Sir Alan Steer's latest interim report highlights a strong link between SEN and behavioural problems. He says better teacher training and partnerships between schools are crucial to improving early identification.
Mark Lever, chief executive of the National Autistic Society, welcomed the recommendations. "It is vital teachers receive the right training and resources to enable them to provide appropriate support at the earliest opportunity," he said. "When the right help is in place at the right time, children with autism can and do flourish in school."
Malcolm Trobe, policy director at the Association of School and College Leaders, also supported the recommendations for better SEN training for teachers, as well as the report's praise for behaviour and attendance partnerships.
The government announced this week in its Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill that it wants every school to be part of a behaviour and attendance partnership, which involve schools pooling resources locally to combat bad behaviour.
But Trobe warned that "the government must resist the temptation to issue overly-prescriptive statutory guidance." He said partnerships work best when schools have the freedom to tailor them to fit local needs.
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