Reported figures have suggested that 33% of students in the UK with Education Health Care Plans have autism listed as their primary type of need, amounting to 132,200 students (Department for Education, 2024). Despite a drive by policymakers for autistic students to be included in mainstream classrooms (e.g., SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan, 2023), there has been a lack of appropriate support for staff and students leading to challenges when teaching (Costello & Boyle, 2013; Department for Education, 2018; Humphrey & Symes, 2013; Symes & Humphrey, 2011).
Equipping trainee teachers with the knowledge of Autism needed to support pupils in mainstream secondary schools within England is a project aiming to develop a better understanding amongst academics and education professional of the challenges experienced by stakeholders when training teachers with the knowledge needed to support Autistic pupils in the classroom. A targeted academic literature review that summarises the current evidence base on the topic of teacher training on Autism within UK higher education institutions is being developed.
In September 2025, an expert round-table event with key stakeholders within the education sector (headteachers, SENCOs, teacher trainee mentors, and teacher trainees) was facilitated to enable knowledge exchange, the sharing of best practice, and identified challenges to teachers having the knowledge of Autism needed to support autistic pupils in the classroom.
It is hoped that findings from the event will inform the teacher training curricula and provision delivered by BCU, as well as identify priority areas for future research and intervention. An action plan will also be developed that seeks to address challenges and take forward solutions identified at the external engagement event.
The event provided an opportunity for best practice taking place at BCU, to be shared by the faculty, and for the faculty to learn from best practice at other institutions.
Knowledge gained from the project will be disseminated to the stakeholders who attended the event, local schools and other higher education institutions delivering teacher training and therefore have a positive impact on BCU students, and ultimately positively impact the support provided to autistic pupils within mainstream education.
Research team
The research team comprises of Dr Tina Collins (Birmingham City University), and Dr Josephine Chishty-Collins (Royal Holloway University) with each bringing valuable interdisciplinary expertise. Their research spans areas such as education inequalities, intellectual disabilities, autism, psychology, vulnerable populations, and safeguarding.
Contact
For further information on the project, please contact tina.collins@bcu.ac.uk.