Education Minister Peter Weir has today published an enhanced autism training programme for teachers and the wider educational workforce.
The newly enhanced Training Framework will be delivered online with support provided by the Education Authority (EA) and Middletown Centre of Autism (MCA) with separate courses specifically tailored for Early Years, Primary and Post Primary.
Speaking at Belvoir primary school where he visited their Social Communication Provision. Peter Weir said: “The number of children and young people with autism in our schools continues to increase and we have a responsibility to deliver services that can meet their needs.
“It is a privilege to see at first hand the great work that is carried out in schools such as Belvoir primary school, to support pupils with autism.
“The enhanced training programme will provide all members of the educational community with a clear understanding of policies, procedures and obligations, ensuring pupils with autism have the best educational outcomes.
“I am confident that the Enhanced Framework is an important step in addressing identified gaps in current autism training provision for staff. I will keep the uptake of training under review as the programme rolls out to ensure it remains fit for purpose and with the aim of training for all.”
The framework has been developed to equip all teachers, including trainee teachers and Classroom Assistants, with a range of strategies and skills which will enable them to manage the needs of all children, including those with Special Educational Needs (SEN), within the classroom.
Notes to editors:
- The framework has been developed to equip trainee teachers during Initial Teacher Education with a range of strategies and skills which will enable them to manage the needs of all children, including those with Special Educational Needs (SEN), within the classroom. It will also provide access to all teachers and the educational workforce to support them from induction/early professional development to continuous professional development.
- The new training offer, which will be available online, is a hybrid model based on the existing offer from statutory training providers (EA & MCA) to address the differing needs of teachers depending on their own stage of development and their own needs.
- Through this collaboration, professional development is provided at various incremental levels, across a continuum of autism related need with content tailored for ITE, new teachers to more experienced practitioners in Early Years, Primary and Post Primary sectors.
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The registration is via the RTU Training handbook or the direct registration link for Post-Primary Tier 1 training. Further online training for Tier 1 and Tier 2 Early Years, Primary and Post Primary will be made available over the coming months.
- Pictured are (l-r); Education Minister, Peter Weir, Michael Morrow, who is part of the Education Authority's Autism Advisory & Intervention Service, Peer Educator team who has been actively involved in developing the Tier 1 programme with EA, providing the voiceover for the online training and Belvoir Primary School, Principal, Niky Watson.
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