Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has considered the potential merits of delivering training in a flexible, modular and asynchronous format, built around short modules rather than fixed-hour blocks.

The department is developing the new special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and inclusion training programme in collaboration with the sector, with a focus on ensuring that it is both effective and accessible for education staff. The programme is backed by a £200 million investment and is being designed to support teachers, leaders, teaching assistants and support staff across early years settings, schools and colleges.

The new professional development offer will be flexible, combining online self-study with live, facilitated training. We are working with the sector to ensure the programme is designed flexibly for the workforce whilst incorporating features that evidence shows make professional development effective.

Alongside the new courses, the department will make available free in-house training materials to support professional development within schools and colleges. Further details on the structure and delivery of the programme will be published as implementation progresses.