Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the SEND review, what steps he is taking to ensure that all teachers have training to support children with SEND.

The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper recognises that excellent mainstream provision and teaching serves as the foundation for a strong SEND system.

The department's revised Initial Teacher Training and Core Content Framework, which all new entrants to the profession benefit from, has been designed to support all children and young people to succeed. All trainees who achieve Qualified Teacher Status must demonstrate that they can adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.

The Early Career Framework, introduced in September 2021, entitles early career teachers to a further two years of development. This framework was designed in consultation with SEND specialists and includes training on identifying pupils who need teaching content further broken down.

In February 2022, the department announced more than £45 million of funding for continued targeted support for families and parents of children with SEND and SEND services. This includes funding that will directly support schools and colleges to work with pupils with SEND, for example through training on specific needs like autism, as well as best practice for developing whole school SEND support and initiatives.