University of Chichester praised for teacher training

Jess Brown-Fuller, MP for Chichester, raised the university’s methods in the Commons and invited Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson to visit the campus.

The exchange followed the publication of the government’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) White Paper, which proposes expanded teacher training and a new pool of SEND experts for schools.

Ms Brown-Fuller said: "The government’s White Paper talks about having an 'expert teacher' in every room.

"That is certainly a problem in the profession, with one in three teachers leaving after five years of service.

"Chichester University has created a teacher training programme that embeds inclusivity at the root of every module rather than teaching it as a separate module.

"Will the Secretary of State join me in Chichester to talk to the faculty leading that programme so that every child in this country can benefit from that sort of teaching?"

Ms Phillipson said she was "certainly interested" in learning more about the university’s work and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to reviewing initial teacher training standards.

The MP last visited the university in January to discuss the challenges facing children with SEND and how educators are being equipped to support a wider range of needs.

Following the Commons exchange, she sent a letter to Ms Phillipson to reinforce her invitation and highlight the urgent need for change.

In her letter, Ms Brown-Fuller said: "Reform of our broken special educational needs and disabilities system is long overdue.

"Many schools in my constituency have reported being overstretched and under-resourced, leaving them unable to provide the meaningful SEND provision that parents and children are so desperately calling out for.

"It is therefore vital that [the government’s] measures genuinely strengthen the system and deliver the sustained, practical support that schools require to meet the needs of every child."