DfE Rolls Out Free SEND Training for Every Teacher in £200 Million Overhaul

Every teacher in England is meant to become better equipped to support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, after the Department for Education published the first set of free training materials on 25 September 2026. The department is calling it the most comprehensive SEND teacher training offer in a generation, and the opening move in a wider £200 million investment in teacher training announced by ministers.

The materials, developed by training provider Ambition Institute, are free, adaptable and designed to slot into existing training days or be used throughout the school year, covering both schools and post 16 settings. A parallel online course for early years staff has been built by the charity Dingley's Promise, aimed at nurseries and preschool settings rather than school classrooms.

What the New SEND Training Actually Covers

The classroom materials focus on practical techniques teachers can use immediately, rather than abstract theory. The department points to methods such as breaking instructions into smaller, digestible steps, preteaching specialist vocabulary before a lesson so pupils aren't hearing unfamiliar terms for the first time mid task, and building in dedicated time for pupils to practise new skills rather than moving straight on.

For early years settings, the Dingley's Promise course takes a different approach suited to younger children, encouraging staff to use visual timetables to help with transitions between activities and to adapt physical environments, such as reducing unnecessary background noise, to remove barriers to communication and emotional regulation.

Both sets of materials are meant to work alongside existing staff training rather than replace it, and schools and colleges can choose how and when to use them, whether spread across the year or delivered in a single training day.

Why One in Three Teachers Say They Need This Training

The launch responds to a clear gap identified through staff surveys. According to the department, one in three teachers said in a recent survey that they wanted more training on supporting children with SEND, while a quarter of surveyed teaching assistants in schools said insufficient training was a barrier to them effectively supporting these pupils.

Georgia Gould, the Minister for School Standards, said every child deserves the chance to thrive "whatever their needs", adding that the government had heard directly from teachers, parents and young people about the need for more investment in training. She said the new materials were designed to help staff "spot and support additional needs from the earliest years".

The department also cited research suggesting that young people with SEND are around 80% more likely to be NEET, meaning not in education, employment or training, than the average young person, framing earlier and more consistent classroom support as a way to narrow that gap before it becomes a bigger problem later in life.

Schools vs Early Years, How the Training Actually Differs

Although both strands sit under the same £200 million investment, the practical detail differs depending on the age group a setting works with, reflecting the different ways SEND support needs to look for a five year old compared with a teenager preparing for further education or work.

How Teachers and Training Providers Are Reacting

Claire Heywood, Vice Principal at Kidderminster College, who reviewed the materials before launch, said their strongest feature was placing inclusive practice "at the heart of high quality teaching" rather than treating SEND support as separate from ordinary lesson planning. She said the attention paid to vocational learning, independence and preparing pupils for adulthood made the resources feel relevant to the further education sector specifically, not just mainstream schools.

Hilary Spencer, chief executive of Ambition Institute, said the aim throughout development had been to create practical, adaptable materials that help teachers and support staff respond to a wide range of needs. Catherine Mole, chief executive of Dingley's Promise, said the early years training gives staff the chance to build confidence "at no cost to themselves or the setting", and encouraged all early years providers to take up a whole setting approach to inclusion.

For now, the materials published on 25 September are optional resources rather than a mandatory course, meaning take up will depend on individual schools, colleges and nurseries choosing to build them into their existing training schedules. The department has not yet set out how it will measure whether the training changes outcomes for pupils with SEND, or published further detail on how the remaining £200 million will be allocated beyond the January, April and September 2027 milestones already announced.

Those later stages, particularly the fully funded courses due from September 2027, will offer a clearer test of how far the government is willing to go beyond free written materials toward paid, structured training that schools can build staff development around.