Supporting inclusion in post‐compulsory education: Developing trainee lecturer skills

Abstract This article examines the current proposed initial teacher education (ITE) qualification framework from the perspective of pre‐service vocational post‐compulsory lecturers regarding the need to develop SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) inclusive classrooms. Considering the current post‐compulsory staffing crisis, general further education colleges are often choosing to employ industry subject specialists with little/no teaching experience to deliver entry‐level courses, often to learners with marked SEND needs. Due to the growing proportion of SEND learners choosing mainstream post‐compulsory educational providers, an analysis of the ways that these trainee teachers are prepared through their additional professional study is called for. Employing a desk‐based research approach, supported with a literature review, which ties together the seemingly disparate threads of the post‐compulsory teacher training curriculum and SEND enrolment data, this study shows that the current post‐compulsory teacher training qualifications need adaptations to support trainee teachers. With many lecturers only starting their teacher training after a period of employment, there is a disparity when perceiving inclusion theoretically versus practically. While equality, diversity and inclusion are a key factor in the ITE core content framework, the lack of strategies to support SEND learners within skill‐based subject specialisms is potentially a barrier to SEND inclusion.