Cracking the Code: reflections on the implications for teacher education and professional formation in England following the introduction of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 2014

This discursive article considers implications
for teacher education in England following the
introduction of the new Special Educational Needs
and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice (CoP) 2014.
Tailored training to increase skills in differentiation
and personalisation, as well as the skills required
to lead effective review meetings for children with
SEND and their families, may be one response.
However, the article argues that rather than
viewing the Code merely as a manual, a critical
engagement with its messages and intentions may
better prepare beginning teachers to meet the
demands and expectations articulated within. One
such example is familiarisation with the ongoing
debate in the literature about shortcomings in
partnership working. By considering the SEND
Code of Practice from the vantage points of
professionalism and professional ethics, and by
discussing contested conceptions of professional
identity as well as personal responses to
uncertainty, complexity and dilemmas, teacher
educators can support individuals to draw on
resources beyond prescriptive guidance and SEND
awareness training for professional formation.