Dame Caroline Dinenage, Member of Parliament for Gosport, has championed improved SEND training for teachers in mainstream education.
Caroline spoke in a Westminster Hall debate on SEND provision, where she asked Education Minister Catherine McKinnell to introduce the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training for education staff.
The Training was shortlisted for an NHS Parliamentary Award in the Excellence in Education and Training category on the same day.
At the debate, Caroline also raised the importance of early identification of autistic pupils and those with a learning disability, citing the growing number of autistic pupils who are persistently absent from school. She asked the Minister to consider how the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training could reverse this trend by equipping teachers with the skills and confidence to support their neuro-divergent pupils.
The debate was also an opportunity for Caroline to voice the worries of many of her constituents that Labour’s VAT hike on independent schools will mean they can no longer afford specialised education provision for their neurodivergent children.
As a Health and Care Minister, Caroline started work to introduce the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training after meeting Paula McGowan. Her son Oliver, after whom the training was named, sadly died in hospital after being given a “chemical restraint” that caused him to develop Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS). Oliver was autistic, and had tried to communicate to medical staff that he would have an adverse reaction to these drugs.
The training, which is delivered by learning disabled and autistic people is now the Government’s preferred method of ensuring health and care staff have the tools to adapt their communication skills. 87% say that it has improved the way they interact with autistic patients and those with learning disabilities.
Speaking after the debate, Caroline said:
“Parents of autistic children and children with learning disabilities in my constituency of Gosport, Lee on the Solent, Stubbington, and Hill Head, want their children to have the best possible experience of education.
“I know that currently there are not enough SEND places, and matters are compounded because those children do not have the confidence in teachers in mainstream education to adapt their communication to their needs.
“With even more children with SEND being forced into mainstream education due to Labour’s independent school VAT hike, it’s vital that our hard working and dedicated teachers are given the right training to identify autistic pupils and pupils with learning disabilities, and to deal with their particular needs.
“I hope that the Minister considers the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training for this purpose, which has proven so effective in health and care settings.”
ENDS
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You can watch Caroline’s contribution to the debate at https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/42dd648b-7787-4e02-9cb5-423f11b18bf3?in=15:28:28.