Community welcomes the UK government’s announcement of £200 million in SEND training in England. The commitment forms part of the Department for Education’s wider plan to ensure that every child in every nursery, school and college across the country will be taught by staff who can support a range of needs.
Key features of the training package include:
· High-quality training materials, developed alongside the sector, and shared with every school and college to support the delivery of training to all staff on SEND and inclusion – ensuring every teacher is reached.
· New, free CPD courses for teachers and leaders in colleges.
· Investment in training for teaching assistants and support staff, developed in collaboration with the sector – ensuring support staff feel equipped and confident to support pupils with SEND.
· A new Early Years Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme, providing free, accessible training focused on inclusive practice, child development, and practical strategies for supporting children with SEND – available to all early years practitioners.
Responding to the announcement, Community’s Head of Education Policy Martin Hodge said:
“Community has repeatedly called for substantial long-term investment in SEND – a system which has been underfunded for too long. This Labour government is delivering, and this new funding will make a real difference to our members in the education sector, as well as the children and families they support.
“We look forward to further positive engagement with government ahead of the Schools White Paper and SEND review, where further changes will be needed to rebuild confidence in the system.”
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From teachers, tutors and lecturers to the early years, nannies and teaching assistants, we represent and support people working in every role you can imagine in the education and early years sector.
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© Community Trade Union 2026
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