Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the SEND teacher training announcement of 25 September 2026, what targets the Department has set for the proportion of (a) teachers and (b) teaching assistants completing the new training by September 2027 and September 2028.

The government offer of over £200 million for professional development on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and inclusion across schools, colleges and nurseries has been designed to be flexible and to work around staff schedules, combining online self-study and live, facilitated elements to support engagement.

In addition to the in-house training to all staff, published on 25 September 2026, and the further in-house materials planned for publication during this academic year, new fully funded SEND and inclusion courses will be available for teachers, leaders and support staff from autumn 2027. We will use participation data to monitor take-up and intend to publish participation data for these courses.

There will also be a new requirement set out in the SEND Code of Practice for all settings to ensure that staff receive training on SEND and inclusion, and to clearly signpost government funded training.