Our initial assessment of the impact of these provisions is that they have greatly influenced the quality of provision. The code of practice raised the level of awareness of what was required and led to improving the way the sector provides for young people with special educational needs and how the sector discharges its duties and responsibilities.
(2) what work has been undertaken by the Training and Development Agency for Schools with regard to the special educational needs (SEN) skills required of (a) trainee, (b) nearly qualified and (c) established teachers as part of the Removing Barriers to Achievement programme; and what assessment has been made of (i) the pilot schemes for specialist modules for SEN implemented as part of the programme and (ii) the SEN training delivered to Post Graduate Certificate in Education students.
An understanding of special educational needs is an integral part of all initial teacher training. In order to be awarded qualified teacher status, trainees must demonstrate that they:
know how to make effective personalised provision for pupils they teach, including those with SEN, and know how to differentiate their teaching accordingly;
have knowledge of current legislation and guidance on the safeguarding and promotion of the well-being of children and young people, including SEN and disability legislation and the SEN code of practice;
understand the roles of colleagues with specific responsibility for groups of learners with SEN and other needs; and
have the ability to communicate effectively with children, young people, colleagues, parents and carers.
As part of a wider programme to strengthen understanding of SEN and disability issues within initial teaching training, we have worked closely with the Training and Development Agency for Schools, to develop and pilot a series of specialist SEN and disability units for primary undergraduate courses, and for newly qualified teachers during their induction. These units have been well received by both staff and students and it is planned to organise a national roll-out to all training providers this year. Work is also under way to develop similar materials for secondary undergraduate courses and the postgraduate certificate of education (PGCE).
Ofsted are also undertaking a thematic review of the journey taken by trainee teachers, in terms of acquiring SEN and disability knowledge and skills during their initial training and induction. The results of this review are expected to be published in the summer.
Once qualified, all teachers are expected to discuss their own development needs in performance management reviews, and to address development priorities. This could include strengthening knowledge and understanding of SEN. Where schools have identified a need to strengthen knowledge and understanding of SEN, as a school improvement priority, this should be addressed through their school improvement and development plans.
All schools receive a school development grant which they are able to use to support improvements in any aspect of teaching and learning. A wide variety of courses are available covering SEN, ranging from awareness-raising through to in-depth studies leading to specific qualifications. It is, however, a matter for individual teachers and their schools to determine their own particular training and development needs. Local authorities may retain a proportion of this grant, under certain conditions, to provide specific training and development of SEN.
In October 2007, we launched our Inclusion Development Programme (IDP), which is designed to provide a programme of confidence-raising professional development for serving teachers and other staff. The opening round of the IDP has focused on training and resources in relation to children’s speech, language and communication difficulties, including dyslexia. In later rounds, the IDP will focus on autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD) and moderate learning difficulties (MLD).