Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that teachers are adequately trained to deal with students with ADHD.

High-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children, including those with neurodivergent conditions such as ADHD, and we are committed to ensuring that all pupils receive excellent support from their teachers.

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 this is embedded in teacher training. From September 2025, all new teachers will benefit from 3 years of evidence-based training through the revised initial teacher training and early career framework. This has significantly more content related to supporting pupils with SEND, including content adapted from the new national professional qualification for special educational needs co-ordinators.

To ensure ongoing review, the department’s Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group brings together experts to make recommendations on how to best meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people within mainstream education settings. Additionally, the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is a national, cross-governmental programme, backed by £22 million of investment, which deploys specialists from both health and education workforces to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and better meet the needs of neurodivergent children in mainstream primary schools.