Ambition Institute to design new national resources for SEND training

This suite of materials will help schools and colleges across England provide high quality, targeted professional development in their own settings to support more inclusive provision.

We know this is a real priority for schools and colleges across the country, and so we will work with sector experts, practitioners and professional development leads to develop the materials, so they are as useful as possible in supporting genuinely inclusive teaching.

The first phase of resources will be released in the autumn, with two more sets of materials released in the following months. They will be free for all schools and colleges to use, and will be published and promoted by the Department for Education on the gov.uk website.

What will be included

The new materials will be tailored for use in mainstream reception, primary, secondary and FE settings. They will include:

• Materials to help leaders plan and deliver their own training on SEND and inclusion.
• Practical guidance for teachers, phase leaders and support staff to adapt their approaches to meet the needs of all learners – across primary, secondary and technical and vocational contexts.

The materials will build on many of the teaching approaches educators already know and use. They will show how strategies like explicit instruction, modelling and feedback can be adapted to support a wider range of learner needs. 

They will connect closely to the Education Endowment Foundation’s work on inclusive teaching and build on the existing initial teacher training and early career framework, and the FE initial teacher education curriculum guidance.

They will also bring together useful research and evidence on supporting different types of need. 

Hilary Spencer, Chief Executive of Ambition Institute, said:

“We recognise the challenges that schools, colleges and families are facing around special educational needs and disabilities. We’re pleased to be working with our sector partners to design a suite of resources that will offer practical support. These materials are just one way we’re helping educators to respond inclusively to the needs of every learner. By working together, we can keep building an education system where every child and young person can thrive.”

Get involved

We want these materials to be as useful and relevant as possible. Your feedback, and insights from across the sector, will help us make sure they are as useful as possible. 

If you’d like to contribute or share suggestions, please email [email protected].