NAS calls for more autism training for teachers

There is a disconnect between teachers’ confidence in their ability to support autistic pupils and how well those pupils feel supported, new research has found. As part of their Education Report 2023, the National Autistic Society (NAS) commissioned the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) to survey 1428 teachers from 1204 publicly funded schools in England during March this year. 87 per cent of those surveyed said they felt confident supporting autistic pupils. However, previous research for the NAS in 2021 saw 70 per cent of autistic young people say that teachers don’t understand enough about autism, while 54 per cent said having teachers who don’t understand them was the worst thing about school.

The report suggests that the reason for the disconnect is likely to be due to most teachers not having appropriate levels of autism training. The NFER survey found that only 39 per cent of teachers overall (and just 11 per cent of secondary teachers) have had more than half a day of autism training, and that senior leaders were more likely to have received training than classroom teachers. Noting that autism is a spectrum condition, and as such the way in which each child presents can vary greatly, the report states that: ‘It is not possible to have a full understanding of the support needs of all autistic children in just one half-day of training.’ The report recommends that all school staff should receive mandatory autism training delivered by the Autism Education Trust (AET), and also for schools to identify certain staff members to achieve higher qualifications of autism training. It calls on national government to fund the AET to deliver training for all education staff and governors in all schools. (The AET is a not-for-profit partnership between the NAS and Ambitious about Autism).

The report also highlights a range of other issues affecting pupils with autism, and makes a series of other recommendations for schools, local authorities and national government. These include greater use of adjustments, including to the school environment, to reduce anxiety for autistic pupils and help them deal with sensory overload. The NAS also want to see more support for autistic pupils around exams and transitions, whether to other stages of education or into employment. The report also makes a series of recommendations concerning understanding among autistic pupils’ peers, and around the issue of bullying. These include autism awareness being addressed in assemblies and through PSHE classes, and ultimately included in the national curriculum.

Commenting on the report Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union the NAHT, said: ‘Given the prevalence of autism among children and young people, it is vital that all school staff feel able to meet the needs of these pupils, but this is not something that can, or should, be covered through initial teacher training alone. Teachers need access to high-quality training and support throughout their careers. Schools also need specialist external advice and support but too many school leaders tell us that they find it incredibly hard to access that support when they need it.’

A DfE spokesperson said: ‘We recognise more needs to be done to support children with SEND, which is why we are putting significant investment into the high-needs budget, worth £10.1 billion by 2023-24, which is 50 per cent more than four years ago. Within our recently published SEND and AP improvement plan, we set out our vision to improve mainstream education through setting standards for early and accurate identification of need, and timely access to support to meet those needs. We’re also separately developing practice guides to support frontline workers, which will include a practice guide specifically on autism.’

Full NAS Education Report 2023: https://tinyurl.com/43he2tp6