§ Mr. Liddell-GraingerTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the future use of dyslexia teachers in schools; and if she will review the funding of dyslexia teaching. [50921]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisIt is important that teachers are properly prepared for the range of special educational needs (SEN) they will encounter in schools. As part of their initial training, all student teachers must show that they understand their responsibilities under the SEN Code of Practice, and know how to seek advice. These skills are reinforced and developed during induction, when teachers have to demonstrate that they can plan effectively to meet the needs of pupils with SEN.
Opportunities for continuing professional development for teachers in post are supported under the training component of the SEN category of the Department's Standards Fund, which provides grant aid to local education authorities and schools. £91 million of supported expenditure is available for SEN in 2002–03. Training in dyslexia is specifically mentioned in the guidance for the category and this can range from awareness raising sessions to more in-depth specialist training. Grant support has also been made available to voluntary organisations and higher education training providers to create new training opportunities.
Responsibility for ensuring that appropriate provision exists for children with SEN rests with the school and LEA. More than £23 billion is available annually for the education of pupils, including children with SEN. Over £1 billion of this is used by LEAs to provide additional support for children with SEN, including transport. When allocating budgets to schools in 2001–02, LEAs also identified over £1.9 billion as allocated to SEN. However, it is for individual schools to decide how they spend this funding taking account of their statutory duties towards children with SEN.