Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that service children with SEND are included in (a) initial teacher training, (b) continuing professional development, (c) SEND practitioner training and (d) school leadership training.

The ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ White Paper set out proposals for a package of professional development on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), backed by over £200 million of funding.

This includes a new requirement in the SEND Code of Practice that will ensure all mainstream staff receive high‑quality SEND and inclusion training.

The department recently reformed the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework to include more content on adaptive teaching and, from 2027, all teaching staff can sign up to new courses that enhance their knowledge of adaptive teaching styles to meet a wide range of needs in the classroom.

For teachers who lead or aspire to lead SEND provision in a year group, phase or whole school, particularly those holding the statutory special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) role, we have developed the national professional qualification (NPQs) for SENCOs. We are also reviewing the wider suite of NPQs, with a focus on including best practice for teaching pupils with SEND.

The department is investing around £1.8 billion over the next three years for local area partnerships, including local authorities and integrated care boards, to develop a new ‘Experts at Hand’ offer, strengthening mainstream education through access to health and specialist education support.