Researchers have questioned whether “shortcomings” in teacher training are fuelling teacher shortages in special schools.
Analysis from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) has found that 19 per cent of teachers joining special schools in 2022-23 came from initial teacher training (ITT), compared with around a third in primary and secondary schools.
Most of the remaining special school teachers joined from other special schools or from the primary or secondary sectors.
In a blog on its findings, the NFER said this difference could be down to a lack of a focused route for teaching pupils in specialist settings.
Improving ‘flow of trainees’ into special schools
It recommends that policymakers and sector leaders assess the extent to which the lower numbers of teachers going directly from ITT into special schools is because of “shortcomings in the existing ITT system” and that officials should “consider options to improve the flow of trainees into special schools”.
A Tes investigation last year revealed that around two-thirds of teachers surveyed across both primary and secondary said their training did not prepare them to meet the needs of pupils in any of the main areas of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The NFER blog said a radical option would be to set up an ITT route with courses specifically for trainees who want to teach children in specialist settings.
However, it added that this could risk giving the impression that teaching children with SEND is somehow fundamentally different to educating other children.
The findings published today are the second in a two-part series.
A blog published last week found that special schools in England face “more severe” teacher shortages than the average state school, with the worst shortages concentrated in alternative provision (AP) settings.
The NFER also calls on the government to do more to include special schools in its workforce planning and targets.
It highlights how the Department for Education does not have a target for ITT recruitment for special schools, nor do existing targets “explicitly account for the needs of special schools”.
It adds that the existing system “seems to rely on teachers developing experience with SEND pupils in the mainstream sector before moving to special schools”.
The blog recommends that the DfE should conduct more deliberate workforce planning for special schools and AP.
It adds that special schools should be included when determining overall teacher needs and that the department should account for the flow of teachers from different ITT courses into special schools when setting targets.
Special schools ‘vital’ part of education
Michael Scott, senior economist at NFER and the blog’s author, said: “Special schools and their teachers are a vital part of the education landscape in England.
“Given the challenge special schools face recruiting enough teachers, it is surprising that the Department for Education does not directly account for the workforce needs of special schools in ITT recruitment targets, nor the flow of teachers from ITT routes into special schools when calculating those targets.
“It should do so going forward.”
The analysis of 2022-23 data showed that 79 per cent of trainees in special schools had done a primary ITT course, with the remaining 21 per cent in secondary.
The blog added that reliance on special schools for teachers trained in primary ITT could cause problems in future.
It added that although ITT recruitment into primary subjects has generally been healthy over the past decade, the postgraduate recruitment target has been missed for the last three years.
Special schools have lower teacher turnover rate
The blog also found that special schools had a slightly lower turnover rate (measured from November 2022 to November 2023) than primary and secondary schools.
Around 15 per cent of teachers in special schools in November 2022 left the school within a year, compared with 17 per cent in primary and 18 per cent in secondary.
Emma Hollis, CEO of the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers, described the NFER recommendation as an “important and interesting observation”.
She added: “As with many aspects of ITT and teacher recruitment, the reality is likely to be more nuanced than simply a ‘shortcoming’ of the ITT system.”
Ms Hollis told Tes that the lower proportion of teachers moving directly from ITT into special schools may be down to a range of factors, “including employer preferences for staff with prior experience in mainstream settings, as well as new entrants choosing to gain broader classroom experience before specialising in SEND.”
She added: “As the authors [of the blog] suggest, what’s needed next is a careful and evidence-led exploration by policymakers to fully understand the drivers behind these figures, rather than assumptions about where the challenges lie.”
James Noble Rogers, executive director of the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers, said some new teachers may prefer to gain experience in mainstream school settings before seeking employment in special schools.
He added: “Most ITT placements are in mainstream primary and secondary rather than special schools, and this will be having an impact as well.
“The scope to use special schools for placements has not always been clear in the past, and although there has been some clarification in recent years, I think that the DfE and Ofsted could have a role to play in making it clear to ITT providers the extent to which they can use special schools for placements.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said: ”Our landmark Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will ensure that children have qualified teachers at the front of their classrooms driving high and rising standards.
“Work has also already begun, as part of our Plan for Change, to recruit an additional 6,500 expert teachers, including making £233m available next year to encourage more talented people into the classroom. We are committed to resetting the relationship with the education workforce and working alongside them to re-establish teaching as an attractive, expert profession.”
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