Our response to the Government’s £200 Million SEND Training Investment

A positive step towards a more inclusive education system

Kids believes that comprehensive SEND training and professional development is critical to the success of the SEND system reforms. Members of Kids’ Youth Collective have emphasised the need for better training, knowledge and understanding of SEND amongst teachers and other professionals.

Last September, a survey of our Youth Collective members found that 85% of young people felt their teachers lack sufficient SEND understanding, with 73% saying this affects their mental health and 74% their ability to understand work. 

Young people have clearly stated that training for staff would support improved mental health, academic achievements and attendance, as well as being crucial to having a sense of belonging at school.

Why SEND training and professional development matters

Better understanding of special educational needs and disabilities is likely to deliver a more inclusive school environment where all children and young people feel understood, communicated with, and a valued member of the school.

This should also lead to a reduced need for behaviour management techniques, suspensions, exclusions, time out of classrooms, and more expensive crisis interventions as children’s and young people’s needs go unrecognised.

What the Government’s announcement includes

This announcement includes a commitment to develop high-quality, flexible training, including live in-person sessions. The SEND training and resources will not just be for new teachers but will also, crucially, be available for existing teachers and support staff who may need to plug gaps in their existing knowledge of SEND.

Kids has long called for hands-on SEND training and professional development, including direct experience working with children with SEND, and we hope that this is taken into consideration as the training is developed.

While the Government has said it has listened to parents, teachers and experts, we urge them to continue to listen to and consult young people with SEND in the development of this training, to ensure it reflects their lived experience.

Government also announced that this training goes beyond teachers and school leaders – acknowledging the vital role of teaching assistants, support staff, early years practitioners, and post-16 educators in driving inclusion across the system.

Within the early years in particular, lack of training and confidence to meet SEND needs means that children with SEND or emerging needs are frequently turned away from settings. We particularly welcome the announcement of free, accessible training on inclusive practice, child development, and practical strategies for supporting children with SEND from all early years practitioners.  

SEND training as a legal requirement

Crucially, the Department for Education has committed to ‘a new expectation set out in the SEND Code of Practice, confirming that all staff in every nursery, school and college should receive training on SEND and inclusion – making sure that every teacher nationwide is reached’. As the SEND Code of Practice is legally binding, this means all education settings must ensure all staff receive this training.

Training must be matched with specialist support

This announcement is good news for children and young people with SEND. It will be important that this training for education staff goes hand-in-hand with access to wider specialist support.

Education staff cannot support children and young people with SEND on their own – they must also have input from a range of different professionals including occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and educational psychologists. It is vital that these types of specialists are also funded to help educators understand the root causes of children’s needs and ensure that these needs are met with the appropriate strategies and support.

Read the full announcement here.