Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2021 to Question 54037, how many hours of initial teacher training is dedicated to (a) special educational needs and (b) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

All teachers are teachers of special education needs and disabilities (SEND), and high-quality teaching is central to ensuring that pupils with SEND are given the best possible opportunity to achieve at school.

Since September 2020, all new teachers are benefitting from at least three years of evidence based professional development and support, starting with Initial Teacher Training (ITT) based on the new ITT Core Content Framework (CCF), and followed by a new two-year induction underpinned by the Early Career Framework.

The CCF sets out a minimum entitlement of knowledge, skills and experiences that trainees need to enter the profession in the best position possible to teach and support all pupils to succeed, including those pupils identified within the four areas of need set out in the SEND code of practice.

The department does not mandate a particular number of hours for SEND or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) training, but all ITT providers of courses leading to qualified teacher status must design their courses to incorporate the knowledge, skills and experiences detailed in the CCF into a coherent, well-sequenced curriculum to support trainees to develop their expertise. Courses must be designed so that trainee teachers can demonstrate that they meet the Teachers’ Standards at the appropriate level. This includes the requirement in Standard 5, that all teachers must have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with ADHD or other special educational needs.