The Department of Education (DE) commissioned the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) to undertake an evaluation of teacher professional learning (TPL) in meeting the special educational needs (SEN) of learners.
The report highlights examples of effective practice, details challenges facing schools and teachers in accessing TPL and identifies areas for consideration to inform policy development and practice. The impact of quality TPL to meet the SEN of the learners should be two-fold: learners should be better supported to make individual progress and teachers, as reflective practitioners, should be better supported to develop further their skills and expertise.
The findings are based on visits to, or engagement with 39 organisations, lesson observations and discussions with learners and key staff, 899 teacher responses with 956 written comments to an online questionnaire about the effectiveness of their TPL for SEN, and evidence from district inspector visits and other evaluations completed by the ETI throughout 2022/23. Inspectors also held discussions with the Education Authority (EA), Initial Teacher Education providers, a range of organisations and specialists and Post-Graduate Certificate of Education student teachers. A sample of the EA’s pre-recorded online courses and live online professional learning sessions were also observed.
ETI thanks all those who contributed to this report.
An evaluation of teacher professional learning in meeting the special educational needs of learners
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