Page 32 - SEN114 September/October 2021

Dyslexia
Speaking and writing quietly into
the abyss: SEND and inclusion
training for teachers
Dr Helen Ross discusses the deficiencies in teacher training and considers what can be done about the situation.
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In recent weeks, my email inbox has been pinging off the metaphorical wall, with notifications and reminders for me to sign, or follow or share a particular petition. The aims and spirit behind the petition are laudable: better training around
special needs and disability for all those who work in schools. I wholly agree that we all need training, whether working front of house on reception, serving lunches or directly educating young people. Almost invariably, those working in schools interact with children and young people. However, that we need such a petition in 2021 is alarming. Has nothing changed since 1978 and the Warnock report?
Teacher training and
education frameworks
Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and training is undergoing a seismic shift at present. The Department for Education has suggested that all ITE providers should undergo an accreditation process, whether they are new to provision or have been offering teacher training for a substantial amount of time. There
“Teachers have long felt that there is inadequate training”
is an argument as to the driving forces behind this process: is it pragmatic, quality assurance or is it ideological censure? Whatever the reasons behind such a proposal, it is something that we as educators, supporting some of the most vulnerable learners in our schools, need to pay attention to.
Teachers have long-felt that there is inadequate training as part of ITE programmes, despite the explicit expectation that teachers must “be able to use and evaluate distinctive teaching
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