The Department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including neurodiversity. The government is focusing on improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools and we are working with families and education and care experts to deliver this in the best interests of all children. High quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children, particularly those with SEND.

The Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is a national programme, backed by £22m of investment. It is a cross-government collaboration between the Department for Education (DfE), Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England (NHSE), supported by the National Network of Parent Carer Forums.

PINS brings together Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), local authorities, and schools, working in partnership with parents and carers to support schools to better meet the needs of neurodivergent children and their families. PINS 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. This includes whole staff training as well as communication and environmental audits.

From September 2025, the combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), will set out a minimum entitlement to training and must be used by providers of Initial Teaching Training and those delivering provider-led early career training to create their curricula. This framework will replace the existing Initial Teacher Training Core Content Framework and Early Career Framework, for trainee and Early Career Teachers respectively which cover the first three years or more at the start of a teacher’s career.

The Department’s review of content for the ITTECF paid particular attention to the needs of trainees and Early Careers Teachers when supporting pupils with SEND. There is now significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND including neurodiversity. We have edited existing statements to improve inclusivity for SEND throughout the framework. The Department tested this approach with SEND educational experts with consensus that the approach of ‘quality-first teaching’ would be the best way to improve outcomes for all children. From September 2025, the Department has also enhanced the requirement on providers of Early Career Teacher Training to develop training materials that support the needs of children with SEND.

We recognise that continuous improvement is essential and have recently committed to a full review of the Early Career Teacher Entitlement in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support for Early Careers Teachers. This review will focus on the support we provide new teachers in teaching pupils with SEND.

National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) provide additional training and support and help education professionals to access and achieve a qualification which will transform their practice, provide the skills and knowledge to take the next step in their career and, most importantly, benefit the lives of young people across the country.

The introduction of the NPQ for Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs) will play a key role in ensuring SENCOs consistently receive high-quality, evidence-based training. This is crucial given the central role SENCOs play in supporting pupils with SEND. On 10 January 2025, we publicly announced that we will review the NPQ courses to consider new evidence and best-practice, and address issues that have arisen through delivery. We will consider areas where the sector has consistently identified that we need to review or update content, including further best practice for teaching pupils with SEND, drawing heavily on the new NPQ for SENCOs content.

School support staff also play a vital role in children’s education, including for pupils with SEND and who are neurodiverse. Schools are responsible for the employment of their support staff and currently decide on appropriate training for them.

We recognise that training and career progression opportunities for school support staff helps ensure schools have the skilled staff they need to deliver high-quality education. For example, the Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant apprenticeship is a new training opportunity that allows Teaching Assistants to specialise in one of three areas – SEND, Social and Emotional Wellbeing or Curriculum provision. The government is also setting up a School Support Staff Negotiating Body. Once established, it will bring together representatives of school support staff employees and employers to negotiate pay, terms and conditions and to develop training and career pathways for support staff.

Department for Education