In January, MP Chris Bloore asked the minister of state for school standards, Georgia Gould, how the new Ofsted inspection framework considers workforce inclusion for neurodivergent and disabled teachers.
The question was referred to Ofsted, and a response was provided by its chief inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver.
He explained that inspectors consider whether staff feel valued and supported as part of an inspection’s leadership and governance judgement, though neurodivergence itself was not addressed specifically in Sir Martyn’s response.
What about neurodivergent teachers?
Neurodivergence not being referenced is, sadly, not surprising.
But the fact that the question was even asked and answered did at least shine a light on an issue that has been ignored in education for too long: where are the neurodivergent teachers and school leaders, what are their experiences, and do things need to change?
After all, across England’s schools, discussions about inclusion, support and the future of the special educational needs and disabilities system are commonplace - and rightly so, given the level of need that exists and the importance of ensuring that pupils are supported, whatever their needs.
But the frontline reality for teachers with SEND is often entirely overlooked - which is at odds with how the sector talks about the importance of a diverse teaching workforce.
The Department for Education has long emphasised the value of a profession that reflects the communities it serves, and research has consistently highlighted the influence that teachers can have as role models for pupils.
Analysis from the National Foundation for Educational Research has noted that a profession drawing on a wide range of backgrounds and experiences can bring valuable perspectives into schools.
Lack of data
Yet when it comes to neurodevelopmental differences, visibility within the profession remains strikingly limited.
There is no reliable national data on neurodivergent staff working in schools. The DfE’s School Workforce Census records disability status but does not capture neurodivergence specifically.
Population prevalence data, though, makes it evident that neurodevelopmental differences will be present across the profession.
England’s state schools employ close to 1 million people. Estimates used by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence suggest that 3 per cent to 4 per cent of adults have ADHD, while around 1 per cent are autistic.
Even the most conservative of estimates would imply that tens of thousands of people working in England’s state schools have ADHD, are autistic, or both.
In practical terms, this means that an average-sized secondary school will have four or five members of staff with ADHD or who are autistic, while an average-sized primary school will have at least one.
Disclosure dilemma
Of course, some staff will be open about this - but many will choose not to disclose.
For some, this will be simply because they see it as a private matter. But for many others, it may be the case that they have experienced misunderstandings about differences in working style or work in environments where neurodivergence is not well understood.
After all, teaching is a profession that places strong expectations on competence, reliability and authority, and some may worry that disclosure could lead others to question their judgement or capability.
The teacher standards, for example, can look very unforgiving if you are neurodivergent.
But in my experience, the very best schools are made up of individuals whose strengths complement one another. These individuals work in teams, drawing on different strengths, perspectives and professional judgement to meet the needs of the pupils in front of them.
We need a mix of people within the profession if we are to best serve the mix of pupils we teach: the idea of an “ideal teacher” is as misplaced as the idea of an “ideal student”.
Speaking out
For too long, however, teachers who have not fitted what seemed like the desired mould have stayed quiet - although many would have liked to be more vocal.
For example, when I began speaking and writing publicly about my own ADHD while serving as a headteacher, I was completely unprepared for the scale of the response.
What was most striking was the number of people who reached out privately. More than 100 teachers and school leaders messaged me.
Some had been diagnosed in childhood and many as adults, and others were still awaiting an assessment. Very few had disclosed this within their workplace.
Schools exist for young people. But the culture that pupils experience is shaped largely by the adults who work within those environments.
Lived experience alone does not make someone an expert. But when it is combined with professional knowledge and experience in education, it can offer valuable insight.
When pupils encounter teachers who think, learn and experience the world in different ways but succeed within the profession, it can broaden how they understand themselves and what they believe might be possible in their own futures.
If neurodevelopmental differences are present across society, they are almost certainly present across the teaching profession as well.
The question, therefore, is not whether neurodivergent educators exist, but how visible they feel able to be within the culture of the profession.
Big questions to consider
This also raises a wider question: how many neurodivergent educators may already have left the profession after years of trying to adapt to environments that neither played to their strengths nor fully understood the challenges they faced?
How many prospective teachers or school leaders might quietly conclude that the profession is not a place for someone like them?
And if neurodevelopmental differences are already present across the profession, does it matter that they remain largely invisible? If so, what might that tell us about the culture of our schools?
These are questions that, with SEND reform at the top of the educational agenda, deserve discussion.
Chris Benson is a former headteacher who has led schools in the UK and internationally
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