Continuing Professional Development

SEND

Department for Education: New SEND and Inclusion Training Materials

September 2026

The Department for Education has published the first set of SEND In-House Training Materials to support schools and post-16 settings in delivering professional development on SEND and inclusion. The training materials form part of the government's wider commitment to strengthening support for children and young people with SEND and are designed to help settings build staff knowledge, confidence and understanding of inclusive practice.

The free, editable materials include structured training content, facilitator guidance, practical strategies and activities for discussion and reflection. They are designed to reduce the time needed to develop training materials locally and leaders can tailor them to their setting and use them during INSET days, staff meetings, staff development days and wider professional development programmes. Informed by Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) guidance and developed with Ambition Institute, the new SEND CPD materials are free, adaptable and available in separate versions for schools and post-16 settings. The materials complement other SEND professional development opportunities.

This first set of materials covers:

  • Introduction to proposed SEND reforms and inclusive teaching
  • Introduction to Areas of Development
  • Speech, Language and Communication Development
  • Supporting guidance for leaders and facilitators

Access the right materials for your setting

Further materials will be available from January 2027 and April 2027, including further Areas of Development, practical teaching resources, case studies and professional development support materials.

Early Years SEND CPD - Dingley's Promise

Funded Early Years SEND CPD courses from Dingley’s Promise are flexible online courses to be completed at a time which suits you. Benefitting from a whole setting approach, the courses will look at strategies and information to help you unlock the potential of each unique child. Full of reflective activities and practical case studies the courses have everything you will need to develop your inclusive approach.

  • Delivered by Dingley’s Promise – specialist SEND early years provider with over 40 years experience
  • Flexible content which can be completed remotely at your own pace
  • Interactive and engaging learning content with practical activities and opportunities to reflect on practice
  • Additional partner content from specialist sector partners
  • Funded by the Department for Education for every early years educator across England to build confidence and skills in inclusive practice

Find out more here: Dingley's Promse - Early Years SEND CPD

Inclusive Practice Hub

Searchable case studies on inclusive practice

https://www.wholeschoolsend.org.uk/page/inclusive-practice-hub

“The Inclusive Practice Hub brings together research, case studies and practical strategies for improving SEND provision – in the classroom and across whole-school planning. Whether you’re reviewing what’s in place or exploring next steps, you’ll find clear, evidence-based guidance to support action and impact.”

Designed as a living library of practitioner-led case studies from schools and colleges, the Inclusive Practice Hub enables you to explore detailed examples showing how inclusive practice has been implemented, developed, and sustained in real settings.

You can use the search and filters to explore the Hub, for example:

  • Looking to improve attendance? Filter by “Increased attendance” to see how others have approached this.
  • Locusing on supporting reading across the curriculum in a secondary setting? Search for “reading” and filter by phase to find examples of practice in this area.

The Hub will continue to grow over time, with new case studies added to reflect practice across the sector.

National Association for Special Educational Needs (nasen)

The National Association for Special Educational Needs (nasen) is a charitable membership organisation that exists to support and champion those working with, and for, children and young people with SEND and learning differences.

They do this by providing free resources and support for all members, leading targeted programmes and projects to deliver widespread improvements, offering a structured programme of professional development, accredited training and conferences as well as a package of SEND services throughout the UK and internationally. 

Nasen membership is free to UK individuals. 

Find out more and register here: About nasen

Early Years SEND training from nasen – available between September 2026 and February 2027

https://nasen.org.uk/events

Click on the image below to view the flyer

Whole School SEND

Whole School SEND provides free, easy access to quality-assured information, resources and CPD to support a whole school approach to inclusion.

As a Department for Education funded contract, Whole School SEND’s work and resources are free to access and include webinars, CPD units, interactive toolkits, online forums and blog posts.

Visit the website and register for free here: About Whole School SEND (WSS) | Whole School SEND

Details of the WSS regional leads for the East of England Region can be found here: East of England | Whole School SEND

There is a wide range of online CPD available via the Whole School SEND website including:

Access Anytime

EEF Guidance Report: SEN in Mainstream Schools

EEF Guidance Report: SEN in Mainstream Schools DfE statistics on pupils with SEN document the year-on-year increase in the number of pupils with special educational needs. Meeting the needs of these pupils presents a significant, and increasing, challenge for schools. It is not surprising, therefore, that the EEF Special Education Needs in Mainstream Schools G…

EEF Guidance Report: SEN in Mainstream Schools
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