Cracking the code: reflections on implications for teacher education and professional formation 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 personalization, 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 the familiarization with the ongoing debate in 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.