Teachers want SEND training that fits their classroom practice, is held in their own school and led by experts, according to a new study.
More than half of teachers preferred in-school training from an outside specialist to support learners with SEND.
This was followed by a one-day face-to-face course out of school at 43%, while in-school training from a SENCO or an expert colleague garnered 29%.
Online short courses were the least popular choice at 16%, with 3% of respondents indicating that none of the options were suitable.
The study by Teacher Tapp, and commissioned by The PTI and Etio, found that primary teachers showed a stronger preference for in-school training from outside specialists at 64%, compared to 47% among secondary teachers.
Conversely, secondary teachers preferred in-school training from their Senco or an expert colleague, 32%, compared to 25% of primary teachers.
Interest in online courses was also higher among secondary teachers at 18%, versus 14% for primary teachers.
Subject specifics
Overall, 28% of teachers indicated that attending a CPD session on teaching their subject to pupils with SEND would be most useful, followed by 19% who preferred a specific condition focus.
Other options received lower interest: teaching pupils with SEND in their phase or setting at 13% and a broad area of need at nearly 16%.
The least selected options were SEND systems at 5% and specific SEND interventions at 9%. A small percentage, 4%, stated they do not need SEND training at this time.
However, again, results varied by phase. Primary teachers preferred specific conditions (22%) and a broad area of need (22%), while understandably, only 6% showed interest in teaching their subject to pupils with SEND.
In contrast, secondary teachers prioritised teaching their subject to pupils with SEND at 47%, while interest in specific conditions decreased to 17%.
Online is not a solution
Dr. Gordon Carver, Etio’s UK Managing Director, said: “This data shows that teachers want SEND training, which is practical, expert-led and rooted in the realities of their own classrooms.
“A national CPD offer must work at scale, but it cannot take a one-size-fits-all approach. Training needs to reflect the different needs of teachers across phases, subjects and settings if it is to help schools build more inclusive practice.”
“The government’s investment in SEND CPD is an important opportunity, and this evidence should help ensure it delivers the meaningful, sustained support that teachers and pupils need.”
Dr Cat Scutt MBE, from The PTI, said: “Teachers are clear that online modules alone cannot be the answer. They value the opportunity to learn directly from specialists and to apply that learning in their own school and subject context.
