§ Mrs. BrookeTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 17 May 2004,Official Report, column 712W, on special educational needs, what steps he is taking to ensure that teachers who qualified more than five years ago have appropriate training to identify and to respond to the special needs of children in school settings. [174880]
§ Margaret Hodge[holding answer 21 May 2004]: All teachers, irrespective of when they qualified, are expected to identify their developmental needs through performance management arrangements, and to address identified needs, including improving their teaching skills in the area of special educational needs, by undertaking appropriate professional development.
SEN training needs can be identified by using the `National SEN Specialist Standards' published by the Teacher Training Agency (TTA) in December 1999, which covers the key outcomes, the professional knowledge and understanding, and skills and attributes required, and the key areas of their role and responsibilities. The TTA have also produced a related CD-ROM, 'Identifying your Training Needs for Teaching Pupils with SEN', released in February 2002.
All schools receive a School Development Grant which they are able to use to support improvements in any aspect of teaching and learning. Local authorities may retain a proportion of this grant, under certain conditions, to provide specific training and development for SEN.
How far a school provides for pupils with SEN will be assessed as part of the usual school inspection arrangements made by the Office for Standards in Education.
§ Mr. LuffTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on his policy on the inclusion of pupils with special needs in mainstream schools. [175997]
1833W
§ Mr. Ivan LewisWe are firmly committed to the principle of inclusion and an increasing proportion of children with special educational needs attend mainstream schools. Special schools will continue to have an important role in meeting need both in their own right and in partnership with local mainstream schools.