Tom Howard, an autism advocate from Bury St Edmunds, hails ‘major victory’ for neurodivergent students as Government responds to schools petition

A campaigner has hailed a ‘major victory for neurodivergent students’ as the Government responded to his schools training petition.

Tom Howard, an autism advocate from Bury St Edmunds, launched a petition in April calling for neurodiversity training to be mandatory for all teachers and education staff.

It reached the 10,000-signature mark in May, and it has now received a formal response from the Government, which highlighted the expansion of the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme, backed by £22 million in funding.

Tom said this signalled a strong commitment to ensuring neurodivergent pupils receive the support they need in mainstream education. From September, the Government will also enhance teacher training for SEND, focusing on neurodiversity.

“This is an incredible step forward and a win for neurodivergent students,” Tom said.

“The Government’s commitment to expanding the PINS programme and improving teacher training for SEND is a testament to the hard work of everyone who has supported this campaign.

“We’ve proven that the voices of thousands of campaigners can drive real change, and this response shows that progress is possible.”

To date, the petition has more than 18,000 signatures.

Tom emphasised, while the response is a major milestone, there is still more work to do to ensure neurodiversity training is mandatory for all education staff, not just teachers.

He said “While this is fantastic progress, we need to ensure every staff member in schools – whether in primary or secondary education, including teaching assistants, administrative staff, and beyond – receives the training they need to support neurodivergent students.

“We’re not stopping here. The campaign will continue to build momentum until neurodiversity training is a standard in every school across the UK.”

The petition remains opens with a target of 100,000 signatures.

If it reaches this point, the petition would head to Parliament for a debate. Tom said the step forward follows years of campaigning by both individuals and groups.

“Together, we’ve shown that progress is possible, and I believe we’re on the path to making sure every student in every school gets the support they need,” he said.