Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she will consider including a voluntary question on neurodivergence in the Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders survey.

The department recognises the importance of understanding the diversity of the school workforce, including the experiences of neurodivergent staff. The Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders survey collects information from respondents on mental and physical health conditions and the impact of those on their day to day lives, but does not currently collect information about neurodivergence specifically, therefore analysis cannot be conducted based on this.

The department regularly reviews the content of the Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders survey to ensure it captures the breadth of teachers’ and leaders’ experiences and characteristics, whilst also managing the burden on respondents, whose participation in the survey is voluntary. Any proposal to include questions about neurodivergence in the survey in the future would need to carefully consider the sensitivity of the information being collected and whether inclusion would be suitable and proportionate.

The department will continue to review and consider opportunities to improve its understanding of workforce diversity.