Diana Johnson MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools

NEW SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS INITIAL TEACHER TRAINING RESOURCES FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Speech by Diana Johnson, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools, 23 June 2009.

We all know the difference a good teacher can make. Whether it is the student working to turn their ‘B’ into an ‘A’ star or the severely disabled child developing their ability to communicate, the best teachers are unlocking potential in all their pupils, wherever they fall on the spectrum of need.

It is our job — government, working with training providers — to make sure that teachers have the right skills, support and training to get the best out of the pupils they teach. So, firstly, I would like to thank you for your continued support in making sure our future teachers are trained to the highest quality.

We aim to ensure that every student gets a fair chance to achieve what they are capable of. This is a top priority for me and my department. That principle of equality was at the heart of Aiming Higher for Disabled Children launched last year — our flagship programme to make sure that the needs of disabled children are met.

Yesterday, we published Sir Jim Rose’s report review on identifying and teaching children with dyslexia. Sir Jim received over 850 submissions since he began his report in May. We have accepted his recommendations in full. And I believe that they will help us to ensure that every child can make good progress, schools get the support they need to intervene early and more teachers are given specialist training.

To make sure this support for teachers is provided we are:

• Investing £12mn in training and development in SEN and disability over three years, beginning in 2008
• Providing training materials through our National Strategies to improve the skills of the whole school workforce in SEN and disability
• Introducing new regulations requiring SEN co-ordinators to be qualified teachers and undertake nationally approved training so that they can lead teaching and learning and help ensure that pupils’ needs are met

But we also need our future teachers to have a good understanding of how to manage SEN and disability so that they can enter their new classroom prepared to support students who need it most.

Last year we launched the Primary Undergraduate ITT SEN and disability resources, which have been well received by tutors and trainees alike. Trainees have said that the taught sessions and their placements allowed them to understand the spectrum of need that inhabits every classroom. They saw teaching methods in special schools that could be used in mainstream classes to support those children. And they got a taste of what it might be like to specialise in SEN during their teaching career.

Tutors have also been able to work together to share these resources and develop their practice through regional work groups. Above all, these resources aim to provide understanding and practical solutions through high-quality professional development and excellent teaching materials.

We want to build on this success, which is why we are launching the Secondary Undergraduate ITT resources today. They will function in the same way as the primary resources, but reflect the different challenges faced by secondary schools educating older pupils. These new resources will both broaden our future teachers’ knowledge of SEN and disability and help them to give those pupils the chance to engage with their classmates and progress in their learning. They present a huge opportunity for teachers to overcome some of the most difficult barriers to learning.

The importance of supporting children with SEN cannot be underestimated. We want all of our teachers to be as qualified as possible to develop the talent and potential in children with SEN and disabilities. And these resources are a vital support. Because a well-taught teacher means well-taught children. Today will give you an opportunity to discuss how to make the best use of these resources to develop the talents of our teachers so they can bring out the potential in their pupils.

Biography of Diana Johnson MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools

Diana Johnson was selected as the Labour candidate for Kingston-upon-Hull in 2004. She was elected as MP for Hull North in the general election of 2005.