SEND training offer for Adur and Worthing teachers amid £200 million programme
A major government investment will mean more support for children and young people, with additional needs, in Adur and Worthing.
The Labour government has unveiled a £200 million ‘landmark programme’, meaning more youngsters with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) will ‘receive the right support early on’.
Labour said it delivering ‘more training on SEND and inclusion than ever before’ – with £200 million invested over the course of this Parliament to ‘upskill staff in every school, college and nursery’, building a ‘skilled workforce for generations to come’.
The ‘most ambitious and comprehensive’ SEND training offer – ‘ever seen by the English schools system’ – was welcomed by Tom Rutland, MP for East Worthing and Shoreham.
He said: “SEND provision is an issue of massive importance for families across our constituency; I know that from my conversations on the doorstep, and the heart-wrenching stories parents and carers were brave enough to share with me at my recent SEND coffee morning in Lancing.
“By creating specialist places and upskilling teachers, we are taking an important step towards making sure need is identified earlier, help comes more quickly, and parents don’t have to fight tooth and nail for the support they deserve.
“The need for training and early intervention came through loud and clear in the report I sent to the Department for Education following engagement with local parents and carers. I am glad that while we await the SEND White Paper, our government is listening to parents, carers and experts, and taking action in the interim to transform the ‘lose, lose, lose’ system we inherited into one where every child can achieve and thrive.”
The government said it has been ‘acting on the feedback’ from parents shared through the national conversation on SEND – as well as the survey and coffee morning hosted by Mr Rutland.
A spokesperson added: “Labour is making sure that children in every classroom across Adur and Worthing will benefit from brilliant teachers trained in supporting a wide range of needs.
“Almost half of primary and secondary teachers say that more training would help their confidence in supporting pupils with SEND. That’s why Labour is reforming the SEND system and giving parents the confidence that their child can achieve and thrive at their local school.
“Backed by £200 million, new courses available to all teaching staff will deepen knowledge of how to adapt their teaching to meet a wide range of needs in Adur and Worthing’s classrooms, including visual impairments and speech and language needs.
"Teachers will learn about the things we know can transform how children access education, such as using assistive technology like speech to text dictation tools and building awareness of additional needs amongst all pupils, so every child can go on to succeed.”
Underpinning the training will be a ‘new expectation’ set out in the SEND Code of Practice – confirming that all staff in every nursery, school and college should receive training on SEND and inclusion.
The government said this will make sure that every teacher in Adur and Worthing and across the country is reached.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: "Every child, wherever they live and whatever their needs, should have the opportunity to go to a local school where they can achieve and thrive.
“That’s why we’re equipping staff across every stage of education with more training on SEND and inclusion than ever before – helping to deliver our vision of a truly inclusive education system.
“This is a key part of our mission to reform the SEND system so that schools can take children from forgotten to included and give parents the confidence that the right support will be there at every stage of their child’s education.”
The investment ‘forms a central pillar’ of Labour’s plans for SEND reform, supporting those educating children from their earliest years through to age 25.
The government said the new training offer will ‘help restore parents’ confidence’ that their children will be ‘supported throughout every stage of their education’.