edt responds to the UK government’s schools white paper

A more inclusive education system

Key to the Government’s vision of a more inclusive education system – in which children are included, not sidelined – will be a confident, well-supported education workforce. That is why we strongly welcome the commitment of £200 million for a new SEND training package, and we are particularly encouraged that this “builds on improvements to Initial Teacher Training and the Early Career Framework”. As an Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ provider of the Early Career Teacher Training Programme, edt embeds inclusive practice and adaptive teaching from the outset of a teacher’s career, equipping teachers with practical strategies to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. We know that high-quality, practical teacher development can be transformational – increasing teacher confidence and ensuring that all children are fully supported in the classroom and able to thrive.

Dr Nicky Platt, edt’s UK Education Director, commented:

“We are delighted to be supporting the Department for Education in the design and delivery of the new Teacher Training Entitlement, and wholly welcome the ambition to further develop the government’s ‘golden thread’ of educator professional development, with which we have been involved since its inception.

“We also welcome the Department’s acknowledgement of the vital role of sector bodies in transforming the outcomes of generations of children. We would like to extend our own thanks to all our delivery partners – Teaching School Hubs, universities, MATs, and learning federations – who are the powerful local engines of the positive impact of our programmes across the country.

“This is a big programme of change and we all have our work cut out. Our focus in the coming months will be helping maximise the impact of the government’s vision while doing all we can to minimise the burden on teachers, leaders and schools’ invaluable specialist and support staff.”

Looking beyond the school gates

We also support the ambition to look beyond the school gates to break the link between background and outcomes and ensure every child achieves and thrives. We work in partnership with schools, colleges and community-based services to support over 100,000 young people each year through our careers, employability and NEET reduction programmes. Our experience shows that barriers to participation in education, employment and training – including mental health challenges, low confidence, unmet SEND needs, and limited access to opportunity – often sit outside the classroom.

Kiri Baxter, edt’s UK Skills Director, said:

“Through our work in youth career readiness, we know that young people with SEND are around 80% more likely to be NEET, and that unmet needs at key transition points increase the risk of longer-term disengagement. Effective reform must therefore embed joined-up transitions, consistent tracking, and high-quality careers guidance within a broader ecosystem of support that surrounds the young person. It is also vitally important that employers are engaged to understand and support successfully employing young people with SEND.”

We are committed to playing our part

The white paper sets out a clear call to action for everyone working across education and young people’s services. We are committed to playing our part in delivering that ambition, and we look forward to contributing further evidence to the SEND consultation and engaging constructively on the next phase of reform.

Dan Sandhu, CEO at edt, commented:

“The schools white paper and SEND reform proposals set an important vision for a more inclusive education system – one where background does not determine outcomes. We welcome the focus on strengthening support for the education workforce, particularly the new SEND training offer that builds on Initial Teacher Training and the Early Career Framework, as high-quality teaching is critical to improving children’s life chances. Just as importantly, our experience working with NEET young people shows that barriers to participation often exist beyond the classroom, so we strongly support the commitment to joined-up, wraparound support from early years into adulthood.”