSI. The department’s aim is to ensure a steady supply of teachers for children with visual, hearing, and multi-sensory impairments, in both specialist and mainstream education providers.

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