New teachers need stronger SEND training, NASBTT report warns
The National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers’ report, ‘Bridging the SEND practice gap’, highlights concerns that many trainee teachers are not receiving enough practical preparation to meet the increasingly complex needs of pupils with SEND. This comes at a time when government policy is encouraging increased inclusion with the aim of more children with SEND to be educated in mainstream settings.
Evidence from a 2025 NASBTT survey found that 65 per cent of teacher training providers did not believe new teachers were equipped to support SEND effectively in mainstream classrooms. Just 39 per cent felt their organisation was adequately prepared to develop trainees' skills in this area. The report argues that initial teacher training should place greater emphasis on helping trainees understand how inclusive practice works in real classroom situations. Rather than focusing solely on theory, trainees need opportunities to observe experienced teachers, analyse decision-making and practise adapting lessons in response to pupils' needs.
NASBTT also calls for a stronger focus on helping trainees identify barriers to learning and develop the confidence to make effective adjustments. The report stresses that inclusive teaching is not about applying labels or diagnoses, but about understanding individual pupils and responding to evidence from their learning and behaviour. The article highlights the potential of the Department for Education's updated Intensive Training and Practice (ITAP) guidance, which requires accredited initial teacher training providers receiving ITAP funding to focus much of their content on adaptive teaching and meeting the needs of pupils with SEND.
Alongside stronger mentoring and closer collaboration between training providers and placement schools, reforms such as specialist placements and structured practice could help trainees develop the professional judgement needed for inclusive teaching. The report concludes that supporting all pupils should be seen as a core element of teaching from the outset, rather than a specialist skill developed later in a teacher's career.
