Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that all (a) teaching staff and (b) school leaders undertake annual mandatory training on supporting children with (i) autism, (ii) ADHD and (iii) mental health challenges.

The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and mental health needs. To identify opportunities to build teacher expertise, the department is undertaking a review of the Initial Teacher Training Core Content Framework and Early Career Framework. The review, due to publish in early 2024, has an aim to support trainees and Early Career Teachers to be more confident in meeting the needs of children and young people with SEND, through engaging with the most up to date evidence to inform their practice and applying this in the contexts in which they work as new teachers.

To support teachers and leaders at any stage in their career, the department’s Universal Services programme, backed by almost £12 million, provides SEND-specific training for education professionals, with over 100,000 professionals undertaking autism awareness training since 2022.

To promote excellent leadership, the department has a range of leadership-level National Professional Qualifications, for Senior Leadership (NPQSL), Headship (NPQH), and Executive Leadership (NPQEL), to support leaders to develop the knowledge that enables all pupils to succeed, including designing and implementing fair and inclusive policies, making reasonable adjustments and promoting best practice on supporting pupils with SEND.

The department is enabling schools to better support children with their mental health by offering funding for all schools and colleges to train a senior mental health lead by 2025. This is a strategic leadership role, responsible for overseeing an effective, whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing. As of August 2023, 14,400 schools and colleges have claimed a senior mental health lead training grant, including more than 7 in 10 state-funded secondary schools.