Backed by £9.5m in funding, the Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme – which supports neurodiverse students by training teachers to identify and better meet their needs and improves parental engagement – will be extended for another year across a further 1,200 schools.

Education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said: ‘As part of our Plan for Change, we are determined to fix the broken SEND system and restore the trust of parents by ensuring schools have the tools to better identify and support children before issues escalate to crisis point.'

Through the PINS programme, specialist education and health professionals provide vital training to school staff to better identify conditions and access interventions tailored to their specific needs and to better understand how to interact with neurodivergent children in a supportive way.

Schools are also expected to host termly meetings with parents and carers, allowing them to feedback on the school's approach to supporting children's needs.

Around 1,600 primary schools that have taken part in the programme have reported increased attendance, improved behaviour and better pupil wellbeing.