SEND training boost to support West Cumbria’s schools and families

Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in West Cumbria are set to benefit from a major expansion of training for teachers and school staff, aimed at improving support in local nurseries, schools and colleges.

The new national training offer follows extensive engagement with parents and education professionals, including feedback raised locally by Josh MacAlister through meetings with families, schools and SEND groups across West Cumbria. Concerns raised locally about delayed support and inconsistent provision have been fed directly to ministers at the Department for Education.

Under the plans, backed by £200 million, all teaching staff will have access to new SEND training focused on practical classroom strategies to support a wide range of needs, including speech and language support and visual impairment. Training will also cover the use of assistive technology and whole-school approaches to inclusion.

The programme is designed to fit around the realities of school life in West Cumbria, with flexible online learning alongside in-person sessions. Teaching assistants and early years staff will also receive dedicated training, helping to ensure needs are identified and supported earlier.

The training will be underpinned by updated expectations in the SEND Code of Practice, making clear that staff in every nursery, school and college should receive SEND and inclusion training.

The announcement builds on wider investment to increase inclusive places in mainstream schools, alongside funding to expand specialist provision. Together, these measures aim to reduce the pressure on families, improve attendance and wellbeing, and ensure more children can be supported close to home.

Josh MacAlister MP said:

“Families across West Cumbria have been clear that the SEND system needs to work better and earlier for their children. Schools and staff want to help, but they need the right training and support to do so.

“This new training offer responds directly to what parents and schools have been telling me locally, and I’ve made sure those concerns have been raised with colleagues at the Department for Education. The focus is on practical support in classrooms, earlier identification of need, and giving families confidence that their child will be supported at their local school.”