New research to scope out ‘bridging gap’ in SEND teacher training

The National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers is to investigate how to strengthen SEND training for teacher trainees – as two-thirds of providers say they feel new teachers are not prepared to deal with rising complex needs

Government plans to boost inclusion in mainstream schools, to help tackle rising SEND numbers.

But a new NASBTT survey has found 65 per cent of teacher training providers (49 of 75 respondents) do not think new teachers are properly equipped to meet the demands of more complex SEND in mainstream settings.

A further 8 per cent said they “don’t know”, while 13 per cent said they do feel teachers are properly prepared, and a further 13 per cent answered “maybe”.

Meanwhile just 29 per cent of the 75 respondents said they feel their organisations are equipped to prepare trainees effectively, to deal with more complex SEND.

NASBTT CEO Emma Hollis assured SEND “is a strategic priority for ITT”, as she today announced a new project aimed to “bridge the gap” between what trainees are taught and what is required of them once placed in schools.

NASBTT will then put together a “state of the nation” paper on the current landscape.

SEND framework due next year

Hollis told Schools Week charity Education Support will then create a framework explaining “what resources are needed”, which will be published next year.

Hollis said it will outline “what does the sector need to get from where we are now, to where we need to be?”

“It might say it’s a case of bringing together already great examples…it might be that we need to commission some specific work.”

The new project will be carried out in partnership with Margaret Mulholland, SEND and inclusion specialist at leaders’ union ASCL.

It comes as a recent Ofsted review of initial teacher training (ITT) providers found some trainees are receiving “fragmented” SEND training.

The report raised concerns about “the inadequacy of current ITT in equipping educators with the skills and knowledge necessary for the effective identification and support of learners with SEND.” Ofsted said mentors also had “variable levels of knowledge about the research and evidence” underpinning the SEND ITT curriculum.

Meanwhile, a recent rapid evidence review commissioned by the DfE suggested teachers can play a key role in early identification of SEND, but that teacher training in this area “remains limited”.

‘Teachers must be prepared’

Hollis said: “We fully recognise that teacher training must evolve to meet the increasing complexity of pupil needs in mainstream schools, and advocate for enhanced SEND and inclusion training to be embedded within the ITTECF.”

She said increasing complexity of needs in classrooms will “fundamentally reshape how schools operate, and teachers much be prepared”.

“Let’s be clear: SEND is a strategic priority for ITT, and we will not shy away from our responsibility to prepare trainees for the classrooms of the future,” she said.

“ITT programmes must look beyond the needs of the current system and proactively equip trainees for what lies ahead – where the complexity threshold in mainstream settings may be significantly higher.”

The new findings came from NASBTT’s member pulse survey, carried out three times a year. It was answered by 75 providers, representing around 40 per cent of NASBTT’s membership.

Elsewhere, the survey found 88 per cent of providers believe the DfE’s decision to reduce bursaries and scholarships in key subjects will have a negative effect on teacher recruitment.

The DfE has been approached.