Just how prepared is the FE and skills sector to create SEND-inclusive learning environments? This is the question Siobhan Dawson answers in her article for inTuition - ETF's membership exclusive quarterly journal for members.
While always important, inclusion has recently become a significant priority within the further education (FE) and skills sector. With the new Ofsted toolkit placing greater emphasis on inclusion, alongside increasing numbers of learners with SEND accessing mainstream post-compulsory provision (Natspec, 2024), FE professionals are increasingly expected to create inclusive learning environments while navigating workload, funding and policy pressures. The question then is: what support can be offered to support those front-line staff?
In the spirit of the Carter review (Department for Education (DfE), 2015), ‘we are all teachers of SEND’, and over the past decade there has been a marked shift towards adaptive practice being the key strategy to support inclusion, rather than earlier ideal objectives that focused on differentiation and specialist support.
This idea of broader SEND inclusion has been reinforced further through the recent Every Child Achieving and Thriving white paper (DfE, 2026), which places increasing emphasis on developing inclusive mainstream provision, earlier intervention and adaptive teaching approaches.
The policy direction is clear and increasingly positions SEND inclusion not as a specialist function, but as part of the everyday professional responsibility of all staff within the FE and skills sector. This broader idea of inclusion has wider implications, which might be linked to the recruitment and retention crisis in FE, and the sector’s increasing reliance on vocational industry specialists entering education-based roles (ETF, 2022).
From experience working within FE and skills initial teacher education, many FE professionals enter the profession from industry backgrounds and often find themselves teaching or working in support roles before completing formal teaching qualifications. This creates a significant workforce challenge for the sector as professionals are increasingly expected to create inclusive classrooms, often within complex vocational environments, without sufficient preparation.
In light of the government’s recent pledge for £200 million to reform SEND teacher training (DfE, 2026), I sought to examine the extent to which current approaches to inclusion supported SEND awareness in teachers and how to develop this to meet the needs of the workforce at my college.
Using a qualitative case study approach, I began by exploring professional preparedness for inclusive practice within FE and skills settings by focusing on the trainees who were participating in our own teacher training courses (a general FE college in north-west England). With institutional agreement in place, 14 trainee teachers from a variety of subject disciplines including construction and SEND, participated in the research.
Case study data was collected through a combination of online questionnaires, direct reflections from teachers’ practice, and focus group interviews, where trainees were able to discuss their experiences of creating SEND-inclusive spaces within their own disciplines. Data was sampled to present a cross-section of participant demographics to support wider transferability.
Using thematic analysis, several key themes emerged, relating to staff confidence, workload, practical adaptation and the tension between theoretical discussions of inclusion and the realities of creating SEND-inclusive spaces (Dawson, 2025).
One of the clearest findings from this research was that FE staff often perceive SEND inclusion through two competing lenses: inclusion as professional value and inclusion as practical challenge. Staff frequently described inclusive classrooms as environments that were ‘safe’, ‘welcoming’ and ‘supportive’, yet discussions also revealed anxieties around adapting teaching appropriately while maintaining high expectations for all learners.
Interestingly, many of the barriers discussed were not linked to unwillingness but uncertainty. The sector wants to support all learners but perhaps the practicalities seem like an obstacle, and this can cause anxiety for professionals.
Webster (2022) argues that inclusive practice can become an ‘illusion’ when systems appear inclusive in principle but fail to meaningfully support participation in practice. My research was extended recently during the ETF Spring Conference in Leeds, where I presented my initial findings.
Professional discussions with colleagues highlighted that, while staff understand the need for inclusive environments, it becomes increasingly difficult considering the pressures of time, training or institutional support. This aligns with Warnes et al (2022), who identified that many mainstream professionals experience uncertainty regarding inclusive education due to perceived gaps in training and support.
A recurring finding, across both the research and later conference discussions, was therefore the need for more contextualised and defined training. Theoretical training activities delivered around generic inclusion were often viewed as less useful than seeing adaptive teaching modelled within vocational environments. Staff responded most positively to practical examples, collaborative discussion and opportunities to see examples of practical strategies.
One of the most impactful discussions at the conference centred around the importance of asking learners directly what supports their learning. Colleagues repeatedly reflected that inclusive practice became more effective when assumptions were replaced with dialogue and collaboration.
This simple but powerful idea reframed inclusion away from labels and towards relationships, communication and adaptive teaching. Collaboration could be the key to building towards a more defined inclusive approach. Professionals consistently viewed inclusive practice as a shared responsibility involving curriculum staff, SEND teams, learning support assistants and learners themselves. However, conversations also revealed concerns around inconsistent processes, unclear referral systems and limited opportunities for collaborative reflection.
Inclusive practice must become a shared workforce responsibility. From entering the sector, FE and skills staff would benefit from tangible resources that support a shared language and vision regarding SEND inclusive practice.
Practical professional development is more impactful than theory alone. Planning meaningful CPD opportunities, which better cement the nature of inclusion and allow for immersion into SEND inclusive environments, could better support staff confidence.
Workload and resourcing significantly affect inclusive practice. Realistic recommendations could focus on protected time for cross-departmental collaboration, so that all staff benefit from practical strategies presented by SEND experts.
A consistent approach to language pertaining to SEND is needed. The ETF’s Specialist Status in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SSSEND) provides a recognised benchmark for inclusive excellence, strengthening professional practice.
There are clear implications for workforce development that go beyond amending the existing teacher training offer to assist all who work within the FE and skills sector. The recommendations suggest that the sector can better support SEND-inclusive classrooms through a more consistent, collaborative and practice-based approach to inclusive education.
A key priority is ensuring that all professionals working within FE and skills settings have access to meaningful SEND-focused professional development that moves beyond theoretical understanding and supports the practical application of inclusive strategies within vocational and academic contexts. In this context, inclusion feels less of a burden and more an embedded feature of everyday practice.
Clearer institutional systems and processes surrounding SEND identification, referrals and support mechanisms are also essential, enabling staff to feel confident in accessing appropriate guidance and responding effectively to learner needs.
The findings further emphasise the importance of a shared responsibility model of inclusion, where teachers, support staff, managers and SEND specialists work collaboratively to create adaptive, learner-centred environments that promote participation and achievement for all learners. While perhaps unrealistic at present, addressing systemic barriers such as workload pressures, limited time for training, large class sizes and restricted SEND-focused resources would provide professionals with greater capacity to implement meaningful inclusive practices.
Most importantly, the findings from my research suggest that vocational inclusion requires contextualised, profession-specific workforce development rather than generic SEND awareness alone. If inclusive practice is now viewed as part of mainstream professional identity, workforce development must move beyond compliance-driven approaches and towards sustained, practical and collaborative professional learning.
Creating SEND-inclusive classrooms is not simply about meeting policy requirements – it is about developing confident professionals who can remove barriers to learning while maintaining high expectations for all learners within diverse and increasingly complex classroom environments.
Department for Education. (2015) Carter review of Initial Teacher Training. See: gov.uk/government/publications/carter-review-of-initial-teacher-training
Department for Education. (2026) Every Child Achieving and Thriving. London: Department for Education. See: gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-achieving-and-thriving/every-child-achieving-and-thriving-html-version
Dawson S. (2025) Supporting inclusion in post-compulsory education: Developing trainee lecturer skills. Support for Learning 40(4): 272-276.
Education and Training Foundation. (2022) Further education workforce data for England: Staff individualised record (SIR) 2020/21. See: etfoundation.co.uk/media/rq1freft/etf003_teacher_report_v6.pdf
Natspec. (2024) Key facts 2024: SEND in further education. See: natspec.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Key-facts-2024.pdf
Warnes E, Done EJ and Knowler H. (2022) Mainstream teachers’ concerns about inclusive education for children with special educational needs and disability in England under pre-pandemic conditions. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs 22(1): 31-43.
Webster R. (2022) The Inclusion Illusion. UCL Press.
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