Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on including training on autism in initial teacher training.

All initial teacher training (ITT) courses must ensure that trainee teachers can meet the Teachers’ Standards. They must have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Teachers must be able to adapt teaching to the needs of all pupils, including pupils with autism.

Following the publication of the independent review of ITT by Sir Andrew Carter in 2015, the Government commissioned an expert group, chaired by Stephen Munday CBE, to develop a framework of core ITT content. The Carter Review had found variability in the quality of course content, identifying SEND as one area for improvement.

Stephen Munday’s group, which includes SEND experts, have considered how the new framework of core content for ITT will have a focus on SEND, including conditions such as autism. The Secretary of State for Education has confirmed that autism training will form part of the new core content for ITT. Ministers are currently considering the recommendations of the group and the report is expected to be published in due course.