Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that teachers are trained to identify signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as early as possible.

All teachers are teachers of Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and high quality teaching is central to ensuring that pupils with SEND are given the best possible opportunity to achieve at school.

There are already a number of measures in place to support teachers in identifying and implementing support for pupils who face difficulties, including working with a dedicated SEND coordinator.

From September 2020, all new teachers have benefited from at least three years of evidence based professional development and support, starting with Initial Teacher Training (ITT) based on the new ITT Core Content Framework (CCF), and followed by a new two-year induction, underpinned by the Early Career Framework (ECF). The Department is reviewing the ITT CCF and ECF this year. This includes working with experts to identify opportunities to improve how the frameworks can support new teachers to be more confident in meeting the needs of pupils with SEND.

In addition, all 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 in Standard 5, that all teachers must have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.