Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to support Down syndrome-specific training for teachers as part of its response to the Down Syndrome Act consultation.

High quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and the department is 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 SEND.

From September 2025, the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) will set out a minimum entitlement to training for new teachers. The ITTECF places greater emphasis on adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND. The department has also enhanced the requirement on providers of early career training to develop SEND training materials. This approach, developed with input from SEND educational experts, supports the principle of quality-first teaching to improve outcomes for all.

The department has been working collaboratively with the Department of Health and Social Care on upcoming statutory guidance on Down syndrome. This includes case studies on teachers supporting children and young people with Down syndrome in the classroom, and involved engagement with individuals with Down syndrome and other conditions, their parents and carers, as well as various experts and practitioners across many organisations. The guidance will be published in due course and the Down Syndrome Act 2022 sets out that my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education must consult on this guidance.