SEND in classrooms
4 classroom adjustments for SEND students (that benefit all learners) in successful schools
Welcome to the Curriculum Thinkers newsletter where we share research and resources from the We Are In Beta community.
This is a guest post by School Leader and Maths Teacher, Matthew Wood.
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The bell rings to start lesson changeover.
The projector is working (relief), you’ve collected books and handed out your next starter sheets (well planned), you’re meeting and greeting (relational practice), some students seem a little distant (you clock that), others are downloading their thoughts on arrival (you want to give them your time), you’ve alerted safeguarding about a late arrival (crucial), you’ve praised early settlers (routines established), you’re ready to register them.
Now you can begin teaching the complex and diverse mix of needs in front of you, including those with SEND, which are all detailed on their Pupil Passports, ILPs or EHCPs (or school variation). Most importantly, your students need you to respond with inclusive classroom practice. But of course, this work is also a key focus of the new Ofsted framework.
It’s a lot to manage. So give me an inch, and I’ll happily shout for miles about the brilliance of the profession. Few other professionals repeatedly deliver in these unique squeeze moments. And no other profession truly ‘gets’ what you’re able to pull off each day, even if you lovingly hear, “I couldn’t do what you do!”
To help you learn how others are delivering a truly inclusive education, I’m sharing SEND adjustments that we’re seeing across 30 successful secondary schools with high proportions of SEND students. I’ve broken this research down into three areas.
Over the last couple of weeks, you’ve seen SEND curriculum adjustments and successful whole school SEND collaboration. Today, you’ve got an insider look at effective SEND classroom adjustments.
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4 classroom SEND adjustments to unlock learning
Think back to one of your best lessons, or a cracker you’ve recently observed.
What makes it stand out?
I’d suspect, similarly to me, you’ll recall all students engaged, on task, learning, and enjoying it. Everyone. Regardless of their starting point, SEND needs, or other barriers to learning.
For me, it was an Ofsted lesson when I was teaching PE. The inspector asked me about the student with ADHD listed in my annotated class notes. I pointed out the student on the far side of the room as he led a horseshoe of captivated peers in a warm-up activity he had been assigned to lead. I knew the group. I knew the need. I felt supported by my school and was able to draw on training, curriculum approaches, and whole-school collaboration.
Here’s your snapshot of the research, with 3 SEND classroom adjustments (plus a bonus), I’m seeing across successful schools, which also resonate with me at my best and hopefully help you to unlock learning:
1. Starting with High-Quality Teaching/Quality First Teaching
Here are two principles: Every teacher is a SEND teacher, and High-Quality or Quality First Teaching is inherently adaptive and inclusive.
Inclusion for SEND in the classroom starts with your best teaching being supported and promoted in every classroom. Therefore, the non-negotiable classroom adjustments that are essential for some will always benefit all.
Referred to as a ‘graduated approach’ in more than ten schools, 28 out of the 30 schools referenced High-Quality or Quality First Teaching as the foundation for SEND classroom adjustments. High expectations, ongoing assessment for learning, visual aids, scaffolding, modelling, talk and differentiation support all learners, while being essential for many with SEND.
You’ll benefit from seeing how these strategies are used in different settings within the full research piece.
2. Effectively use learning tools and aids
Schools have access to more technology, classroom tools and learning aids than ever. It was therefore good to see what different schools were using to support SEND students. In addition to the previous review of SEND curriculum adjustments, we can also see what helps learning within the classroom.
Some or all conventional adjustments (including visual aids, coloured paper, larger printing, and overlays) were used across all 30 schools.
Over 20 schools also referenced the broader use of specialist equipment to support SEND in the classroom in their policies and documents. 12 schools were more specific on their use of ICT in the classroom, including Chromebooks, laptops and iPads. In five schools, there was also a reference to assistive technology used to support literacy, including reading pens and immersive reading tools.
In your school, what learning tools and technology are being used effectively?
It will be useful for you to see how schools are using and prioritising learning tools and technology with the full research database.
3. Using other adults well
The stretch in the education sector often sees us wishing for more great adults alongside our students. Anecdotally, looking back to the start of my teaching career, I can see how the same work, with probably a greater need today, is now being completed by fewer people.
It’s true, the numbers don’t add up. But here’s a challenge for you.
Are you making the best use of the adults you do have in your classrooms to support your SEND students?
How can you empower your classroom-based support staff?
Have you assumed your teaching staff know how to best use other adults?
Do your teachers and support staff introduce themselves and interact in lessons, and are other adults encouraged to engage and move around the class?
23 out of 30 schools were clear about their use of in-class support for SEND students.
We looked at the importance of training last time in the snapshot of whole-school collaboration to support SEND. On this topic, I specifically like how one school made a clear reference to building up the knowledge base of their Teaching Assistants. Expertise builds confidence and will increase impact.
I also liked how one school referred to their strategic allocation of adults, based on the staff members’ subject specialism.
This example reminded me of a Teaching Assistant I was lucky enough to have with me in a GCSE maths group. She was completing her own GCSE maths qualification as an adult learner, and her impact on my class and the pupils was huge. For both SEND and non-SEND students, you can imagine the power of having an extra adult who was a teacher, and a learner, and was clearly valued and trusted by the teacher (me) at the front.
A bonus for you: Fair, constructive and adaptive sanctions
We’d be wrong to completely separate classroom culture and behaviour for learning from these SEND classroom and curriculum adjustments. Of course, the two are intricately connected.
I liked how one school had really focused on this aspect of classroom practice with an adaptive approach to sanctions. After all, very little runs super smoothly in the classroom, as our ‘client base’ is not always predictable. Therefore, how your school approaches those inevitable bumps in the road is critical to the learning in your classrooms.
The school itemises examples of specific supportive learning strategies and links them to examples of adjustments to their behaviour policy. Super clear and very practical. Get the case study here.
If this work interests you, we’ve got another recent research piece looking at this crossover between curriculum and behaviour for learning: How to create positive classroom environments - learning from 30 schools achieving success for disadvantaged students.
Would someone else find this helpful?
Developing SEND classroom adjustments in your school
Here are some questions to think about:
How often are the ‘nuts and bolts’ of High-Quality Teaching tightened for your new and existing staff?
What classroom learning tools are working, what needs to be used more, and what needs to be used less?
Have you shared expectations for best practice collaboration between teachers and other adults in the classroom? Would this be a valuable training session?
Access the full analysis and download SEND and curriculum resources from a single database
To help you find schools like yours and strategies you can apply, we’ve created a sortable and filterable directory* of SEND resources.
*Access
Lite version here: SEND strategies without resources or named schools
Premium version here: SEND strategies, resources and named schools.
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Access a bank of SEND and curricular resources
To save you the 8 days it took us to research, curate and analyse the work happening at these schools we’ve pooled resources into single drive below.
Further SEND reading and listening
SEND policies: analysis of examples from successful secondary schools
Creating Truly Inclusive Learning Environments: Practical Strategies from SEND Leaders
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