Cowes Enterprise College - CPD Journal 2023 by Cowes Enterprise College

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CPD Journal 2022 2023

Foreword by Rachel Kitley

Introduction by Mark

Palmer

What is Adaptive Teaching?

What Survival Looks Like in Secondary School

Director and Deputy Director Overviews

Action Research: Supporting Students with SEND:

1. Create a positive and supportive environment for all pupils without exception

2. Build an ongoing, holistic understanding of your pupils and their needs

3. Ensure all pupils have access to high quality teaching

4. Complement high quality teaching with carefully selected small-group and one-toone interventions

5. Work effectively with teaching assistants

Page 3

Page 4

Pages 5 to 6

Pages 7 to 11

Pages 12 to 33

Pages 34 to 57

Pages 58 to 97

Pages 98 to 125

Pages 126 to 139

Pages 140 to 147

Foreword

Rachel Kitley Principal

In September 2023 more than 1,250 CEC pupils will enter their next academic year. Some will be right at the start of their journey with us. Some will be starting to think about their options for KS4. Others will be nearing GCSE exams or finishing sixth form and thinking of their next step.

This CPD journal is for them. Without pupils, there is no Cowes Enterprise College, no teachers, no support staff. The work of everyone at Cowes Enterprise College is defined by the children that we serve. Their future is our purpose and the purpose of everyone who works across the Ormiston

As it stands today in September 2023, we do not know what that future will hold. Our academy serves a unique community and many of the things that can make life different for us here we cannot change.

However, at its very heart education is about making the future different from the past. While we cannot know the future, we are fundamentally full of hope. In the face of uncertainty, we can give our pupils the greatest armament our species has ever created: deep and lasting knowledge and skill.

We are lucky that we are building this commitment on the shoulders of our 125 staff. Each and every one has chosen to work where there are educational challenges. No one should question the dedication and moral purpose of our colleagues. This CPD journal is about harnessing that broad passion and making it razor sharp. We are grateful that so many members of our staff have shaped this journal.

This journal is our promise to those children of 2023 and beyond. It is our promise that we will pull together to use our combined expertise and the latest research, documented in this journal, to solve problems that haven’t been solved before. We will take hard decisions and we will not accept the status quo.

We must succeed, because these are not just other people’s children. They are also our children. Not even one should be allowed to fail while there is more we could have done to change their story.

Introduction

Across the academic year 2022-23, teaching staff at Cowes Enterprise College have been relentlessly focused on the principles of adaptive teaching.

It’s always been important that we adapt our teaching to the needs of the learners in front of us, needs which can be different for a variety of reasons. Adaptive teaching is vital. When we get it right, our students are engaged and make progress.

Colleagues selected an area of SEND from one of the following categories:

Cognition and Learning

Sensory and/or physical needs

Communication and interaction

Social, Emotional and Mental Health

They then selected a learner from one of their classes who had the need that they had selected. For the purposes of the action research, it was accepted that some learners may have needs in more than one of the areas, however, this was an attempt to cut through some of the complexities and focus on one area. Of course, the learner would be affected by their other needs too, but looking at them individually was intended to make it easier to identify strategies, test them, and judge their effectiveness.

Thinking was informed by the work of the Education Endowment Foundation and the results of the action research is included in this journal.

Directors and Deputy Directors have provided an overview of the work on adaptive teaching that has been undertaken in their areas.

The Education Endowment Foundation recommends five strategies aimed at supporting students with SEND, and these have been used to broadly categorise the results, although it should be noted that this has been done on a ‘best fit’ basis. Like the SEND needs that are the focus of the research, the results often fit into more than one area.

Thank you to all colleagues at Cowes Enterprise College who have contributed to this journal, which we hope will be a useful document for everyone who works with students to dip into on an ongoing basis, to find tried and tested ideas and inspiration to support the development of our vital, ongoing work on adaptive teaching.

Special thanks to James Milligan for his tenacity and attention to detail, and to Kira Thorogood for her dedication and creativity in the production of this journal.

Mark Palmer

July 2023

What is adaptive teaching?

The term ‘adaptive teaching’, especially as set out in the Early Career Framework, resets our expectations about what it means to differentiate, and it offers a more helpful and practical model.

For a start, it is what you think it is: being responsive to information about learning, then adjusting teaching to better match pupil need. In that respect, it’s a helpful term that does what it says on the tin.

Having a full understanding of every child is extremely important in adaptive teaching. Time needs to be diverted to identifying reasons for learning struggles, not just the struggles themselves. As such, pupils’ physical, social, and emotional well-being, including their relationships with peers and trusted adults, are fundamental.

The Early Career Framework requires teachers to provide opportunities for all pupils to experience success by:

• Seeking to understand pupils’ differences, including their different levels of prior knowledge and potential barriers to learning, is an essential part of teaching

• Identifying pupils who need new content further broken down

• Balancing input of new content so that pupils master important concepts

• Planning to connect new content with pupils’ existing knowledge or providing additional pre-teaching if pupils lack critical knowledge

• Making use of formative assessment

• Adapting lessons, whilst maintaining high expectations for all, so that all pupils have the opportunity to meet expectations

Diagnosing Need

The success of adapting teaching lies in careful diagnostic assessment, in order to avoid prescriptive and inflexible delivery.

The diagnosis/prognosis paradigm sits at the heart of great teaching and underpins what most would recognise as formative assessment. Ultimately, to know how best to teach pupils we need some understanding of what they are bringing to the classroom: of how their prior knowledge might lead to pre- and misconceptions, to what extent they are ready to encounter new information, and whether they are motivated to learn and succeed. With this information, teachers can adapt their practice, altering the level of challenge and support with which tasks are set, ensuring all pupils can acquire new knowledge and skills without being overwhelmed.

This does not mean that teachers should design separate tasks or teach alternative content to pupils of different attainment levels, but rather use diagnostic information to make small, regular changes to practice, addressing errors and targeting areas for improvement through appropriate levels of scaffolding, support and challenge. This approach to adaptive teaching and assessment is integral to high quality teaching. It informs targeted teacher support, flexible grouping and planned cooperative learning. Scaffolding aims to provide students with temporary supports that are gradually removed or ‘faded out’ as they become increasingly independent. It is a common component of guided practice within instruction. Teachers are used to the idea of first, now, next- building the bigger picture and making connections for learning.

SEND

High quality teaching is crucial to the progress of pupils with SEND and teachers are vital orchestrators of ‘assess, plan, do, review’ – the graduated response process detailed within the SEND Code of Practice. This is the first step in identifying barriers and developing strategies to support all pupil, including those with SEND.

Adaptive teaching strategies sit firmly at the heart of this: adapting planning prior to the lesson and adjusting practice during the lesson.

Adapted from the following EEF Blogs: Moving from ‘differentiation’ to ‘adaptive teaching’ by Jon Eaton Assess, adjust, adapt – what does adaptive teaching mean to you? By Kirsten Mould

Exploring the evidence: ‘Adaptive Teaching’ and Effective Diagnostic Assessment by Harry Madgwick

What Survival Looks Like in Secondary School

The website www.innerworldwork.co.uk has produced a number of resources to support parents, carers, teachers and students. Whilst their work is particularly focused around children who have experienced trauma, their work on ‘survival mode’ can usefully be applied to students with a variety of SEND needs.

The following is an attempt to capture what happens in the head of a young person who finds themselves struggling to survive in an often unsympathetic world. It provides a fascinating insight.

It’s written by

Mark Thorley and Helen Townsend

When I was younger, wires got connected in the wrong places. I often think and feel like I am under attack, even when I’m very safe. This is when my brain activates survival mode to protect me.

Sometimes I won’t even know that I have gone into survival mode, I probably won’t be able to tell you what feels wrong. It has happened so often for such a long time, that this part of my brain is now incredibly strong and it controls the calm parts of my brain. I find it difficult to turn it off by myself.

But why do you need to know this?

The part of my brain that is activated to help me survive, is different from the part of my brain that is activated when I am calm. I can only learn properly when the calm part of my brain is activated. When I am in a survival state – which is often – it takes over from my calm brain and I cannot learn. If I don’t feel safe, you will find it very hard to teach me.

The problem is, it can be hard to see when I am in a survival state. I look very different to how I feel on the inside and often I can remain in survival mode for so long, that it seems like part of my personality.

The truth is I would really appreciate your help to feel safe so I can learn. I need you to see that I am in a survival state and it’s not a personality trait. I do want to learn, I do want to feel ok and I do want to fit in but I cannot do that in school without support.

Freeze

What I look like in Freeze

• Bored

• Distracted

• Not listening

• Not moving to where I am supposed to be

• Standing still/sitting still (hanging about)

• Quickly looking around, scanning the room

• Wide eyed, my pupils might dilate

• ‘Drugged’- zoned out

What I am aware of in Freeze

• My heart is beating faster

• My breathing is faster

• My brain is slowing down

• Background noises (I can hear what is around me without focusing)

• The tone of voices rather than words, listening for threats of danger

• I am under attack

• Terrified

• I need to get ready to protect myself

• Body language cues, looking for where the attack may come from

• My immediate surroundings and where the danger or escape route is

How my body feels in Freeze

• Under attack

• Ready to fight and defend myself

• Very scared

• My pulse rate is going up

• My muscles are tensing, my hands might clench into fists

• Some sounds are louder and some more distant, I can’t focus on what is being said but I can hear intonation and where the threats could be from the tone of your voice

What’s happening in my Inner World

• I am a failure

• I’m not as good as everyone else here

• I am not worth bothering with

• I hate myself

• I need to get somewhere safe

• I am an outsider, I don’t belong

• I can’t do this and you will single me out when you realize

• You will all laugh at me

• I am humiliated, embarrassed

• I’m scared

• I am out of my depth, I’m drowning

You can help me feel safe with the following

• Don’t stand over me if I am struggling with the task, talk to the whole class and explain further so everyone hears and I am not singled out

• Don’t ask me questions in front of everyone by name, ask if anyone knows the answer so I can join in when I feel it is safe

• Accept that things you might think are just ‘messing about’, may make me feel like I am under attack by others

• Let me choose where to sit so I can find somewhere that does not make me feel threatened, it might be at the back of the class so no-one is behind me or it might be at the front of the class nearer to you

• Try not to get annoyed with me if I have forgotten where I was or what I was supposed to be doing, remind me alongside my friends gently

Flight

What I look like in Flight

• Hyperactive, manic

• Aggressive: stiffening up or clenching fists

• Running away, escaping, disappearing

• Threatening • Clumsy

• Disruptive, loud and noisy

• Unable to follow rules

• Disrespectful

• Anti-social, lonely, a loner

• Immature

What I am aware of in Flight

• Vigilant to what is around me as a threat to my survival

• Sudden noises (others might not hear)

• Overwhelmed, too much stimulation to cope

• Noise levels

• Tone of voice from anyone speaking

• Who might be a danger to me, not just the staff but other pupils

• How far away I am from being safe

• I need to get out of here - now

How my body feels in Flight

• Terrified

• My heart is beating faster and fastermy pulse is going up and my heart is racing

• My breathing is getting quicker, I am ready to run

• My muscles are tensing so I can fight my way past

• Nauseous

• Increased sweating

What’s happening in my Inner World

• I need to get out of here, I am in danger

• There is more of them than me, I need to find somewhere safe

• I am ugly

• I am not as important as the rest of the pupils

• I am not worth much, if anything at all

• Alone

• I must not show how I feel to anyone

• I must not tell anyone how I feel

• I don’t belong here, I am not part of this

You can help me feel safe with the following

• Organize and allow me time to go to a safe base when I need to

• Recognize you might not feel the classroom or school is threatening, but I might see things you can’t

• Understand secondary schools can be terrifying places for people like me, they have too many people in and too much stimulation such as noises or movement of pupils

• Accept that if I feel threatened, it’s not just messing about or horse play to me, I feel in severe danger. Please don’t trivialize how I feel about a situation, even if you don’t agree with me and feel I am making more of it than there seems.

• Don’t focus on me by name, talk to the whole class even if it is me you are directing it at such as asking me to get back to the task

• If my work is not good enough, don’t tell everyone, let me know and give me a time when I can come to speak to you 1:1 without everyone else listening in, this includes pupils and their parents and other members of staff

• Appreciate that if I forget something, it doesn’t automatically mean I didn’t do it or I forgot on purpose, sometimes I come to school already on hyper-alert and it is difficult to focus on anything other than survival

• If you send me somewhere and I forget what for, don’t make this a huge thing, just patiently ask me to do it again

What I look like in Fight

• Hyperactive, manic

Fight

• Aggressive: stiffening up or clenching fists

• Running away, escaping, disappearing

• Threatening

• Clumsy

• Disruptive, loud and noisy

• Unable to follow rules

• Disrespectful

• Anti-social, lonely, a loner

• Immature

What I am aware of in Fight

• Vigilant to what is around me as a threat to my survival

• Sudden noises (others might not hear)

• Overwhelmed, too much stimulation to cope

• Noise levels

• Tone of voice from anyone speaking

• Who might be a danger to me, not just the staff but other pupils

• How far away I am from being safe

• I need to get out of here - now

How my body feels in Fight

• Terrified

• My heart is beating faster and fastermy pulse is going up and my heart is racing

• My breathing is getting quicker, I am ready to run

• My muscles are tensing so I can fight my way past

• Nauseous

• Increased sweating

What’s happening in my Inner World

• I need to get out of here, I am in danger

• There is more of them than me, I need to find somewhere safe

• I am ugly

• I am not as important as the rest of the pupils

• I am not worth much, if anything at all

• Alone

• I must not show how I feel to anyone

• I must not tell anyone how I feel

• I don’t belong here, I am not part of this

You can help me feel safe with the following

• Organize and allow me time to go to a safe base when I need to

• Recognize you might not feel the classroom or school is threatening, but I might see things you can’t

• Understand secondary schools can be terrifying places for people like me, they have too many people in and too much stimulation such as noises or movement of pupils

• Don’t focus on me by name, talk to the whole class even if it is me you are directing it at such as asking me to get back to the task

• If you send me somewhere and I forget

Submit

What I look like in Submit

• Unhappy

• Alone or withdrawn

• Head down on the table

• Fidgety but not disruptively so –anxious

• Never questioning or asking questions, never drawing unnecessary attention

• Yes or no answers - doing just enough to get it done but not going further

• Quiet and passive

What I am aware of in Submit

• I am so tired

• I must put on a brave face

• No-one really cares about me

• If I do what you want, you will leave me alone

• If I just sit here, you won’t notice me

• If I sit over there, no-one will notice me

• I need to be like them so I don’t stand out

• I feel dead inside

What’s happening in my Inner World

• Hurting myself helps me to feel something (self-harm)

• Drinking alcohol or taking drugs, helps me to feel happy

• If I join in on social media, at least I can talk to strangers who don’t judge me and might care for me

• I’m not as good as everyone else, I am worthless

• This isn’t going to get any better so I might as well give up

• No-one would care or notice if I live or die

• It’s all my fault

• I can’t win this - I’ll never be safe

• Dead inside

How my body feels in Submit

• Exhausted

• Depressed or anxious

• Worthless

• Guilty

• Like crying or screaming

• Unable to sleep

• Unable to relax or enjoy anything

• Unable to care

• Guilty, it’s all my fault

You can help me feel safe with the following

• See me

• Listen to me

• Understand that social media might not be your world, but it is a part of the teenagers world today and for some of us it symbolizes a comforting connection

• Understand that playing computer games, lets me be by myself somewhere safe

• Recognize I am hurting inside and might need help

• Know that I am easily bullied, I won’t argue or fight back and most importantly, I won’t report it either as I won’t want to come forward. Look out for this rather than expect me to tell you.

• Understand that I need to talk to someone I feel safe with, not just anyone

• Appreciate I will say whatever I think you want me to say

• Give me a place to be myself - look for what I might be good at but don’t focus on me or single me out for this

• Plan small group tasks that I can contribute to but let me choose my group so I am not overwhelmed by powerful personalities

• Be aware that I am an easy target and can be coerced easily to keep the peace

• Appreciate I cannot cope being the center of attention or the focus person - let me blend in and talk when I am ready

• Watch for me removing myself, standing on the outside of what is going on

Spending just a small amount of time making me feel safe, will activate the calm part of my brain and you will get the best from me. I will probably need you to do this a few times throughout the task and / or day however, the more my brain knows how to stay calm, the less likely I will go into survival mode and you will be able to teach me. Thank you for helping me every day to make safe and life changing differences to my brain.

Director’s Overviews

Name:

Subject: English

Why is adaptive teaching for SEND students a priority in your area?

National data suggests that students with SEND do not achieve as well as their peers without identified special educational needs. We’re also keen to ensure that all students have access to ‘disciplinary equity’ – the idea that all students should have access to the depth and breadth of knowledge for success at the highest level of study.

What specific strategies have you worked on this year with your team?

Along with changing our text choices to reflect a greater range of canonical heritage texts, the new English curriculum also suggests a key pedagogical shift, based mostly on what they’ve called the ‘Couch to 5 K Method’*. The aim of this method of teaching writing is to proceed using ‘gapless instruction’ with students achieving mastery in small, manageable steps before proceeding to longer, more developed levels of writing and analysis. Whilst ‘couch to 5 K’ refers mainly to analytical writing (expressing comprehension and awareness of the writer’s methods), the ‘partner’ to this is in imaginative writing to use what we call ‘slow writing,’ which again, aims to, as it explicitly states, teach creative sentence types that the students will master. Basically, it is guidance for this:

• Using explicit instruction, for instance using small steps, examples, highlighting essential content and removing distracting content

• Using scaffolding, such as sentence stems and task plans, or chunking of larger pieces of work

The English team has attended training through OAT about this method. Here are some of the suggested sentence stems that are suggested using a ‘teach, model, write’ process. These are in each teacher guide.

There are several methods the team may use to present these sentence stems, including:

• Structure strips

• Mini white boards

• Visualisers

In each instance, the expectation would be that a

before proceeding to longer, more developed levels of writing and analysis.

5’ method means a constant didactic ‘conversation’ between student and teacher, which is fine in short bursts, but over time, we realised that the students struggled to then ‘take over’ when we took the scaffolding away. In the end, even into the summer term, we were finding that students were increasingly reluctant to complete independent work, even when heavily scaffolded (we also are aware that some of this may also stem from post covid new learning behaviours).

In the end, we found the sentence stems somewhat helpful, however the aim for perfection (mastery) in writing was limiting their ability/ willingness to engage with the bigger issue – their interpretive skills and their engagement with the texts.

In the future, we will continue to explore using the stems, however, our approach to task design will be different –extending back to full paragraphs as we’ve done in the past – which we don’t feel will limit the high level of text/concepts.

Name: David Foster

Subject Maths

Why is adaptive teaching for SEND students a priority in your area?

Adaptive teaching for SEND students in mathematics is a priority because these students often have unique learning needs that require adapted instructional approaches. Mathematics can be challenging for many students, especially those with SEND, and they may require more support, repetition, or instruction modification to help them understand mathematical concepts.

Adaptive teaching can create a learning environment that meets the diverse needs of SEND students. It is an approach that involves modifying teaching strategies, materials, and assessments to accommodate different learning styles, strengths, and challenges. This approach can provide students individualized support, feedback, and reinforcement that suits their learning needs and preferences.

Heading

Adaptive teaching for SEND students in mathematics can include using manipulatives, visual aids, technology, and scaffolding techniques. It allows students to practice skills and concepts in different contexts and formats. Overall, adaptive teaching for SEND students in mathematics is a priority because it can help to improve their engagement, motivation, and achievement, leading to more positive learning outcomes.

Adaptive teaching for SEND students in mathematics is a priority because it can help to improve their engagement, motivation, and achievement, leading to more positive learning outcomes.

1. Differentiated instructions: Teachers can differentiate instructions by providing different tasks, level of complexity and resources to meet the diverse needs and abilities of SEND students. This approach can help students to develop their understanding of mathematical concepts at their own pace.

2. Visual aids: Teachers can use visual aids such as diagrams, charts and graphs to help SEND students understand the mathematical concepts. The use of visual tools helps engage students and help mathematical concepts more accessible.

3. Manipulatives: The use of manipulatives such as blocks, counters, fraction strips and algebra tiles can enhance the understanding of spatial relations, counting and arithmetic operations. During ‘How do we teach’ sessions I have used the videos attached to the new Year 7 scheme of work as a basis of discussion to use double sided counters for teaching directed number and the visualisation of zero pairs.

4. The visualisation of zero pairs when working with directed numbers and double-sided counters to aid in the teaching of directed numbers. Also demonstrated the use of algebra tiles to help students multiply two terms brackets and factorise quadratic expressions.

5. Scaffolding: Teachers can use scaffolding strategies such as explicit instruction, modelling and guided practice to support students with SEND. This approach provides students with incremental support and coaching to develop their mathematical understanding gradually. I have created with the assistance of a consultant a template that teachers can use that has sections for modelling and guided practice. Several sessions’ How do we teach’ have been on the importance small steps whilst teaching.

6. Positive reinforcement: Teachers can use positive reinforcement strategies such as praise, incentives and recognition to motivate students with SEND. This positive feedback help reinforce desired behaviours and encourages students to engage in their learning.

7. Knowledge recall – is an integral part of teaching so every lesson an opportunity for knowledge recall should be given by teachers. Using the results of formative assessment, a teacher can then adapt their lesson accordingly either to continue teaching a topic or moving onto the next step.

To conclude, the effective use of adaptive teaching strategies requires teachers to understand their students’ individual learning needs and preferences.

How has your curriculum developed over the past year to ensure that it now increasingly meets the needs of all students using adaptive teaching strategies?

The newly adopted Year 7 curriculum has plenty of examples where manipulatives can be used in lessons which are necessary for effective Year 7 teaching.

For example, the slide to the right shows doublesided counters with yellow representing positive and red negative. The concept of the zero pairs aids students to gain a deeper understanding, required to perform the calculation.

Another example is the use of algebra tiles to simplify algebra expressions. As can be seen, an application in algebra is the ‘zero pair’ concept following on from directed numbers. The sequencing of topics is vital across the whole curriculum KS3, KS4 and KS5 as topics such as directed numbers are an essential pre-topic for the introduction of algebra.

Students are shown where they are on their mathematical journey

improve the knowledge recall of all students, Daily Improve Consolidate Extend tasks, are completed at the beginning of every lesson and linked to Mathswatch clips. For further consolidation, teachers have been encouraged to include a knowledge recall segment in their lesson linked directly to the previous lesson. Through the use of mini whiteboards, knowledge recall is assessed. Depending on the outcome, the teachers know to move on or reteach an aspect of the previous lesson.

The impact has over the last year has seen the increased use of manipulatives and the increased confidence of teachers to use them in their lessons, observed through lesson observations.

Next steps include an updated set of Knowledge Organisers for KS3/ KS4, made available to both students and parents.

Another key area we will develop is to enhance the CPD available for teachers that focuses on the use of manipulatives for KS4 students. Progress has been made at increasing positive reinforcement which has included the award of achievement points and postcards home, however this is a continual area of focus for us during the next academic year.

Name: Craig Mussell

Subject: Science

Why is adaptive teaching for SEND students a priority in your area?

There is a gap across the country between the outcomes of SEND students and those without an educational need by the end of year 11. This is something that we are looking to address through changes made within the curriculum for all year moving into the 2023-24 academic year. We have used the information from SEND and adaptive teaching training over the course of this academic year to tailor out newly designed curriculum to ensure it is supportive of students from all backgrounds, with the aim that it narrows the attainments/progress gap by the end of year 11.

What specific strategies have you worked on this year with your team?

We have focused much of our efforts on the scaffolding and resources available within the classroom to ensure that there is provision for all students to access the learning materials available to them. For instance, where there are investigative elements within the lesson, we have provided writing frames for students to ensure that they are able to structure their responses without them being too open ended.

We have also been heavily developing our knowledge organisers to ensure that students are able to access the key terms required within the subject. It is then an expectation that the knowledge organisers are referred to in lesson, assisting the students with their spelling and use of tier three vocabulary within the day to day lesson experience in science. This is supported by the homeworks focusing on spelling of the vocabulary so the terms can be used confidently in lesson.

Within science we have also been addressing misconceptions and addressing them in a timely manner through the use of mid topic knowledge checks. These are essentially entry tickets, which take place at the approximate mid-point of each topic, and they get marked and fed back on, with activities for the students to do off the back of them.

Looking ahead, we are very much moving towards a model where the lesson by lesson structure includes the key sentence starters required during that lesson, as well as a checklist of activities required during the lesson to allow students to chunk their time effectively. The aim is that this will be in place for Key Stage 3 for the forthcoming academic year.

Why is adaptive teaching for SEND students a priority in your area?

As discussed in section 2, we have been developing multiple strands within the new Science curriculum to ensure consistency of experience for all students, but specifically to guarantee that the opportunities are present to allow SEND students to make progress in line with non-SEND students.

Below is an example of one of our newly designed knowledge organisers. This includes the relevant scientific knowledge for the topic, as well as key terms and how you’d use them. The expectation is that this is a document that is regularly referred to by the students during the course of a topic, which is usually approximately 6 lessons in Key Stage 3.

How has your curriculum developed over the past year to ensure that it now increasingly meets the needs of all students using adaptive teaching strategies?

The mid topic knowledge checks are done at the start of a lesson, and determine whether the key content can be recalled by the students. An example of one of these, along with the end of lesson feedback/ICE slide are below.

We are very keen to close the gap, ensuring that SEND students feel more prepared and confident for assessments, and subsequently feel that they can perform to the same standard as non-SEND students.

Impact

The measures discussed above appear initially to have had a noticeable difference when it comes to the levels of understanding within science. We assess the students on a topic-to-topic basis through the use of an extended writing question. I have noticed that there is an increased confidence in the student’s responses, and certainly there has been an improvement in the ability of the students to use the required tier 3 vocabulary.

Currently there is only anecdotal evidence pertaining to student achievement in formal assessments, but the end of topic quizzes are being completed with a good degree of success.

We will receive a more detailed set of data from the end of year GL assessments for year 8 and 9, as well as the confidence the students exhibit in year 10 when they move towards formalised GCSE style questions. Clearly, this is the end goal, and we are very keen to close the gap, ensuring that SEND students feel more prepared and confident for assessments, and subsequently feel that they can perform to the same standard as non-SEND students. Certainly the same degree of progress should be possible, and that is the key driving force behind a number of our curriculum changes in science.

Name: Kelly Wiltshire

Subject: Humanities

Why is adaptive teaching for SEND students a priority in your area?

Using the exam analysis from previous cohorts, I have noticed that that we had a number of students, especially SEND students, who were not attempting 8-mark questions. We felt that the reasons for this could be:

• Timing – the 8 mark question are at the end of each section in the exams

• Fear of the blank page – 8 mark questions have a whole side of A4 allocated to them for students to complete their answer in.

• Difficulty in interpreting the question – lack of confidence with the command words ‘assess’ and evaluate’

• Lack of revision or feeling that they do not know enough to complete the answer – we wanted them to be able to feel as thought they can attempt the question with an argument / judgement 8 mark questions require students to

• demonstrate their ability to explain

• demonstrate their ability to construct an argument and provide judgment about the question We have worked hard as a department to focus on improving confidence with tier 3 vocabulary through the use of flashcards and the acquisitions and retention of subject knowledge. We have also made use of ‘Do Now’ tasks, and ‘Core Learning’ tasks in lessons to expose students to a range of unfamiliar resources, to help build confidence with the interpretation of sources that have not seen before (we use compass crosses, TEA, Highest / Lowest and TMT to help).

During the 2x CAG / TAG years it was a challenge to accurately measure the impact of our interventions however 2022 saw a noticeable success with more students attempting 8 mark questions. In 2022, in the core section of Paper 1 50/99 students achieved 4+ marks with a noticeable amount of students achieved 4-6 (level 2) answers in the 8 mark question. In addition, 57/99 students achieved 6+ marks on the 12-mark question for paper 3. These are both question where AO3 skills are vital. We have chosen to therefore embed and refine the strategies I utilised with the 2022 cohort across the classes in years 7-11, but also this has become a key focus for revision and exam practice with the 2023 cohort. We have

What specific strategies have you worked on this year with your team?

For the 2022 GCSE cohort, I made use of the visualiser to practice decision arrows, however the nature of the classes in our 2023 cohort, we needs to ensure that we scaffolded and signposted students during revision. Across each key stage, one key feature we have implemented is the ‘decision arrow’. The principle of a decision arrow is to construct an argument and have a judgement. Either end of the arrow is used to indicate either end of the argument, and ideas can exist along the decision arrow to also show that arguments are not binary.

The concept of a decision arrow came from CPD that I undertook with Hodder and also sharing of good practice from a HIAS meeting in the same year. We have made use of our collaborative planning time to develop this strategy across classes.

We also support students with interpretating the exam question ug ‘BUMP’

This helps students to identify the argument that they will create in their extended / exam answer.

How has your curriculum developed over the past year to ensure that it now increasingly meets the needs of all students using adaptive teaching strategies?

As part of our curriculum development, all topics have questions as the title and focus for the lesson. We also have key enquiry questions that we ask students to produce an extended piece of writing for at KS3. This is helping to get students at KS3 ‘GCSE ready’ but more importantly to develop confidence with the skill of using knowledge to construct an argument and have a judgement / conclusion. Therefore the language we use, sentence starters and ways in which students are encouraged to develop their ideas, all mirror the approach we have at GCSE.

3 – Example of ‘Core Learning’ task where students have to annotate the decision arrow, justify their decision and also use evidence for prior tasks to support their justification (initially developed by KLW and CME with sentence starters added by HMO).

The consistency across all Key Stages means that it becomes ‘normalised’, accepted and utilised successfully by SEND students, but also students who may be reluctant to engage with pieces of extended writing.

Impact

Whilst the above examples link to KS3, our focus has been using the idea of decision arrows to support year 11 revision. Below are examples of revision tasks undertaken by SEND students (including those on the SEN register and those with EHCPs). This strategy has been beneficial for all students in our mixed ability classes and has allowed students to ‘prethink’ their judgment for the extended answer questions.

Fig 4 – Example of EHCP student using decision arrows to support Paper One 8 mark question revision. The boxes on the left are key facts for students to apply along the arrow. SF = code for significant factor. We use the word significant to help us construct an argument when there is not an obvious pivotal phrase or word in the question (for example costs / benefit).

Fig 5 – Example of EHCP student using decision arrows to plan 8 mark exam answers. Notice this time (as opposed to fig 4) the student has refined which bits of evidence from the key facts boxes on the right would be most suitable to answer this 8 mark question.

Fig 6 – An example of a ‘Do Now’ task with a brief decision arrow to ‘pre-think’ how the named examples we have studied can be linked to an exam question that has not happened yet.

We now have a bank of revision strategies that make use of decision arrows across all topics and all exam papers. We will continue to make use of this strategy at KS3, GCSE and A Level to support students to be ready for students requiring and argument / judgement about a topic, resource or exam questions.

This strategy ensures all students feel supported in their pieces of extended writing, receive without exceptions. The support students who may feel overwhelmed and provide cognitive support for students who made need support in constructing their argument and thinking through their judgements. The consistency across all Key Stages means that it becomes ‘normalised’, accepted and utilised successfully by SEND students, but also students who may be reluctant to engage with pieces of extended writing.

Fig 1 – Example of a decision arrow being used in first topic in year 9. Sentence starters are used to help support this piece of extended writingdeveloped by HMO.

Fig 2 – Example of a decision arrow being used to create a judgement about 5 hazards and then a justification (conclusion) – developed by KLW.

Fig

Name: Luke Mills

Subject:

Modern Foreign Languages

Why is adaptive teaching for SEND students a priority in your area?

Modern Foreign Languages at Cowes Enterprise College is a fully inclusive part of the curriculum. All students with all levels of prior attainment take a GCSE in either French or Spanish. With this in mind, adaptive teaching enables all students to access a single source text or audio without the need for the teacher to amend the source material in any way. Given that most of the MFL material is written for a young (secondary) audience, it is designed in such a way to recycle vocabulary and structures and draw on prior learning. It is therefore inappropriate to develop bespoke source material and of paramount importance that “scaffolding” take precedence.

What specific strategies have you worked on this year with your team?

This year we have had a particular focus on the level of support structures we put in place in the classroom. The main focus is to provide translations for high frequency vocabulary so that students and take part in both receptive and productive elements of the lesson.

Topical vocabulary glossaries

I have been keen to ensure that all classrooms have available to the students the relevant topical vocabulary sheet. The vocabulary is split into the various lessons of the course. Each module has its own sheet and a number of subsections that are relevant to each lesson. Students can refer to the sheet throughout the lesson.

Visual vocab sheets

Visual vocabulary sheets work in a very similar way to the glossaries, but they provide students with a photograph or pictorial representation of key words for the lesson. Sometimes, it can be that these sheets are used in conjunction with the glossaries when it comes to slightly longer productive tasks I do, we do, you do.

The ‘I do, we do, you do’ approach to longer written and spoken tasks provides students with exemplar answers. Students watch a piece of work being crafted live by the teacher, then they, as a class, put a piece together with the teacher writing it up on the board. Finally, students are given the opportunity to write their own piece having seen the two examples provided to them.

Answer ranges

Answer ranges enable us as teachers to use a single long source text whilst providing individual support. The lines of a text are numbered and then students are given a range of lines in which they can find their answer (e.g. Q1 – look between lines 4 and 7).

Targeted questioning

A no hands up approach in the classroom allows for the teacher to specifically target key students and gives the teacher instant feedback on the efficacy of their instruction. Moreover, it gives the opportunity for the teacher to scaffold the learning by asking short and easy to answer questions that support the student through the thought process.

Subject: MFL

Why is adaptive teaching for SEND students a priority in your area?

Use of thinking time – kagan structure activities Name: Nila Pretty

It is my belief that adaptive teaching is important for all pupils in a class, not just pupils with SEND. However, last year, as part of my NPQML project, I carried out an audit of SEND provision in the MFL department. The main findings were that motivation and engagement for pupils with SEND were not equal to that of non-SEND pupils. Therefore, we have since provided CPD and implemented various strategies across the department in response to staff needs, pupil voice and feedback from TAs. The use of adaptive teaching is especially important in MFL as we teach mixed ability classes. We did try setting our year 10 last year but found although this was advantageous to high attainers, it created a defeatist attitude in the lower sets which was marked by demotivation and disengagement with language lessons. According to the EEF (Education Endowment Foundation), ‘Setting or streaming may construct negative self-fulling prophecies for disadvantaged pupils, whereby their chances of improving attainment and experiencing success is hampered by the combination of lower teacher

What specific strategies have you worked on this year with your team?

Targeted/scaffolded questioning

Modelling – especially speaking and writing

Sentence builders/ sentence starters

Targeted support/ challenge

Seating pupils effectively

How has your curriculum developed over the past year to ensure that it now increasingly meets the needs of all students using adaptive teaching strategies?

The EEF idea of mastery learning has inspired me when considering our curriculum. We are under pressure to complete a module of work in the time frame given (one half term) so we move on, even if all pupils have not mastered the module. I discussed with my team, in our co-planning time, ideas on how to ensure mastery. From discussion, it was clear we have a lot of material to teach in a short space of time. We have now more flexibility to teach at a pace that is suitable for our classes. This year, to give more time to teach the content we have cut down from assessing 3 skills per half term to 2 skills and we plan for next year to cut this down to 1 skill to be assessed per half term – this will also allow time for more meaningful feedback to be given, which will inform planning for the next term.

Furthermore, last year, it was agreed, that to promote mastery, we would set weekly tests online not only to test pupils’ knowledge but also to aid memory and recall through the provision of vocabulary learning platforms. Pupils were encouraged to use these for 10 minutes per day for homework. After implementation, we noticed that pupils with SEND (cognition and learning difficulties in particular) were getting very low marks on these tests. I introduced the idea of adapted homework tasks - we each took responsibility for setting a year group’s online test, setting an alternative quiz for targeted students who could not access the spelling test. This was well received by the department as it allowed for scaffolding without putting pressure on workload. Students’ retention of vocabulary increased and levels of confidence improved, reflected by their performance in these online tests.

In addition, this year we have ensured our starters promote knowledge retrieval from not only current topics but also topics from last term and last year. We have a bank of various engaging retrieval starters which engage our students from the minute they walk into the class. Moreover, we have had a coplanning ethos embedded by VEL which we have continued with in our department, so each teacher has the responsibility to plan lessons for two year groups

– this has reduced workload and therefore we are able to produce more high quality, engaging resources. Next year, we are introducing grammar focussed starters as suggested by the former OAT Lead Practitioner for MFL as it is clear that even by year 11, most pupils do not have a secure grasp of at least 3 tenses, needed to achieve a Grade 5 and above at GCSE.

We have ensured that our starters promote knowledge retrieval from not only current topics but also topics from last term and last year.

From my drop-in observations of lessons, I can conclude that teachers naturally use adaptive teaching in their day-to-day practice. In all lessons I have seen, teachers circulate during an individual activity, providing support and challenge according to the needs of their pupils. MFL lessons are largely teacher-led and therefore thinking time, scaffolded questioning and modelling of writing and speaking feature highly in our lessons. The impact of this has been that students are more engaged, more motivated and therefore outcomes as measured by our end of half term assessments are more positive!

In order to ensure that adaptive teaching strategies for SEND students are embedded, we need to include these strategies into our schemes of learning so that teachers are reminded of them and new teachers are aware of them.

Name: Michelle Vidovic

Subject: Physical Education

Why is adaptive teaching for SEND students a priority in your area?

Additionally, students come to Core PE in mixed ability groupings due to being set in other subjects. The further requirement of needing to split most classes in to single gender groupings in order to follow governing body guidelines, means we do not have the capacity to set students in Core PE. This means all lessons must have an adaptive teaching approach in place in order to cater for a wide variety of student needs.

What specific strategies have you worked on this year with your team?

There have been five key areas focused upon in PE this year in relation to the SIP and SEND students. These include:

1. Individual adaptations to reduce barriers in advance of issues developing.

2. Consistent approaches to lessons to provide routine and security in expectations for learners.

3. Further development of our Bronze, Silver, Gold approach.

4. Sharing of lesson material with Teaching Assistants.

5. Literacy support

Peer assessment tasks with specific criteria allows for better communication, an increase in the amount of feedback each student gets, and provides confidence boosts for students, facilitating further progress.

How has your curriculum developed over the past year to ensure that it now increasingly meets the needs of all students using adaptive teaching strategies?

Sensory needs are often the first barrier we face as a department in relation to getting students into Core PE. This could be because of the need to change, the colours or sizes of equipment, the noise that is often created through communication and the use of music. All these factors can contribute to some student’s suffering from sensory overload which we must try to limit in order to make progress.

The strategies in place to deal with sensory needs have included the use of sensory circuits in registration time, to allow students to become more familiar with the surroundings and equipment used. Also, through the redevelopment and pre-planning of modules in CPD time we have been able to research and order different equipment for different needs. For example, yellow table tennis balls instead of white, rounders balls with bells in or pink footballs that stand out.

The focus in practical PE this year in relation to individual lesson planning and deliver has not been to change activities or learning objectives for students with SEND but to provide three levels of objectives which enable everyone to achieve. This has now been developed in line with assessment processes so that students know their level of achievement within a sport and the individual skills acquired, alongside their understanding of tactics and healthy participation. Reports have also echoed this, making communication with parents clearer and more successful for all. By doing this, students as individuals can access an understanding of their progress in small sections and look at what they need to do to achieve the next level, allowing for time to improve and consolidate their learning.

Within theory PE, the lessons are carefully sequenced in order to provide information in a ‘building block’ style from task to task and lesson to lesson to support recall. For this reason, the new learning journeys and schemes of learning no longer reflect the order of the specification, but instead a logical order for the learner. For example: The skeleton and muscular systems followed by movement analysis and not the cardiovascular system.

In order to promote recall, Do Now Starters often link to previous work, allowing content to be recapped and linked to new information. Each lesson is divided into to content and tasks using a set PowerPoint proforma. This allows information to be introduced and applied/practiced in small chunks. From this it is then developed into application of learned content. Creating mini tasks like those students are assessed in helps students to practice the content in the correct context and therefore minimised misconceptions with material when it comes to assessment. This allows those with SEND to become familiar with the examination process, causing it to become less intimidating, allowing to help cognition and recall in assessment situations.

Misconceptions can occur for all but they are increasingly likely for those with cognitive difficulties. For this reason the work we have redesigned the PE curriculum to focus on core knowledge, and creating stronger links between both practical and theory knowledge has been key to improving SEND performance in both Core PE and GCSE PE.

Use of mini white boards and/or learning mats/technical handouts have also helped to minimise the amount of information needing to be retained in the memory at one time. For example using learning mats with key points on to structure a long answer questions with the correct information or white boards for students to make a note of key instructions or key points for a task to be completed. This approach has helped as it has essentially allowed students to develop their own learning mats for the task/lesson based on the information provided.

By using a uniformed approach to the start of lessons and the materials used, when there are split classes or cover lessons it enables students to maintain a set routine, allowing concentration and focus on the work and not the environment/changing situation they find themselves in. This again allows for further retention of information and therefore the ability to recall, understand and apply content.

When considering students with SEND, peer assessment tasks with specific criteria also allows for better communication, an increase in the amount of feedback each student gets, and provides confidence boosts for students facilitating further progress. For example, a student with elective mutism will communicate with their peers but will only listen to the teacher and so effective feedback and assessment is more challenging without careful considering of student groupings.

Impact

For Core PE, self-mark home works have allowed us to measure the understanding students have upon healthy participation and to support students who may have developed gaps in their learning or misconceptions. The Bronze, Silver, Gold tracking system has also allowed better analysis of progress and AFL. This has led to better adaptive teaching for each lesson as required, allowing more individual needs to be catered for in both theory and core lessons.

The strategies discussed above have ultimately allowed students to make better progress throughout the year because of a more logical pathway, allowing them to more successfully build upon prior knowledge which has allowed for more understanding and fewer misconceptions.

Name: Andy Green

Subject: Design and Technology

Why is adaptive teaching for SEND students a priority in your area?

Students with SEND are an integral focus group within all classes in KS3 DT as classes are mixed ability. I had noticed that some students with particular SEND needs hadn’t made the prior progress that I would have expected for all other students. I felt this was to do with some of the following:

• Student attendance to lessons with some absence developing gaps in learning.

• Accessing the curriculum within whole group episodes; understanding the learning journey to appreciate or know the prior learning and the connection with the steps to the next learning episodes.

• Some prior acceptance across the department that students may not be able to access the material/ resources and therefore to not address all aspects of their learning.

• Carousel of specialisms across a year, and across the Key Stage with students having a year between areas, as our lessons are each half term.

• Behaviour strategies in place to ensure all learners have the focus to learn, at pace.

• Potential inconsistencies of depth of delivery.

What specific strategies have you worked on this year with your team?

Within DT and specialisms we have focused on developing the following strategies and resources specifically to support SEND students that benefit all students:

• KS3 – Consistent learning activities within slides across the department to assure parity of delivery. Key learning questions developed within the learning snake journey and then integral within the lesson, referred to in mini plenaries for knowledge checks. These are available across the specialisms to enable all learners to see the connection between what is being learnt and what is being ‘done’.

• Developed a scalable KS3 curriculum building on the successes of each stage, to support students picking up where they left off and building their experiences and learning in the carousel of specialisms.

• We have produced Knowledge Organisers for our KS3 specialisms to provide learners with an opportunity to develop their knowledge acquisition skills on their table. With copies for all children students have had the opportunity to investigate the learning in depth, as they move through the projects, and refer to these elements as they wish.

• Sentence starters for evaluation of their own work, enabling all students to write with endurance and produce a more full and lengthy description.

• Working closely with TAs and other staff in the room, planning ahead the learning and sharing this with staff as well as discussing the needs of the students linked to TAs – getting to know our children.

• RAG Tracker – used by students to RAG their progress within a specific learning activity, to provide evidence to both themselves and the teacher.

• LIVE marking of practicals to enable student focus on assessment criteria alongside the activity, enabling them to ask for more targeted support when they felt they needed it, to meet the published criteria. This develops an inherent engagement in the self-accountability of the task.

How has your curriculum developed over the past year to ensure that it now increasingly meets the needs of all students using adaptive teaching strategies?

We have developed our scalable KS3 curriculum (Fig 1.) to enable students, with learning episodes clearly signposted for the learner to know where they are in their learning journey, within the specialisms and across KS3. This has been tremendously exciting and has opened the door to many discussions with students about their learning and enabled recall of activity to help each foundation stone to be built upon at each stage.

Each presentation starts with a series of slides to illustrate where the learning is taking place (Fig 2.) in context of the year and specialism as well as fit within the Key Stage.

The use of learning questions (Fig 4.) has enabled the use of these in mini plenaries and to enable the consistent questioning and depth of questioning across teachers. These are sub-questions of the questions within the learning journey.

Specialism RAG Trackers (Fig 5.) are a useful overview tool to enable the students to inform adaptations and planning for the teacher. These vibrant learning episode trackers provide students with the episodes within the projects, as well as student self-reflection and a view for teachers on student self-esteem and self-evaluation on tasks; swiftly supporting planning.

LIVE practical assessment slips (Fig 6.) have been a useful resource to focus students knowing the key assessment points within the task, and enable a clear timeline for staff to support intervention and planning of next practicals. These have been used throughout Food at KS3 and are to be rolled out within other specialisms.

Getting to know them is critical, as well as using their passports. Getting to know how and when students need the support within their learning.

We are now in a richer environment due to these resources, to provide improved and more timely chunks and approaches to our students’ learning as well as within lessons be able to adjust and adapt in a more targeted way. We now feel we have a more consistent approach to addressing the needs of all our children as well as those with SEND. Making the resources has been an investment, that with successive years we will likely tweak, as with any resource, helping us meet the need of the students in front of us. Getting to know them is critical, as well as using their passports. Getting to know how and when students need the support within their learning.

We will develop the language of our resources as we move forward to enable greater access. Student use of our ‘show my homework’ knowledge quizzes which have seen a greater uptake in engagement. It has also enabled speedy intervention. We want to extend students learning with related design problems being set as home-based tasks, developing experiences in addition to the classroom with an increased depth of learning.

We want to develop the opportunity for students to get even greater depth and master more aspects of the specialisms by increasing the time we have within the specialisms. Currently half a term once a year is showing that we have room to grow here. This will with time have greater impact across KS4 we believe.

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

Fig. 5 Impact

Name: Elizabeth Stannard

Subject: Drama and Film Studies

At the beginning of the year, we started the process of exploring ideas around support for all students but how to improve our support of SEND students in both Drama and Film Studies. In meetings we discussed the core issues around the needs of students. As a starting point we thought about the Government statistics for 2020/2021 ‘The percentage of pupils with SEN but no EHCP plan (SEN support) has increased to 12.6%’.1 We agreed that a priority was to make all our resources SEND friendly which would allow students to access Drama and Film with confidence and achieve what they are capable of. We thought about how without the right support the curriculum remains difficult to access and can lead to long term disengagement with education.2

Our Strategies

Our starting point:

We have also acknowledged that the pandemic has impacted student’s confidence in performance and this is having a serious impact on their ability to actively participate in Drama.3

We started by exploring Quality First Teaching. This term is often used in relation to creating a positive teaching environment for all students but we wanted to find examples for Drama. We started with this definition:

Quality First Teaching is a style of teaching that emphasises high quality, inclusive teaching for all pupils in a class. Quality first teaching includes differentiated learning, strategies to support SEN pupils’ learning in class, on-going formative assessment and many others.

To develop out ability to implement Quality first teaching, we undertook the Level 1 training in Understanding Dyslexia, in addition to advice from a specialist SEND teacher in identifying key improvements we could make with the most challenging students. Specifically focusing on:

• Use of now and next.

• Use of widgets with Year 7

Further, we made use of research by the EEF, specifically their ‘SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS IN MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS GUIDANCE REPORT’ that outlines a number of key recommendations for supporting SEND students to close the gap with other groups. There are 5 recommendations in the report and we chose to focus on recommendation 3: ‘Ensure all pupils have access to high quality teaching’ and explored in our planning and meeting times how we might apply its suggestions:

• flexible grouping;

• cognitive and metacognitive strategies;

• explicit instruction;

• using technology to support pupils with SEND;

• scaffolding.

Flexible grouping;

Flexible grouping is described by EEF as a positive way of working to replace the practice of grouping EHCP and low attaining students together which in effect creates negative streaming within a mixed ability classroom. Drama groupings are by their nature transitory as students can work in anything from a pair to taking part in a whole class activity.

Using technology to support pupils with SEND;

In order to make our resources and powerpoints specifically as accessible as possible, we have introduced standard formatting across the team who are using easy-to-read fonts Comic Sans and Open Dyslexia 3, in addition to cutting down on complicated backgrounds and colours.

Cognitive and metacognitive strategies;

To encourage access for all students we make use of technology in both subjects to support learning which can be individual, paired or sometimes small group work. For example, Radio Drama in Year 9 used computers to research sound effects, write radio drama scripts and Ipads to record the performances.

We have written knowledge organisers with SEND students in mind so that all students can access them.

We started using widgets for year 7 as some students were struggling to access the Drama curriculum.

Film Studies is challenging for students as they find they have to explore the visual language of film and learn the vocabulary that describes it. As an ongoing project we have expanded our knowledge organisers using colours and the Open dyslexia font. A strategy that has developed with Year 10 is Film Form 5 questions to start the lesson to consistently encourage students to recall and use the vocabulary they have been taught.

Impact

Scaffolding;

We have focused on improving our scaffolding in lessons to support the progress of all students. A Year 7 Drama example of scaffolding is seen below which enables students to discuss rumours within their improvisation by giving them sentence starters to focus their conversations.

Below is a year 11 Film Studies worksheet which allows students to build their understanding of the scene with specific film form examples and then use this in their exam answers.

In order to review the work we have undertaken this year we are using student voice to check confidence levels in both practical work and the use of resources is supporting students in KS3. We asked a range of questions about student’s learning in Drama including literacy and how accessible our learning resources are for students as I wanted to explore this without singling out students who may already feel different to other students.

Our next steps will be to continue the journey we have started this year to ensure that resources are accessible. To share best practice in moving students on in terms of participation and quality of work.

Name: Ann Wright

Subject: Art and Design

Why is adaptive teaching for SEND students a priority in your area?

Adaptive teaching is an important part of what we do within art & design as each student follows their own individual learning journey. In order to support and facilitate this, we adapt our content, delivery, feedback and responses to each individual as work progresses.

What specific strategies have you worked on this year with your team?

We have focused on developing the following strategies and resources specifically for SEND students: Printed resources and lesson slides for each student, forming a ‘booklet’ for students to follow more easily. These have keywords, step by step instructions written in clear simple language, and tips for success.

Knowledge Organisers have become embedded in each project to reinforce key concepts, words and names of artists to support retrieval of core knowledge. These documents use the same visual codes as those on lesson slides and have clearly written definitions. Additionally, artist information sheets have been widely used to support work on research projects. These also use subject specific terms and descriptive language to assist our students produce high quality written responses.

Help sheets on how to annotate and how to write about artists and designers, including sentence starters in addition to useful words and phrases when writing about artwork.

How has your curriculum developed over the past year to ensure that it now increasingly meets the needs of all students using adaptive teaching strategies?

Over the last year we have been delivering a new curriculum to key stage 3 and have successfully developed new visual and written resources. We have extended our maritime projects and have now established a set of effectively sequenced pieces of work that incorporate strategies such as: step by step instructions, use of visual coding to aid recall and linking of knowledge, clear chunked tasks and regular opportunities for feedback and review, to support the needs of our learners.

Visual coding is used to help students know what types of tasks they are doing and helps separate information and practical tasks. Artist information sheets are used to give students specialist knowledge and keywords

Definition sheets are used to set out clear explanations.

Step by Step instruction sheets are used to help students complete tasks more independently.

The use of these strategies has given students more support to remember and learn key terms and concepts. They have helped our students articulate answers and show they understand more about the themes, artists and designers for each project.

The support booklets give clear, concise instructions for each task. Students have shown improvements in use of key vocabulary and increasing confidence in writing about their own and others’ artwork. The knowledge organisers have given students a bank of facts and key knowledge to refer to when needed and thus have increased students’ confidence in articulating ideas and opinions. The carefully written and well-sequenced learning journeys have given students an overview of each project and set out clearer expectations and objectives of what

Name: David Sanchez-Brown

Subject: Careers

Introduction

High quality, bespoke careers information, advice and guidance is a vital component of our pupil’s education. Arguably, most impactful and poignant at key transition times such as years 11 and 13. For sixth form students, navigating widespread destination options post 19 can best be achieved through a series of detailed and complex one to one conversations. Best practice is to provide a written summary of careers conversations for students and parents to refer back to. Effective destination conversations require high level communication skills on both sides. Students are best served when they are able to articulate their aspirations, emotions, academic progress and attainment. Students also need to be able to process detailed, multi stepped instructions and advice to act upon. Through extensive experience in this area, our sixth form team has been able to provide adaptive responses for students. However, for students that have specific SEND related to communication and interaction, far reaching further adaptive responses and scaffolding, particularly around the quality of advisor/teacher explanation, are

Strategies in Action

Research

EEF research has informed excellent practice in schools around SEND. The ‘SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS IN MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS’ guidance report is underpinned by five evidence-based strategies to support learning. First is the quality of explicit instruction. By ensuring our instructions are clear, concise, unambiguous; we provide quality modelling and frequent checks for understanding, we can ensure success. Through further scaffolding such as dual coded prompts and written summary, we are able to fully support students in this area.

Managing cognitive load is crucial in this context. If we expect our students to act upon this complex information, we must also provide opportunities for students to plan, monitor and evaluate the information received in the careers conversation.

To further explore effectiveness of developed strategies, we will focus on progress and effectiveness of destination conversations with student X who is at a transitional year with SEND around Learning difficulties affecting non-verbal cognitive skills, working memory and processing speeds. Through close scrutiny of EHCP and SEND passport, our careers team adopted a ‘Assess, Plan, Do, Review’ model.

Assess: Careers team took on an assessment of training requirements for our Level 6 independent careers advisor. Identified additional CPD and review of EEF research was undertaken with a view to provide enhanced quality of explanation. Student X also undertook some preliminary technologybased careers self-assessment activities to help prepare for the careers meeting.

Plan: Career meeting time set to make best use of mornings to avoid fatigue as outlined in passport and EHCP. Parent and TA were invited to attend the careers conversation meeting to allow for open lines of communication between school, student and parents.

Through extensive study of EEF research and Dylan William adaptive teaching lecture, our careers team has ensured provision for students with SEND is effective, supportive and enables all students to fully access excellent careers information, advice and guidance.

The conversation was carefully structured and scaffolded with regular planned comfort breaks.

Creating a positive and supportive environment for all pupils means placing support for pupils with SEND at the heart of school priorities—being inclusive by design. This approach to pupils with SEND should be reinforced in the language, activities, routines, and strategies across the classroom as well as whole school settings.

Effective teaching and learning requires positive relationships and interactions between teachers and pupils. Research has suggested that teachers’ attitudes towards the inclusion of pupils with SEND are reflected in the quality of their interactions with pupils. A systematic review exploring approaches to effectively including children with SEND in mainstream classrooms found that teachers with positive attitudes towards the inclusion of children with SEND had better quality interactions with pupils. These teachers saw themselves as responsible for the learning of all pupils and had longer interactions with pupils with SEND, using this time to ensure they fully participated in the class.

An inclusive school environment for pupils with SEND is also beneficial for all pupils. One recent metaanalysis explored the impact of inclusion on pupils without SEND and concluded that such an inclusion policy resulted in a weak but positive impact on their academic outcomes.

In an inclusive school, pupils with SEND are not just in the school, they are part of the school—they have the same opportunity as their peers to benefit from the highest quality teaching the school can provide.

from: Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools Guidance report from the Education Endowment Foundation

Create a positive and supportive environment for all pupils, without exception

Chosen area of SEND: Communication and Interaction

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has an ASD diagnosis and suffers from anxiety. I have been teaching student X since September and have noticed in recent months that her anxiety has heightened which is why I have chosen her for my study as I feel the need to implement more strategies to support her in Spanish. As an ECT, I see adaptive teaching as constantly changing, what may work with a student for several months can stop working. Therefore, in my opinion, adaptive teaching, is adaptive, there is no concrete or permanent solution, we as teachers must continue to adapt and change, along with the needs of our students.

Research

When researching adaptive teaching, I looked at the EEFs 5 recommendations for teachers (2023). These are the recommendations that stood out for me the most:

• Create a positive and supportive environment for all pupils (removing barriers to learning, promoting positive relationships, adapt a positive approach to behaviour)

• Build an ongoing, holistic understanding of your pupils and their needs (regular assessment, approach of assess, plan, review)

• Ensure all pupils have access to high quality teaching (flexible grouping, metacognitive strategies, technology, scaffolding)

• Small group interventions

• Strategies in action

To thoroughly understand Student X’s needs I looked at her passport which was updated in January, and had a discussion with another colleague so that I could understand how best to support her learning. Student X’s passport contained the following suggestions to aid processing: allowing her time to process information, delivering instructions 1 to 1 and repeating instructions. It also details information on helping her anxieties, for instance, giving her praise and reassurance, helping her feel part of a learning group in which she feels comfortable, using a fidget toy, sitting near the front of the class, using visual task plans, pre warning X that I will ask her a question and pre warning her of any changes.

On discussion, the most important concern for X at the moment is feeling comfortable in her learning group, so together we made the decision to sit her with Student Y, whom she has been working well with during time in Oasis.

Due to the updates in X’s passport, I have started letting her know when I will ask her a question, normally, by saying something along the lines of,

Strategies in Action

“When we go through answers, I’ll ask you number 2.”

I have also been experimenting with visual task lists. I write up the tasks for the lesson on the board, and as a class we tick them off together when they are complete.

I always use praise with my students and so Student X has been receiving plenty of praise and reassurance, both verbally, and through marking her book, using stickers and issuing achievement points.

As the class has many students with SEND, I always repeat my instructions and will check in with a pupil to get them to repeat instructions to the rest of the class, so I know all students understand. I always set a time limit for a task, and will warn all students when they only have a couple minutes left.

I try to pre-warn CXof any changes like seating plans the lesson before it will happen, so she is prepared and can enter calmly and confidently.

I have started letting her know when I will ask her a question, normally, by saying something along the lines of, “When we go through answers, I’ll ask you number 2.”

Critical Reflection

On reflection, seating Student X with Student Y is working well. I can see a new friendship flourishing which is in turn helping both students to feel more comfortable and confident in Spanish. They are also supporting each other with tasks.

Moreover, pre-warning X of questions in advance is working well, to start with she was still quite nervous to answer, but now she is more confident and certain of herself as she has been doing this for a while now. Sometimes, I cannot always pre-warn her, but when this is the case, she always has a go at answering despite her nerves, and she gets the answer right more often than not. In situations like this, I have been giving her plenty of praise to reassure her and build her confidence.

In addition to this, using task lists seems to be benefiting all members of the class, as they can clearly see what point we are at in the lesson and what else they need to do to in order to complete the lesson objectives. In the future, I’d like to have the time to try printed task lists for individual students so that I can further target this support to my SEN students who need it.

Using praise is having a positive effect on Student X, she enjoys receiving verbal praise and this makes her feel happier and more confident. She also seems pleased when I have marked her book and put stickers in as this visual aid shows her clearly that she is doing well. Student X is a conscientious student who will try to correct any errors I have pointed out in her book which is also good to see. X has enjoyed and engaged in ICE recently which is enabling her to progress further.

Repeating instructions has a good effect for X, but in the future, I’d like to have the time to reinforce these instructions on a 1 to 1 basis with her, as sometimes I can see she is still not 100% sure on what she needs to be doing.

Pre-warning X of changes to seating plans is having a good effect and allowing X to enter the classroom calmly and confidently.

In conclusion, I can see that the changes I am making are benefiting Student X. I understand that Adaptive Teaching changes over time and I am looking forward to embedding more strategies to further support this student and other students in all of my classes.

Name: Alexandra Duffin

Chosen area of SEND: Sensory and/or physical needs

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has an EHCP and has been diagnosed with ASC which is ‘an overarching term used to describe autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, pathological demand avoidance (PDA) and pervasive developmental disorder (PDD)’, (NHS, 2020). From their EHCP they explained that ‘I work hand in my lessons and try my best’. I have now taught this student for two years and have built up a good understanding of this student’s individuals needs and have a good amount of rapport with them though adapting my teaching. X has a large range of needs which affect them in practical PE lessons, this includes sensory sensitives this then effects sensitivity to unnatural light so being in a sports hall and dance studio has been challenging at times. X has difficulties with dealing with loud and noisy environments due to the nature of PE being a busy environment and completing a dance unit this was an over welling barrier. These multiple sensory events add up very quickly and may result in being unable to cope with the environment.

Research

When completing my research and planning my lessons looking at adaptive teaching strategies for X, I read the National Autistic Society literature which explains that the school day can be very difficult for ASC students and lead to ‘anxieties from noises, unexpected changes, smells and social pressures can all cause distress, and adding in a PE lesson may feel like we’re rubbing salt in the wound’ (Devine, 2018). This may lead to overwhelming anxiety, due to putting on different clothes in the environment of a changing room, which can present issues of X personal space and body confidence, then the content of the lesson may feel a near constant uncertainty over where to stand, what to do and what’s happening next. The national autistic society explain there is 10 simple steps we can make to enable a more holistic and inclusive environment in PE they are:

1. First impressions

2. Changing rooms

3. Time

4. Routine

5. Schedules

6. Visuals

7. Space

8. Support

9. Breaking things down

10. Praise (Devine,2018)

Strategies in Action

I have now taught X for two years and over that time I have built up a range of strategies that I have put into action to ensure that X feels in an inclusive environment and prevents from X becoming distressed in any way.

When X comes down to PE, I make sure to greet X and ask them how their day has been so far. I make sure to create a safe atmosphere where there’s clear order and establish rules so that X knows when it’s time to stop and listen and what their expectations are. X has explained to me that the changing rooms is a trigger to their sensory overload. So, I have put in provisions that X has their own room therefore enabling them to have their own person space providing a set space so that personal belongings can be kept in order and avoiding the rush. Time is a massive key element to X they arrive to lesson 5 minutes early and leaves 5 minutes early this is to make sure they miss the crowed corridors. I also make sure to let X have time to process instructions without rushing them.

I also make sure to have a consistent routine through registering, changing, do now starters with sentence starter and key words. We then complete a warm up, therefore giving X a patten which will allow predictability and order to my lesson.

However, if there is change to the routine, I shall let X know well in advance. When teaching a new topic, I make sure to use clear visuals and a visual task list and keep instructions clear and simple and repeat learning if needed. When completing the dance unit, this was a big struggle for X so I used ICT to help support learning and encourage wearing of ear defenders and gave movement breaks outside

When

teaching a new topic, I make sure to use clear visuals and a visual task list and keep instructions clear and simple and repeat learning if needed.

Devine, A. (2018). Supporting autistic pupils with PE lessons. [Online]. National Autistic Society. Last Updated: 10 July 2018. https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/professional-practice/supporting-pupils-pe [Accessed 5 June

NHS. (2020). Autism Spectrum Condition. [Online]. England Nhs Uk. Last Updated: 17 June May 2020. Available at: https://www. england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/04/C0447-autism-spectrum-con [Accessed 5 June 2023].

Name: Cecelia Bloom

Chosen area of SEND: Communication and Interaction

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

The student that I have chosen in my lesson has an ADHD diagnosis including concentration and attention difficulties. They also have difficulties with tasks that require sustained attention.

Research

When researching adaptive teaching strategies, I found Robert Rosenthal’s experiment useful.

I began with a printed-out table that I called a ‘do sheet’, where the student could tick off their work that was done throughout the lesson.

Critical Reflection

Name: Helen Cater

Chosen area of SEND: Cognition and Learning

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has an EHCP and has been diagnosed with weak auditory short-term memory. He has a range of cognitive needs, as well as social and emotional needs that are often manifested as a lack of sustained focus in class. At the start of the year, a random seating plan saw him seated in the back row but it quickly became evident that he needed to be prompted more regularly and was working much more slowly than other students on the Art tasks and hence, was moved to be nearer the teacher. I began to reflect on how I might improve his focus whilst also addressing the cognitive aspects of working memory, including addressing difficulties in vocabulary skills, as well as creating a positive environment to increase self-esteem and confidence.

Research

According to Ed psych Insight ‘working memory is a better predictor of academic achievement then IQ’. The Education Endowment Fund, as part of Adaptive teaching, promotes first seeking to understand pupil’s differences, different prior learning and potential barriers to learning, giving targeted support to those struggling. Poor working memory can mean forgetting instructions and incomplete recall of information, struggling to store and process information, causing distraction and lack of sustained concentration which form a significant barrier to learning.

I found that the EEF’s 5 a day approach for all SEND students included a range of strategies that would be useful to address my student’s needs, which I could adapt to address different areas:

• Explicit instruction- using modelling and carefully selected visuals, as well as, checking understanding

• Cognitive and metacognitive strategiesmanaging cognitive load by giving content in small steps, frequent recall

• Scaffolding – temporary supports such as keywords and sentence starters

During further research I came across StructuralLearning.com which has a section on working memory. I was drawn to the Block Building Concept which led me to the idea of sentence building cards with the Key Vocabulary as a temporary visual aid.

Strategies in Action

In the first instance, having observed that student X frequently had problems with sustaining focus on a task and was working at a pace that was slower than their peers, I reflected on ways that this could be addressed, whilst also building self-esteem and lack of confidence which had also been highlighted on the EHCP. The student presents as quite ‘young’, so using a visual star sticker sheet on the table towards a Postcard home reward, might encourage him to refocus. I clearly outlined to him how progress with the stickers might be achieved.

One of the EEF Adaptive teaching 5 a day pillars is using scaffolding as a temporary support (key words, sentence starters and phrases). Similarly, tools for working memory are elements such as visual aids, diagrams, post it notes and step by step guides. As well as focusing on the pace of the actual Art task, I wanted to encourage the student to increase engagement with the written evaluation of their work and extend the use of key words. In this way I created a set of keywords for the lesson on different coloured cards, as well as sentence starters for the ‘What Went Well’ and ‘Even Better if’ to provide a visual sentence building tool. Key words were also written on different colours according to difficulty. I encouraged the student to select the key words in front of them that applied to their work for constructing their sentences.

Briefing the Teaching Assistant to regularly check in on the student with praise, as well as myself, also encouraged a positive relationship with the student to stimulate renewed focus and monitor activity. Student X was recently paired on a table with a peer who has a diagnosis of ADHD, as well as SEMH factors and working together on their reward cards and sentence tasks, these strategies appeared to work for them both. By also, using a Visual Task Planner on the desk, the student was prompted to check the sequence of tasks and was reminded of timings.

In the first instance, building a positive relationship with student X meant that they became more trusting and willing to engage. Teachers and TA’s can positively affect the Motivation-Achievement cycle as outlined by Vu et al. (2022). As well as this, understanding pupil’s differences and potential barriers to learning, means providing targeted support and strategies that enable the student to make progress.

Using the prepared sentence structure cards, the student laid out the key words to use in the sentences along with the sentence starter. He was encouraged to use more than one keyword to extend the writing and give more depth to his evaluative sentence, meaning that his sentences were fuller and longer than normal.

I also checked spelling and asked him to write out difficult words. Over a few lessons, written evaluation became lengthier and clearer in structure. I could see potential of continuing to use this for a few weeks more as a scaffold.

As Art is a practical subject, different emphasis is given to the evaluative aspect in each lesson and there is not necessarily a written element each time. However, I also encouraged the student to use the cards on the desk for verbal responses and this also seemed to give more structure to his answers.

With regards to rewards, the student immediately seemed to engage with the idea, saying that they had only ever had 2 postcards home which was encouraging. They responded well to the visual stars to physically see how well they were doing. However, the lesson is last period on a Friday and despite the use of strategies, the variables of how the student comes into lesson on that particular day can sometimes take precedence and influence motivation and attitude, despite the teacher’s best efforts.

In conjunction with the other strategies, using the visual planner on the desk meant that the student could be prompted to check which task they were doing and how long it should take. Student X still needed some reminders but having the visual aid will hopefully lead to increased independence and I could see how this could be used with other students in the future. On reflection, perhaps I tried to do too many things and could have focused more on one particular strategy, however, I was able to see that each learner has a range of needs that can be approached by various adaptive actions in the classroom to help remove barriers and directly impact on progress.

Using the prepared sentence structure cards, the student laid out the key words to use in the sentences along with the sentence starter.

Name: Kristian Parker-Meadows

Chosen area of SEND: Communication and interaction

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

By punctuating short periods of focus with sensory breaks, I have given the student an opportunity to succeed in lessons. An example of this, was in triple jump, I used hoola hoops as a scaffolding aid to help the student. After 5 minutes of practising, I could see he was starting to lose focus. I gave him a short challenge to see how long he could hoola hoop for before going back to the task. This worked well and engagement remained high in the lesson. In order to make the student feel like they weren’t “being singled out or looking different”, I encouraged the whole class to do this.

Regular discussions with the LSA prior to the lesson and after the lesson have been successful; this is because the LSA has been able to have reinforce instructions and help keep the student on task. One challenge that has occurred is working with different groups of students. The student feels comfortable working with a select few students. Integrating into games activities can face difficulties and to overcome this, I keep mixing learning groups to build up positive relationships for the student within the class.

Critical Reflection

Understanding the student and their documented needs was important to supporting the student. Building up a good rapport, regular check ins, explicit instructions and modifying the lesson for sensory breaks have all supported the student. Understanding how the student best learns, what his interests were and who he works well with allowed me to best strategize how to plan and modify my lessons. The biggest barrier I have faced this year is keeping the student interested in activities he doesn’t care for. Explicit instructions, achievable challenges in tasks and the use of the LSA have helped overcome this barrier. To further support the student in the future, continuing use of scaffolding, explicit instruction, regular check ins and recognising when the student is starting to lose focus will support him in keeping high levels of engagement increasing the opportunities to succeed and reduce inattention.

References

Effective_Feedback_Task__Subject_and_Self-regulation_Strategies.pdf (d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront. net)

EEF blog: ‘Five-a-day’ to improve SEND outcomes | EEF (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)

Shire (2018) https://www.adhdfoundation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Teaching-andManaging-Students-with-ADHD.pdf

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management. NICE guideline (2018). Available from: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng87

Name:

Laura Burnett

Chosen area of SEND: Communication and Interaction

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has an ADHD diagnosis. When I began teaching student X in September for the first time, it quickly became evident that the student found focus and concentration extremely difficult in class. This was particularly challenging for the student during lessons where sustained attention was required for reading lengthy chapters and extended writing tasks. As the autumn term progressed, it became clear that student X appeared to enjoy the texts but was unable to reproduce this engagement in their written work. This development indicated that the student may need greater instruction in their writing so that the process becomes more natural and less desirable to avoid.

Before implementing adaptive teaching strategies, I researched the resources recommended by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF, 2022). Particular strategies of interest became:

• Building an ongoing, holistic understanding of students and their needs

• Creating a positive and supportive environment for all students, without exception

• Promote positive relationships, active engagement, and wellbeing for all pupils;

More specifically, I was interested to focus on the results of these components of high quality teaching:

• Cognitive and metacognitive strategies – the ‘chunking’ of content into smaller steps

• Explicit instruction and modelling

• Scaffolding – structure strips/vocab sheets

Strategies in Action

Before focusing on pedagogy, I felt it was important to build the classroom as a ‘safe space’ for all learners. Through the implementation of routines, for example, greeting students at the door and the ‘5 a day’ do now tasks, student X swiftly became aware of the classroom expectations. I also began to foster positive relationships with pupils by opening up a dialogue from the beginning of the lesson, asking them about their days so far or what they have been doing in their spare time. This ultimately helped students feel comfortable to ask questions and offer opinions in their learning later. This was paramount when introducing students to a new and challenging curriculum.

We broke a sentence down into its fundamental components of subject, verb and object, before looking more specifically at how a complex sentence is constructed into a main clause and subordinate clause.

Cognitive and metacognitive strategies – chunking

To help student X understand the process of writing an analytical response, I started by looking at sentence-level construction. We broke a sentence down into its fundamental components of subject, verb and object, before looking more specifically at how a complex sentence is constructed into a main clause and subordinate clause. To help maintain this emerging confidence, I have provided the student with well-crafted example paragraphs. These are often colour-coded and labelled if typed in advance to demonstrate how each individual component creates a whole paragraph.

Explicit instruction and modelling

For the benefit of all students, I have also experimented more with the use of a visualiser for live, worked models to explain and demonstrate my own metacognitive process. As I write a paragraph, I will balance explicit explanation of my process but also question pupils as I write each part of the response e.g. ‘what part of SEIZE should I use here?’ or ‘How do we know the character is feeling xxxx?.... ‘which adjective is the best to use?’. Often, I will provide student X with success criteria that they can use during this activity to ‘assess’ my writing as it progresses. I will also often provide students with a model response that needs improving; we then use the prior learning to develop and correct this piece of writing. This inner dialogue of self-assessment then becomes something students can replicate in their own practice.

Scaffolding

To scaffold the writing process, I have consistently used structure strips and vocabulary mats to help generate independence and confidence in student X. Often I have asked students to use the vocabulary or sentence openers from these sheets during the class modelling process. Student X regularly contributes to these activities and enjoys using these ideas in their own writing. At the beginning of the year, the structure strips were closely linked to the specific task, but as time has progressed, I have used more generic sentence stems to assess how students can tailor these with their own developing knowledge to specific questions and texts.

Critical Reflection

Cognitive and metacognitive strategies – chunking

Over regular practice of sentence writing, student X has become able to do this independently and largely, uses the correct punctuation to maintain coherence. This has helped the student become more independent in their more extended writing and they use their sentences to explore more sophisticated and interesting analytical ideas. Student X has also become more confident in providing answers and ideas in class, whether I have ‘cold called’ them or by choice.

Explicit instruction and modelling

The use of living modelling has been beneficial to demonstrate to student X my own cognitive and metacognitive strategies so that this can be replicated in their own work. Over time, I have begun to ask the student to explain why specific word choices are more appropriate than others in a paragraph and they are able to do this more confidently because they have begun to understand the larger purpose and construction of a paragraph. Throughout the term, I have paired these strategies with considerable use of praise and this has undoubtedly helped to encourage aspiration and progress in class. For example, the student has since begun to write independently at home and has brought this work in for me to read. Inspired by this success, the student appears to complete most tasks with greater autonomy and relies less on immediate direct support from the teacher or their peers.

Scaffolding

Structure strips have been useful in providing student X with a visual framework for organizing their ideas and paragraghs. At the beginning of the year, the student would often find focusing on writing challenging, claiming often that they simply ‘didn’t know where to start’. The structure strips, stuck into the margin of the exercise book, help the student write a coherent answer which follows a logical progression. In conjunction, the vocabulary mats have been absolutely invaluable – particularly during challenging units of work where students are required to learn lots of tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary. For both analytical and creative writing, I have noticed the student’s range of vocabulary widen greatly over the year. Student X’s choice of vocabulary has become more specific and targeted to particular effects and emotions and the analytical terminology used is more precise and sophisticated. Perhaps most importantly, the student has become more independent in their search for exciting vocabulary and is ambitious in their writing. Overall, I have been pleased with student X’s progress this year and their developing engagement in English as a discipline.

Name: Rebecca White

Chosen area of SEND: Childhood Trauma

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

The student I elected to study has had significant childhood trauma and thus has very little trust in adults, attachment issues and demonstrated quite profound behaviours. Although they did come to all my classes, which in itself was a small sign that they wanted to engage with me to some extent, they were continuously challenging in terms of needing to disrupt the other students. Their significant emotional needs were presenting themselves as a need to feel they were in total control of their environment, and they demonstrated this by trying to manipulate my teaching so that my focus was upon them entirely, thus giving them the opportunity to reject my authority.

Research

In terms of research, I have been conversant with pedagogues such as Hatano and Inagaki’s ‘Adaptive Expertise’ since as far back as 1986 when I worked for the government rolling out the National Literary Strategy to the UK. In the late 1990s, the ‘Assessment Reform’ research team I was involved with based many of the AfL strategies on adaptive teaching, and these were then made integral to the later schools’ CPD based upon Solo Taxonomy. Many Adaptive Teaching strategies were also advocated by the Norwegian schools, in lieu of differentiation, when I was on secondment there in 2011. Similarly, I proofread a Routledge publication written by Peter Westwood back in 2012 on Adaptive Teaching. Reading the articles by EEF thus complimented some of the teaching experiences I have been involved with over the passage of time and encouraged me to review Corno and Beltramo’s previous research on this strategy to complete this task.

I made it clear to this student that I particularly enjoyed teaching them and I would be more than deeply disappointed if they did not attend my lessons. This was because I acknowledged that they were a child who actually needed more, not less, positivity and acceptance. In order not to let this student’s behaviour impact the way I wanted to structure my support for them, in terms of flexible grouping, my first strategy was to position them carefully in the class and refuse to acknowledge or respond in any way to any of their negative behaviours. With consideration of Corno’s, major research paper, ‘Micro adaptations within Teaching’, 2008, my intention with this student was to positively reward any tiny steps of improvement they made. Thus, the trust they had in me began to gently improve.

By using a strictly organized set of rules and routines and in light of the ‘flexible grouping’ strategy, as soon as their behaviour became such that they had negatively influenced others from learning, I sat them as close to me as possible. I could quietly support Student X, and, as they began to gradually recognize the patterns of learning I had put in place as something they could be successfully attempting, thus minimizing their dysregulation when they felt challenged. I then began to gently reduce my support. As it began to become obvious that they were gradually positively acknowledging their own triumphs and enjoying the feeling of success, this was when I strived to observe when they had written something well, use their work to share as good examples to the other students, and thus support their selfesteem and attitude to learning.

Moving forward, the learning I am providing this student still involves intense scaffolding with teacher modelling and constant repetition of suitable metacognitive strategies; rhymes, jokes, funny anecdotes and pictures to reinforce internalization. Instructions are always short, clear and concise and timings of tasks are constantly being regulated according to need. As their repertoire of learning outcomes gradually improves, there is also constant revisiting of prior learning. This student does not respond well to kinesthetic learning as they cannot regulate their behaviour well at these times, but carefully organised ‘time out’ learning related incentives and opportunities for class discussion have been successful and allow learning to be more varied and contextual at opportune times.

Critical reflections

My intention was to positively reward any tiny steps of improvement they made, thus the trust they had in me began to gently improve.

Student X will sometimes revert to old avoidance strategies. Here, I have learned to ignore the unacceptable behaviours, after which, with the answers on the board, they will quietly complete all necessary work, and on feeding back to me, they will have understood it. This, to me, demonstrates student X’s desire to move forward with their learning.

Overall, due to the radical improvement in their engagement and attitude to learning, there is no doubt that the adaptive teaching strategies being used are vastly improving this student’s success in this subject and the cherry on the cake is the trusting relationship we now both enjoy.

Name: Sarah Welton

Chosen area of SEND: Social, Emotional and Mental Health

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

The student I have chosen has extremely complex SEMH needs; their homelife is consistently turbulent which has caused significant trust issues, negative events permeate throughout their life which has caused a negative outlook both day-to-day and when given opportunities. They and have been subjected to a blame culture which has had an impact on their own self-esteem and self-worth.

Within the classroom environment, this often manifests itself in confrontation, despondency, truancy and/or general disengagement. In order for this student to achieve, I knew that a safe, firm work environment needed to be created and maintained, whilst equally allowing an element of flexibility in expectations when compared to other students within the classroom.

Within the EEF guidelines for SEND, the following were the most applicable to support this student with their SEMH needs:

EEF Recommendations

1. Create a positive and supportive environment for all pupils without exception.

2. Build an ongoing, holistic understanding of your pupils and their needs.

3. Ensure all pupils have access to high quality teaching.

Evidence based strategies:

• Scaffolding

• Explicit instruction

In addition, Routledge recommends the following guideline interactions:

• Maintain a calm demeanour and presence

• Give the student reassurance

• Be curious

• Use calm questioning phrases to re-engage overwhelmed students positively (e.g. Let’s try… or, maybe we can…)

Strategies in Action

One of the key elements to implement from the above was EEF recommendation 1 – a positive and supportive atmosphere. Before beginning to teach this student, I arranged a meeting with their previous English teacher and discussed strategies that worked in order to create a consistent approach from one year to the next. I found out during this meeting that they worked really well beside a particular student, so I arranged the seating plan around these two being together at the front. This then built into the evidence-based strategy of scaffolding by allowing a trusted student to offer continuous support, but also for this student to have immediate verbal scaffolding from myself.

I then asked their previous teacher to arrange a meeting between the three of us to discuss the arrangements moving forward. This meant I was able to prove a supportive and open environment previous to teaching within the classroom.

Over the course of the year, I have continued to build on the three key areas discussed above: trust, accepting opportunities and improving self-esteem.

Trust: This student comes to see me at the end of almost every school day, and I walk them to classes that we both know can cause problems. This also allows me to use Routledge’s curious talk to find out which subjects the student excels at, which cause confrontation, but equally I am able to build on EEF’s second recommendation: build an ongoing, holistic understanding of the pupil. During these times together, the student and I are able to talk about homelife and the current effect this has on a day-today basis, as well as the positives and negatives of the day.

Accepting opportunities: Because of the homelife circumstances just discussed, this student would find it difficult to accept opportunities offered to them. This often stemmed from the idea that nothing is enjoyable and therefore is a waste of time. Whenever we have a conversation, I make sure to reference back to previous examples of when they have accepted chances and are glad to have done it to help push them towards saying yes more often. This has been a hard on-going task because more of their life leans towards ‘no’ than it does towards ‘yes’.

Improving self-esteem: Due to creating the positive and supportive environment mentioned previously, this allowed me the opportunity to address the EEF recommendation of ensuring all pupils have access to high quality teaching. This student remains within my classroom the vast majority of the time, and even when outside of school is incredibly difficult, they are calm and respectful within the classroom. Because of this, we have agreed alternative strategies to help re-engage with the tasks set and build up their self-esteem, including: a timeout walk in the area outside the classroom, a break into an alternative easier task, a quick irrelevant discussion. These are then backed up with the EEF’s evidence-based strategies of explicit instructions. For this student, it comes in the format of work expectation reminders and remaining on task (two of their biggest work avoidance tactics).

In addition, I have been taking the student to external mental health meetings so that they see a correlation between myself and their own mental wellbeing. This has helped two-fold in that the student feels more comfortable opening up to me about the support they are receiving, but also it has made them more positive and receptive to external agencies (something that previously has been a consistent battle). We’ve discussed the best way to communicate their own triggers and defence mechanisms to other agencies so that others can be better prepared for when they witness them.

Many of these types of students lack consistency and see any enforcement of rules as confrontation. I need to continue to maintain a positive, safe environment, firm and consistent boundaries, but remain calm and give reassurances when necessary.

Critical Reflection

Looking back over the course of the year, the student has done well within English – especially given some increasingly difficult circumstances they have found themselves in. They have become receptive to criticism within English and is driven to improve.

One thing I think would help this student going forward is a wider school knowledge. They share the information with me, but often struggles elsewhere when there is a perceived lack of empathy.

I have also had to be careful of over-attachment. As the year has progressed, I have been sure to explain alternative parts of my job and commitments to re-enforce that they cannot dominate every spare moment with me.

With other students, the Routledge guidance especially is something that I will adopt to any students who have SEMH needs. Many of these types of students lack consistency and see any enforcement of rules as confrontation. I need to continue to maintain a positive, safe environment, firm and consistent boundaries, but remain calm and give reassurances when necessary.

Name: Simon Hughes

Chosen area of SEND: Cognition and learning

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

I did not have any prior knowledge of student X, prior to teaching them this year. It was evident that they had difficulties in processing information and transferring it to their workbook. I had to start adapting the delivery of lessons according to their needs and effective deploy an attached LSA.

Research

Before carrying out research into what adaptive teaching strategies I could use in lessons I carefully looked at the student’s EHCP to identify which areas they find difficulty in. The main areas were difficulty with literacy, working memory and processing.

The resources I found on the Education Endowment Foundation website have been helpful and supported existing CPD work covered in staff briefings and subject meetings, and my initial thoughts I had on how to approach the delivery of lessons. They included information on scaffolding, explicit instructions, flexible groupings (including paired work), and creating a positive and supportive

and the format of how lessons are structured.

I decided to sit X with a student they knew and could also help with any smaller issues before asking me. Having a ‘work buddy’ also helps with any reading tasks after I have read out the lesson content and any instructions for tasks.

To assist with written literacy difficulties, I would print out the key vocabulary and then use Q&A to check understanding throughout the lesson. This would help with her working memory and save time with writing. Another beneficial aid has been the use of knowledge organisers. These have been good for the student to double check key words or topic areas independently before asking for further help if needed.

To make sure that they didn’t get overwhelmed with tasks I chunked the lessons into more manageable pieces and made regular check-ins to monitor understanding and progress.

Looking back over the year I feel that student X has grown in confidence when completing classwork. They are now working more independently but still benefit from the check-ins throughout the lesson, although I do not need to use as many as a topic progresses over a half term period. I have a positive rapport with student X and feel that as this was established early on in the year it has helped with them knowing that I am there to support when needed.

During the first Geography and History topics they had to work on developing her resilience when facing some challenges in class. This has been ongoing and as X stated they are now in a stronger position when reading and completing small tasks. There was an initial worry that student X would become too dependent when working in a pair but in lessons where the work buddy has been absent this has been proven not to be the case.

Through the effective use of scaffolding using the smaller chunked pieces of information allowed better retention of information during the lesson and units of work. Print outs of tier 3 vocabulary along with knowledge organisers have also contributed to helping with her working memory so that they are able to describe and explain ideas when completing independent tasks.

I have been fortunate to often have 2 LSAs in the class although not always assigned to student X, they have been a valuable asset in the class to help with support if X became anxious or needed assistance. An extra bonus has been the consistency of having the same LSAs which has helped as they know student X’s needs and are able to provide more quality support which has had a positive knock-on effect to the progress they have made over the year.

Print outs of tier 3 vocabulary, along with knowledge organisers, have contributed to helping with working memory so that they are able to describe and explain ideas when completing independent tasks.

Name: Roger Lyon

Chosen area of SEND: Social, Emotional and Mental Health

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has attachment problems. He is a LAC child with very little trust in adults. His attachment issues present as defiance. He was moved into my class due to truancy tendencies and difficulties with focusing on learning.

Research

The EEF research for SEND stresses that SEND should not be seen as a distinct and specific issue, rather the evidence tells us that we should prioritise familiar but powerful strategies such as scaffolding and explicit instruction, to support pupils with SEND. This means understanding the needs of specific pupils and weaving specific approaches into every day, high quality classroom teaching – being inclusive by design and not as an afterthought.

The teaching strategy of ignoring minor inappropriate behaviour and creating a distraction free zone was adapted to utilise the behaviour and distraction as a teaching element.

Strategies in Action

First and foremost, the importance of establishing a trusting relationship meant adapting my teaching preparation to ensure that the learning would engage him. His pupil passport identified the whole school adaptive teaching strategies to engage a student with these needs. I ensured that the following quality first teaching elements were in place for student X and the whole class:

Encourage me to take my time and read the questions carefully

Provide me with a white board to draft my answers

Give me positive reinforcement and feedback

Allowing breaks or time to move around (Give out the glue sticks etc)

Break up the lesson into chunked activities with clear instructions

Provide me with extra help with staying organized

• Remind me to slow down and read the questions carefully

• Repeat instructions to ensure I understand

• Be consistent in using an organised set of rules and routines, and make sure I am notified of any changes in advance

• Provide opportunities to move around in the classroom

• Help organise written work by using writing frames and other alternate methods of recording.

• Ignore minor inappropriate behaviour

• Chunk tasks to allow for sensory breaks

• Give extra time for tasks

• Create a distraction free zone

• Verbally reinforce positive behaviour

Specifically, I have adapted my teaching to incorporate items of interest to him that allow a kinaesthetic element to the learning. The teaching strategy of ignoring minor inappropriate behaviour and creating a distraction free zone was adapted to utilise the behaviour and distraction as a teaching element. Here are three examples which were applied to student X:

1. Student X has a soft American football that he wanted to play with for the entirety of the lesson. Initially on the first day this was disruptive and did not enable effective teaching to take place. The following day I incorporated the American football into the learning. The topic was metric conversion and student X took centre stage in the modelled activity. Student X paced out a designated distance of 5 metres for example and I asked him to throw me the ball. The whole class including student X were then asked to convert the distance thrown to cm, mm and kilometres. This engaged student X but also the rest of the class as each student individually had a go at throwing the ball a certain distance and then converting the distance thrown to different metric conversions.

2. The American football has also been used in the plenary at the end of other lessons. This time solely to allow the necessary kinaesthetic element into the teaching for student X. I take control of the ball and ask whole class questions and whomever wants to answer is passed the ball. There was significant engagement from all students as they all wanted to receive the ball.

3. After a month, the American football was no longer the item that was engaging student X. Instead, he brought in a Yoyo and was intent on using the yoyo during the lesson. At this point in our learning journey, we were looking at commutativity and number bonds. My challenge was to incorporate the yoyo into the learning to engage all students. The way this was done was to see how many seconds student X could ‘Walk the Dog’ for. The class were then asked what number would have to be added to 3 to get to 10, 100 and 1000. The Singapore Bar Model was utilised as a visual tool to ensure that the relationship between the numbers was realised along with column addition and subtraction. To take it a step further into decimals a stopwatch was used to get a decimal. The same questions were again asked

Name: Adam Brown

Chosen area of SEND: Communication and Interaction

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Pupil X has difficulty in reasoning skills and regulating emotions (although is improving with maturity). He has spoken to me specifically about hobbies he enjoys including art and looking after animals.

Research

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) guidance report on SEND in Mainstream Schools makes the suggestion that an inclusive school removes barriers to learning by creating a positive and supportive learning environment.

Strategies in Action

Positive and supportive learning environment:

Pupil X has specific hobbies and interests; and conversations about these can be used to build strong relationships, on a personal level. ‘The Cowes Way’ promotes the importance of meet and greet at the start of lessons, to not only establish consistently high expectations but as an opportunity to build positive relationships with pupils by asking them about themselves. ‘The Cowes Way’ also highlights the need for a seating plan. Pupil X is positioned at the front of the class, directly in front of main teaching position. This allows them to hear instructions clearly, without interference and see my face. Positioning at the front also allows pupil X to receive targeted support from the teacher more easily, including the giving of verbal and visual prompts.

Explicit Instructions:

Pupils X’s SEND passport identifies the need for ‘chunking’ of information, short, simple instructions and time to process information. Explicit instructions often start by using detailed explanations, followed by extensive practice of routine exercises and then moving on to independent work. For pupil X to be successful, it has been key to teach concepts in small steps and allow them to process the information through short tasks to assess their understanding and address any misconceptions. Providing a summary of the essential content supports by removing any distracting information. My strategy has been to keep the detailed explanations brief to reduce cognitive load and make use of the summary of

Scaffolding:

By using a mini-whiteboard as a task planner pupil X was able to become more independent by having a visual reminder of the task and its’ components or ‘chunks’. This provided visual scaffolding for how to complete the task which also contributed to the teaching of metacognitive strategies, encouraging

In conclusion, there are 5 recommendations from the EEF SEND in mainstream guidance report. These are: Creating supportive environments, knowing your students, high-quality teaching, intervention and working closely with other adults. How these apply to classrooms depends on the unique situation and can vary significantly from subject to subject. I have found that using a narrow but focused strategy considering thoroughly some of the recommendations has

I found that pupil X struggled with writing skills. They were not able to attempt questions that went beyond basic recall of key terms and knowledge. However, by using writing frames pupil X was able to apply their knowledge to extended writing by having the structure provided and modelled. Although the pupil is still at this stage, this strategy can be developed, in time, to allow a gradual removal of support to encourage pupil X to use sentence starters as a basis for extended writing. This strategy worked well for the most able in the class and they were able to progress to

Future strategies, therefore, will be based on developing cognitive and metacognitive strategies to allow pupil X to understand how to use specific methods to plan and implement techniques to improve recall from one week to the next. The EEF guidance on metacognition and self-regulated learning will be utilized.

Understanding pupils and their learning needs is essential if schools are to effectively support pupils to make progress, and is especially important for pupils with SEND. The SEND Code of Practice recommends that schools use a graduated approach, incorporating cycles of ‘assess, plan, do, review’, to best understand and respond to the learning needs of pupils with SEND.

It is important to acknowledge that there is so much to know about SEND that it is unreasonable to expect teachers to become experts in every aspect of such a broad and varied field. The focus, instead, should be on learning the skills required to understand pupils and their learning needs, gaining the confidence to make decisions based on observations and experience, and knowing when to seek specialist support. Learning needs can be thought of in three ways:

• all children have common needs—for example, the need to receive effective teaching;

• some children have specific needs that are shared with a similar group—for example, pupils with a hearing impairment need access to means of audiological support; and

• all children have individual needs—for example, pupils with a Speech and Language Disorder may benefit from pre-teaching of vocabulary and scaffolded talk opportunities.

Diagnostic labels have benefits, especially for certain conditions such as hearing or visual impairment. A diagnosis can provide a general indication of what a pupil’s educational needs are likely to be and support a young person to understand why they might experience the world differently to their peers. However, a diagnosis can be less helpful for making day-to-day decisions about teaching because:

• diagnostic categories are not discrete—for example, pupils diagnosed with autism and pupils with Speech, Language, and Communications Needs (SLCN) could have similar educational needs relating to language and communication;

• diagnoses provide general, not specific, indicators for teaching and learning—diagnosis can provide some information about what a pupil’s educational needs might be but does not provide the whole picture, for example, the severity or the types of challenges faced;

• not all pupils with SEND will have a formal diagnosis; and

• two children with the same diagnosis can have very different educational needs as individuals. For the majority of pupils with SEND, diagnosis is less helpful for teaching and learning than determining the pupils’ educational needs.

from: Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools Guidance report from the Education Endowment Foundation

Build an ongoing, holistic understanding of your pupils and their needs

Name: Donna Brihmani

Chosen area of SEND: Communication and Interaction

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has an EHCP with a diagnosis of ASD and Anxiety Disorder. I have worked with this student since they joined Cowes Enterprise College and therefore implementing effective adaptive teaching has been steady and progressive, coupled with a developed relationship and understanding of the student’s personality, strengths and weaknesses. This student’s needs have increased over their time

A component of Music GCSE is ‘Performance’. This requires a student to perform and record themselves on their chosen instrument. They are marked on accuracy and expression. A growing culture of music performance anxiety (MPA) has meant that this can be a barrier to a student reaching their optimal achievement as anxiety and nerves can inhibit a student’s ability to perform to their best.

Strategies in Action

Throughout my own research into MPA, a teaching theory that I have found to be most effective is Maslow’s Hierachy of Needs. I apply this theory to all of my teaching and fully believe that a student’s basic needs must be met and cemented before the further levels, leading to progress and achievement can be accomplished.

Student X has their own workspace which is a specially adapted, individual work area. Student X has told me that they feel ‘safe’ there and that they are able to work, nowing that other students cannot overhear their work (fear of judgement is a factor of MPA).

Regular 1:1 checking in is another hugely important strategy. Student X does not want to feel singled out and therefore we have adopted a strategy in which I meet with them prior to the lesson to outline what we will be covering in class the following day and check they are happy and understand. This allows student X to relax and be reassured prior to the lesson taking place.

Another strategy that I have implemented in this research is the Incorporated Society of Musicians Music Performance Anxiety Tool Kit which includes suggestions such as a ‘practice diary’, ‘MPA level awareness’ and ‘breathing techniques’, which have been proven to be effective and valuable in helping students experiencing MPA.

A particular ‘tool’ that student X finds useful is the practice diary. This enables student X to ‘control’ a factor of their anxiety and visually see that they have achieved and made progress. Research suggests that recognising the level of anxiety felt (both physical symptoms and psychological) is extremely powerful in reducing the MPA being experienced by the musician. Student X now understands that their hands get clammy when they begin to feel anxious and that it is not a concern but a ‘symptom’ of MPA. If they recognise this, keep themselves cool and breathe, the clamminess reduces and they are then more able to play their instrument with accuracy.

Critical Reflection

A challenge that has arisen is that I haven’t been able to encourage student X to join the class for the routine ‘listening’ starter. We hope, as confidence and reassurance develops, student X may join for this

This process of adaptive teaching in MPA is an area of development within my music teaching that I am excited and keen to develop further. I am proud to be carrying out further research with leading practitioners in this field and also with the Paediatric

Having presented at their annual conference, I was able to connect with lead Paediatrics and discuss how to develop my understanding of cognitive behaviour and entwine this with further adaptive teaching methods in my music classroom and beyond.

A particularly useful tool is the practice diary. This enables the student to control a factor of their anxiety and visually see that they have achieved and made progress.

Name: Emilie Rajasingam

Chosen area of SEND: Communication and Interaction

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has an EHCP in addition to both an ADHD diagnosis, which they are medicated for, as well as an ASD diagnosis. Having started teaching student X for the first time in September 2022, I was not aware of the full extent of their educational needs. The student’s very detailed passport on ClassCharts and their EHCP clearly indicates needs in all areas.

Research

Through research and several discussions about Adaptive Teaching with colleagues in our Department meetings, it was clear that Adaptive Teaching had a very impactful outcome on students’ performance, and not only those with SEN. It is taking Standard 5 of the DfE’s Teachers Standards much further. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF, 2022) and Whole School SEND were great sources of inspiration for specific strategies in relation to needs in Communication and Interaction. After extensive reading, I decided that I would focus on the following:

• Building a strong relationship with students

• Exposing students to a variety of strategies

• Creating engaging lessons in an environment conducive to learning

Having access to the student’s EHCP and the information on their passport provided me with a great starting point to fully understand the student’s needs. Very early on, I also spoke with the SEN team and called Student X’s parents to discuss effective strategies outside of the school environment.

Knowing that Student X can be triggered by loud and chaotic environment, I carefully organise the seating plan. Personal space and routine are very important to them, so I made sure that I sat them on their own to respect their preference, by an open space and kept them at the same desk when changing the seating plan.

For this student, personal space is not only needed on a physical level, but also on a social level. I quickly understood that Student X shuts down if I check their work or if they are unsure of their answer when targeted in lesson. Having them close to my desk, this allows me to check their work discreetly, sometimes even without them noticing.

It wasn’t long before I realised how effective praise and rewards were on their engagement in lesson. Regular reward points logged onto the system, postcards home and learning with ICT tools (vocab introduction and retrieval on online games like Blooket) is keeping the student engaged and has played an important role in creating and maintaining a good and trusting relationship between the student and myself.

Having them close to my desk allows me to check their work discreetly, sometimes even without them noticing.

Upon reflection, the wealth of strategies provided by the EEF articles, in combination with the student’s identified preferences under the ‘it would help me if you could…’ section of the passport were a great starting point to implement Adaptive Teaching techniques.

In my opinion, communication with parents is also essential to improve a student’s educational outcome. This student has very supportive parents, who are willing to share valuable information in order to best support their child, at

Often overlooked, integrating student’s interests in lessons proved to increase their engagement in lesson. It also improved student-teacher

The small class size was critical in the implementation and trialling of various strategies. It also allowed me to provide individual support.

It was very rewarding to see the difference in cognition, relationship, engagement, social skills and outcome between the first time I met and

Name: Eniko Rus

Chosen area of SEND: Sensory and/or Physical Needs

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

The student I have chosen to base my research on has a sensory need (visual impairment) detailed in his EHCP report as well as in his passport. When I met him back in September, at the same time I took over teaching the class, I realized that his physical condition will present many obstacles in accessing the learning in maths. His disability was not only a barrier in gaining valuable knowledge and skills, but also in becoming an independent learner, which as a teacher, I always believed is important in order to thrive. Adapting my teaching to support his needs became a challenge I needed to face as a matter of urgency and develop resources suitable for him and equally for the class.

Researching the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF, 2022) and Erasmus+ Program resources and publications, which covered fundamental principles, practices, educational materials and teaching aids, I especially found interesting the information collated in regards of good inclusion practices in the key areas of in front of class teaching, support structures and teaching environments. I was particular drawn to the following key elements:

• Understanding the students’ needs, knowing that a partially sighted student, unlike a blind student, learns differently and often able to take advantage of the experiences accumulated

As we all know, the front of the classroom is essential for learning as it gives the teacher the opportunity to introduce and explain key concepts and exercises. Teaching in front of class, I very much rely on PowerPoint presentations and despite explaining aloud, while writing or presenting, using questioning on regular bases, I soon realized, that the student presented difficulties in understanding formal language and written methods, visually presented and accessed by other students in the class. To overcome these difficulties, I challenged myself to adopt a formal language using mathematical conventions coherently and unambiguously. More, after the research - I have started, a Revision and Notes Book (adapted study material), where I would provide the student with mathematical vocabulary definitions – modelled answers – in advance, following the sequencing of the curriculum. Soon, this book became an integral part of each lesson. The student would know that what explained on the Whiteboard is also reflected in his notes and with the assistance of the TA or lately, independently, he would rely on finding all the information he needed in the book. It became an incredibly useful tool for learning new concepts, revision as well as for increasing his independence in managing his own work.

Although, the book was designed to help within the lesson time to access new learning, the student now often uses it as revision for upcoming assessments/ homework. He indicated that it helps in terms of remembering the content he learnt as the explained methods and modelled answers are the ones he practiced in class. He told me that, in the past he was not able to access any revision guides, due to the small print as well as the fact that they were often rich in textual explanations intertwined with mathematical expressions, tables, cognitive maps and drawings. Any digital videos he could find explaining topics verbally, he would not be able to

Name: Gemma Calloway

Chosen area of SEND: Social, Emotional and Mental Health

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Learner X presents with selective mutism. Classcharts indicates that this learner needs time to build a trusting relationship and also regular check-ins, with a 1-to-1 approach. Recently, we have been working on a spoken endorsement certificate, and whilst I have two students in the class with selective mutism, I chose to focus on Learner X because I felt there might be ways to adapt the task so they can give it a try in a way she is comfortable with – rather than not have the opportunity to attempt at all.

Research

When researching adaptive teaching strategies, I have explored:

• the building of an ongoing, holistic rapport with Learner X and understanding her needs

• putting Learner X into a social group as a listener (she presents mostly comfortably with careful selection of peers)

• allowing the student to write her thoughts

• providing the student with sentence stems and 1-1 check ins

• positive encouragement and praise

The Selective Mutism Information & Research Association (SMiRA) are very keen to note that students with selective mutism should have ‘all pressure to talk taken away’ – and in the classroom I understand this to mean that I would not cold call this student, or not make the student feel uncomfortable when they do not respond to me. Instead, I provide positive feedback for the work produced, and also provide sentence stems and 1-1 check ins to ensure the student is on track.

With regards to this aspect of the spoken endorsement, I wanted the student to be fully reminded about the element of choice in reading their written speech aloud to the member of staff they talk to – with no pressure - and this seems to have helped in the student wanting to give the task a try.

It may have helped that another selective mute student in the class shook theirhead to decline alternative options to access this element, and that was fine – so Learner X could see that there was

Strategies in Action

The learner had plentiful opportunity to write out their speech, and ample time to decide whether they would be up for accepting the task: I contacted the SEND team, where I am aware Learner X speaks to one member of staff, and this member of staff is happy to be the ‘audience’ for this learner to speak their presentation aloud. This meant learner X felt they would like to give the task a go in these conditions (they have communicated this to me

In addition to this, whilst Learner X does not speak with peers in the class at all, they were very willing (and seemed to enjoy) being invited to participate as an audience for others. Learner X was also asked by another student whether they could come as an audience for a recording we completed – and the Learner X was able to therefore participate more

I provide positive feedback for the work produced, and also provide sentence stems and 1-1 check ins to ensure the student is

Critical Reflection

I would like to critically reflect further, but as yet the task is not completed. However, to date, I can reflect that Learner X has smiled in lessons a lot more recently; I think it has helped to remove social pressures by prompting them to be a ‘listener’ in groups and be involved. It was especially good to see Learner X join one student who was ‘being recorded’ – the student was very thankful to Learner X, and the student being recorded had a speech that was very personal to them. On reflection, rather than have student X feeling isolated and unable to access the task, with brewing sensations of anxiety surrounding the goal of a speaking task, providing the options, choice and alternative participation helped Learner X to find this a more positive and enjoyable experience.

It would be great to see if Learner X speaks aloud their ‘speech’ to the member of staff supporting on this.

In addition to this, I would still like to further my research and reading of selective mutism further. The other student in the class will not receive the certificate as they have not been able to access this endorsement with his presentation of selective

Name: James Moloney

Chosen area of SEND: Cognition and Learning

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

A student in one of my Maths classes has a diagnosis of MLD (Multiple Learning Difficulties).

I have a good relationship with this pupil having taught them previously and also speaking/ communicating with them when I see them outside of the classroom. By using their pupil passport and understanding where and when during the lesson they might struggle I was able to put strategies into place. By using these strategies, I have been able to support and help this pupil throughout their time at Key Stage 4.

Research

*Research for this journal has used the Education Endowment Foundation (2022)

Pupils with MLD may experience challenges in various cognitive areas, such as memory, attention, processing speed, and problem-solving. They may require more time and support to grasp and retain new information. On their pupil passport an area that is highlighted is about processing information.

Some pupils with MLD may struggle with academic skills across different subjects, including reading, writing, mathematics, and language. They may have difficulty understanding and applying concepts, organizing their thoughts, or expressing themselves verbally or in writing. From their passport the pupil has highlighted reading as an area that they struggle with but they do enjoy Maths.

Pupils with MLD often require additional time and repetition to understand and master new skills or concepts. They may need more practice and reinforcement compared to their peers. Some pupils with MLD may experience challenges in social interactions and communication. They may find it difficult to interpret social cues, establish friendships, or understand and express their emotions effectively. This can lead to feelings of frustration, low self-esteem, or anxiety.

Pupils with MLD may have difficulties sustaining attention and concentrating on tasks for extended periods. They may struggle with filtering distractions or maintaining focus, which can impact their ability to engage in classroom activities. Tasks such as planning, organization and time management may be impaired in pupils with MLD. They may struggle with initiating tasks, managing their time, following instructions, or staying organized. From the pupil passport an area that is a concern is coping with change.

Some pupils with MLD may experience fine or gross motor difficulties. They may struggle with tasks that require precise hand-eye coordination, such as handwriting or using tools or instruments.

Supportive learning needs: Pupils with MLD typically require additional support, accommodations, and adaptations to access the curriculum effectively. They may benefit from differentiated instruction, specialized resources, and individualized learning plans.

With appropriate interventions and support, pupils with MLD can make progress academically, socially, and emotionally. However, their progress may be at a slower pace compared to their peers, and ongoing support may be necessary to help them reach their full potential.

Name: Jo Gibson

Chosen area of SEND: Cognition and Learning

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has a student passport with 16 areas of help identified. This came with the backdrop of the transition from vocational business qualifications to GCSE qualifications being introduced within the subject. Adapting my teaching methods became more important as there was a new skill set to learn as well as new content for the student. I was very conscious about overloading students, particularly one with such a comprehensive passport of strategies. The key area I wanted to focus on was the ‘focus’ issue where it was identified that Student X struggled to keep focused and needed regular reinforcement of new subject knowledge and content. They also felt overwhelmed at times, especially with the longer answer 9 and 12 mark questions.

Research

I have been completing an NPQTL and we had a block about cognitive load theory (EEF 2021) which I found very interesting and useful to the situation I was in. I decided to focus on the following areas from my implementation of this block of learning:

• Spaced learning – revisiting subject knowledge over a longer period of time.

• Interleaving – varying the activities completed in a lesson.

• Strategies – to manage cognitive load. Strategies such as ‘chunking’, using worked examples, scaffolds.

The key focus of my work was to ensure I was doing a range of activities to support long term and working

Strategies in Action

The first thing I needed to do before implementation was to speak to the student to see which of the 16 strategies they felt would have most impact. They made it clear that they wanted something to help them revise that was not another thing to read. They also asked for frameworks that would ‘chunk’ learning and give a process / flowchart for them to follow for the extended writing tasks. At this point I made it clear that I would implement and resource anything they asked for as I wanted to build up an effective bank of resources that the student could use throughout their study.

To support student X with reading questions carefully I created a range of Kahoot quizzes that we used every two to three weeks to revisit learning. The idea behind this is that we could revisit previous content over a longer time period to implement the spaced learning and hopefully embed the subject knowledge to long term memory.

After a staff briefing on flashcards, I wrote 103 flashcard instruction slides and students were given 5 a week to do. This supported breaking up activities for student X as well as providing extra help with organization as the presentation and content of the flashcards were both given in the instructions. The more technical flashcards we did together in class.

The next strategy was to make audio knowledge organisers as student X felt all the support I had offered thus far was ‘something else to read’ and I realised that all my resources had been text based.

I created and narrated a set of audio knowledge organisers for each topic from both themes. This supported student X with consistency and repetition as I adapted the lesson slides for the videos. I then developed this to create videos for exam command words to accompany an Easter revision workbook of past paper questions (example here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8sJ_vu2vrc). This was shared with students and emailed to parents.

The third strategy was to provide exam toolkits to chunk the learning and help student X apply their subject knowledge to a given extract / case study. This involved student X watching a video of the board game mouse trap and looking at each stage of the game and how that contributed to trapping the mouse / winning the game. This was to show how to link chains of reasoning. This was then developed with a brainstorm of connectives and then a case study to bring all the skills together. The focus of this was to support student X with scaffolding the work with sentence starters and well as supporting them organise their written work with writing frames.

As a development of this I provided scaffolding for the 6, 9 and 12 mark responses giving key questions and sentence starters for student responses. Initially these were question / case study specific but as time progressed a generic scaffold sheet was issued along with the acronym ‘JIM’ (Justify, It depends on …, Most important factor) to support students extend their written responses for 9 and 12 mark responses.

Finally, and most importantly, I provided 1:1 specific feedback when I ‘profiled’ the mock examinations into subject knowledge and exam command word overviews. Student X then got a personal profile for their exam so they know their gaps in subject knowledge and where their exam skill set needs development. An example of the start of a mock profile is below:

Here is an overview of how you performed on each exam skill / command word tested:

Here is an overview of how you did on individual questions:

I created and narrated a set of audio knowledge organisers for each topic, as the student felt that all the support I had offered thus far was ‘something else to read’.

Critical Reflection

The Kahoot quizzes did work in terms of student X’s engagement but over time it was less effective as the focus was on knowledge recall and not the deeper skills needed to be successful in a GCSE examination. They have been used as part of a suite of learning activities. These supported student A with their multiple choice / short answer exam responses but these are aimed at the lower grades so some stretch and extend was needed as in the first year 11 mock student X did not attempt the 9 and 12 mark responses.

The flashcards were very well received by studentX. I had chunked the writing of them to 5 a week as a homework task but then student X asked if they could have a copy of all the instructions at once so they could work through them at their own pace at home. I want to develop this in future to link the flashcards to exam and mock preparation and provide diagrams for students to use to visually display some of the subject content such as channels of distribution, thus bringing in some dual coding to support learning and the acquisition of subject knowledge.

The audio knowledge organisers were launched on a ‘GCSE revision SharePoint / Teams page’ and these have been accessed by learner X. However, this resource needs to be developed and referred to in consolidation with another activity to make them more effective. Student X did appreciate that the audio knowledge organisers helped, but could only be accessed either in a computer room or at home on a mobile phone. I feel going forward these audio knowledge organisers should also go on the YouTube channel so they can be easily linked to flashcard homeworks and linked to the revision booklets produced centrally by the key stage 4 lead.

The exam toolkits were really helpful and student X produced better quality long answer responses as a result of this strategy. This is a really useful introduction to linking chains or reasoning to context and justifying or evaluating students ideas. I will use this going forward but it is an activity that needs to be completed once then move onto the frameworks, JIM and scaffolding.

Finally, the scaffolding sheets supported student X to structure and complete the longer answer questions. Initially the sheets were written on by student X to formulate a five paragraph answer with the intention of using the framework as a guide and writing a full response in exercise books to mirror the exam experience. Student X prefers to use the writing frames so the focus now needs to be on the removal of that level of scaffolding to prepare student X for their examinations.

The mock profiles were the most useful piece of feedback for student X. They were shared with parents and student X used this in conjunction with their mock paper to improve on their responses. This was successful as for the next round of mocks, student X asked for it to be profiled in the same way. I will continue to use this profiling method for any assessment for GCSE students going forward. I am using these profiles to give student X (and all students in the class) a personalized learning folder containing activities to address their subject knowledge gaps and the development of their exam skill set.

I will continue to develop the strategies and resources I have introduced to student X and will continue to regularly inform my practice with current educational thinking and most importantly student feedback.

Name: Karen Beck

Chosen area of SEND: Communication and Interaction

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has a pupil passport and has been diagnosed with ADHD. Having worked with a variety of students with SEND over the years, I anticipated an individual approach would be needed. After familiarising myself with the needs of this SEND student on Classcharts, I then needed to get to know their way of learning and trial a variety of ways to gain active communication in lessons. Adapting my teaching to support their needs, in an English setting, therefore became an interesting challenge.

Research

When researching adaptive teaching strategies, the resources produced by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF, 2022) appeared very accessible, consisting of a wide range of suggestions. The following key areas of effective provision deemed most appropriate:

• Build an ongoing, holistic understanding of your students and their needs

• Create a positive and supportive environment for all students, without exception

• Flexible grouping

• Small group and one to one interventions

• High quality targeted interventions

Initially, an understanding of the student and their interests / needs was required. Fortunately, the vast majority of the student’s passport requirements were being covered in whole class English lessons so I was able to focus on developing the student’s confidence and participation. To acquire this, observation of the student’s learning habits: when they were / were not engaged in the activities / content of the lesson was required.

Once learning a little more, it was incredibly important to show the student that they were in a safe environment – not always easy in a ‘lively’ mixed ability English class – enthusiastically welcoming their initial 1-2-1 oral contributions in lessons so that, each time, the contributions gradually expanded in detail.

After trialling a variety of seating arrangements, it didn’t seem to make much difference whether the student was sat next to another or on their own. As such, learning activities were organised in a way that required the student to share their ideas, with increasing frequency, in a whole class environment. This also allowed the growth of their confidence and status within the room.

The depth of the student’s responses display an obvious growth in confidence which has also been reflected in their last two assessment scores.

Looking back over the year, student X has come a long way. They enter the room with a greeting and is more involved in his lessons. There are obviously still occasions whereby the student ‘drifts off’ instead of starting a task immediately; however, a more generic reminder to the class is now all that is required to instigate a positive reaction. The whole class responses, that are now forthcoming, may well be due to their engagement in the content material yet the depth of the student’s responses display an obvious growth in confidence which has also been reflected in their last two assessment scores. It would appear the knock-on effect of detail in oral responses is also improving the detail of written responses (not surprisingly). From our recent parents’ evening discussion, the student’s mother also appeared to have noticed this. She was particularly happy at their level of engagement to the extent that they would report home details covered in lessons – something of a break-through

While student X is able to communicate in response to others, they still seldom instigate discussion. Obviously, they are on an education journey and the next phase will need to focus on social skill development so that they have strategies to enable a greater degree of interaction with others in later

Name: Laura Augustus

Chosen area of SEND: Communication and Interaction

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

I have chosen to focus my CPD journal on a student who has communication and interaction difficulties. This student does not like to be asked questions in front of the whole class so I have had to make adaptations to my AFL to ensure they understand the work and address any misconceptions that they may have which can usually be achieved through targeted questioning.

Research

The EEF recommend the following for helping students with communication and interaction needs.

1. Explicit instruction

Explicit instruction refers to a range of teacher-led approaches, focused on teacher demonstration followed by guided practice and independent practice.

Examples:

• Worked examples with the teacher modelling self-regulation and thought processes is helpful. A teacher might teach a pupil a strategy for summarising a paragraph by initially ‘thinking aloud’ while identifying the topic of the paragraph to model this process to the pupil. They would then give the pupil the opportunity to practise this skill.

• Using visual aids and concrete examples promotes discussion and links in learning.

2. Cognitive and metacognitive strategies

Cognitive strategies are skills like memorisation techniques or subject specific strategies like methods to help learn key quotations.

Metacognitive strategies help pupils plan, monitor and evaluate their learning

Examples:

• Chunking the task will support pupils with SEND – this may be through provision of checklists, instructions on a whiteboard or providing one question at a time. This helps reduce distractions to avoid overloading working memory.

• Prompt sheets that help pupils to evaluate their progress, with ideas for further support.

3. Flexible grouping

Flexible grouping describes when pupils are allocated to smaller groups based on the individual needs that they currently share with other pupils. Such groups can be formed for an explicit purpose and disbanded when that purpose is met

Examples:

• Allocating temporary groups can allow teachers to set up opportunities for collaborative learning, for example to read and analyse source texts, complete graphic organisers, independently carry out a skill, remember a fact, or understand a concept.

• Pre-teaching key vocabulary, using the Frayer Model is a useful technique here.

4. Use technology

Technology can assist teacher modelling. Technology, as a method to provide feedback to pupils and/or parents can be effective, especially when the pupil can act on this feedback.

Examples:

• Use a visualizer to model worked examples.

• Technology applications, such as online quizzes can prove effective.

• Speech generating apps to enable note-taking and extended writing can be helpful.

1. Explicit instruction

I have ensured that all my lessons have really clear instructions and the slides on powerpoints are not cluttered. This is also reinforced through the modelling that is completed in every lesson. This is in the form of live modelling or providing pre-written exemplars that are then dissected to make it explicitly clear how key criteria is shown in answers.

2. Cognitive and metacognitive strategies

As a department, we have acknowledged that this is an area that students are weaker with so have changed our Do Now activities to try an improve knowledge retention. We ask students 5 questions per lesson and they are all linked to recalling key ideas from previous lessons. This allows students to make clear links with the previous lesson, unit and years’ learning. This has also allowed me to ensure the following need on their passport has been met: ‘Ensure repetition of learning and constant revisiting of key vocabulary’.

3. Flexible grouping

For my student, this is the one that causing the most anxiety as she does not like to communicate with people other than her close group of friends. To facilitate this, when we do paired or group work, I always prewarn her and allow them to pick who they want to work with so they know they will feel comfortable and in control of the environment. This incorporates the following strand of her passport: ‘Sit me close to the board in the middle of the room and encourage paired work as I find sitting next to a trusted friend supportive’.

4. Use technology

This has been a really useful tool in dealing with communication issues as the student has been able to email me any question or concerns they have without having to feel anxious about speaking. I have also been able to print out key information for them so they can reference it in lessons without having to ask questions so am adhering to a request in their passport: ‘Provide me with print outs of work and back up verbal communication with visuals’’. Homework quizzes have also allowed me to see their understanding of topics and address any misconceptions that are arising.

I have been led by them as what works one day may not work the next, so I have to listen to them and how they are feeling about completing tasks and adapt my approach accordingly.

Critical Reflection

At the start of the year it was agreed that my focus student would not be asked any questions in front of the whole class due to their needs. This meant I was able to gain their trust as they felt secure in the lessons and wouldn’t be overcome with anxiety whilst they anticipated being asked a question. The advice in the student’s passport was to ‘give me lots of praise and encouragement’ so by doing this we established a strong relationship where she felt safe in the classroom and trusted that I would stick to the agreement we had.

I do, however, ask them questions when the class is working so I can check understanding and address any misconceptions but this did take a few weeks for me to build a strong enough rapport to be able to do so. They are also very good at emailing any questions or concerns that can be addressed post lesson or I can ensure they are addressed in the next lesson.

The flexible grouping has also been really effective as, when the student works with the people they trust, I can see high engagement in the tasks. I can see the student’s limits being pushed though and on occasions my student has had to leave the room due to panic attacks if the environment becomes too stressful. This presents a problem as one element of our course is a spoken language assessment. To negotiate this, we have had to modify how we will assess the student so they can fulfil the criteria but also in a way that they are comfortable completing a 10-minute presentation.

The use of 5 a day has also had an impact on the student’s confidence in using key vocabulary in their work as they have been able to practice formulating ideas in a number of different ways and this has transferred through to assessments and across the different units so I know the student has retained the key words.

On the whole though, with the issues my student has, I have really been led by them and their emotions as it is such a complex issue that what works one day, may not work the next so I have to listen to them and how they are feeling about completing tasks and adapt my approach accordingly.

Name: Lisa Pitman

Chosen area of SEND: Cognition and Learning

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has a diagnosis of a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD), Dyslexia. Student X is verbally very capable but in the New Group Reading Test (NGRT) they demonstrated a very low reading age. Student X therefore finds accessing the secondary curriculum difficult and is often unable to decode the tier 1 vocabulary used in written resources let alone the tier 2 and 3 vocabularies so often used within a Science lesson.

Research

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has conducted several studies on effective teaching strategies for dyslexic students in the classroom. Here are some of the key findings from their research:

1. Phonics: Phonics instruction is an effective teaching strategy for improving reading outcomes for all students, including dyslexic students.

2. Multisensory Instruction: Multisensory instruction, which involves using multiple senses to teach reading and spelling, is an effective teaching strategy for dyslexic students.

3. Vocabulary Instruction: Dyslexic students often struggle with vocabulary acquisition. The EEF recommends that teachers use explicit vocabulary instruction that focuses on the meanings of words, rather than just memorizing lists of words.

4. Reading Comprehension: Dyslexic students often struggle with reading comprehension. The recommends from the EEF are that teachers use explicit instruction in reading comprehension strategies such as questioning, summarizing, and predicting to help dyslexic students understand what they are reading.

I decided to focus on assistive technology and reading comprehension.

When verbally questioned in class, student X showed that they had a good grasp of the scientific concepts covered and was able to answer questions articulately demonstrating the ability to effectively use all tiers of vocabulary. However they demonstrated significant difficulty accessing written material. This was evident with the starter activities meaning that they were on the backfoot as soon as they entered the classroom and sat down.

I managed to secure a reading pen for student X to use in all lessons. The use of the pen needed some initial training and troubleshooting to ensure that the font type and size used in written materials could be easily read by the pen. After a short time, it was evident that student X was better able to access written materials in my lessons and feedback from the student was extremely positive as they stated that it was helping them across the curriculum. During my lessons I would question student X and ask them to explain what they had read to confirm that they were able to comprehend the texts they were given.

Whilst the reading pen was supporting student X in accessing written material, there was still some frustration evident when they were asked to complete any written work. To try and remove this barrier student X was given access to a laptop and trained on how to use the speech to text function in word to complete written tasks. Whilst again there was some trouble-shooting student X now uses this in my lessons on a regular basis and we have also started using the text to speech function so they can read back and edit work.

Name:

Marie Callinan

Chosen area of SEND: Cognition and Learning

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has an SEN Pupil Passport for Dyspraxia and SPD. Student X has difficulty asking for help so I require a range of strategies including support with different activities and being alert to the student’s needs at all times, to ensure they are processing the demands of the work.

When researching adaptive teaching strategies, I referred to the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF, 2022) and found the following approaches particularly effective when teaching Student X:

• Create a positive and supportive environment

• Build an ongoing and holistic understanding

• Ensure access to high quality teaching

• Complement high quality teaching with carefully selected small group and one-toone interventions

Strategies in Action

My initial approach to meeting Student X’s needs was to take the time to create a positive atmosphere in the classroom, one which cultivated a safe and supportive environment in which students felt secure. I then ensured that I established rapport with the quiet and reticent Student X to present a positive, approachable and knowledgeable teacher who understood his SEND profile. Student X has a sensory processing disorder which means it can longer to understand the instructions delivered to the class. To this end, I employ a repertoire of teaching strategies to ensure that they have the time and opportunity to fully understand the task at hand and the information explicitly delivered to the student. One such strategy is to seat the student at the front to ensure regular check ins throughout the lesson, both visual and verbal - I often have Student X repeat back the instructions I’ve issued to the class for example. Mindful partnering in the seating plan is another effective strategy to support Student X’s processing needs as the ‘Think, Pair, Share’ teaching instruction that I regularly employ ensures Student X has the time and peer support to aid their understanding of material and instructions. It is particularly effective in helping Student X get started which is an issue they have with most tasks. Student X is entitled to use a laptop during lesson and tests but has chosen not to do so. I continue to monitor this choice.

The student can grow a confident, open and communicative relationship if I group them with the right partners, but that this confidence takes time to embed.

Having adapted my teaching to accommodate and support Student X’s needs, taken the time to build rapport, and monitored their attitude to learning and progress made, I have been better able to make a holistic assessment of this individual student. This has improved my understanding of their needs and informed my ongoing monitoring of their performance. This in turn helps me adapt my teaching to better suit them going forward.

I have learned that Student X, though reticent and seemingly lacking motivation and energy, does seem to thrive when the time is taken to scaffold access to the curriculum and exercises undertaken as class work.

I have also noticed that Student X can grow a confident, open and communicative relationship if I group them with the right partners, but that this confidence takes time to embed and so I avoid challenging the student with new work partners when a lot of discussion needs to happen.

Student X benefits from considered planning and I take care to ensure pre-reading material is available in advance of important assessments. I also ensure that modelling of the skills of annotation and analysis are routinely incorporated into my lesson plan. I have however noticed that Student X still needs the initial extra-time to organize themselves, their thoughts and focus, before they can proceed with the task at hand.

Name: Michael Hoare

Chosen area of SEND: Communication and Interaction

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has a diagnosis of ADHD. According to their ‘Passport’ they have a short attention span and are easily distracted meaning they can make careless mistakes in schoolwork. They can struggle sticking to tasks that are tedious or time consuming and also have problems listening to and carrying out instructions.

Their targets include following scaffolded resources and clear concise instructions in the lessons.

Research

The EEF has Identified 5 key areas of adaptive teaching that are particularly well-evidenced as having a positive impact. These areas are explicit instruction, cognitive and metacognitive strategies, scaffolding, flexible grouping and technology. These 5 areas will be particularly relevant to Student X as each area relates closely to an element of the student’s “SEND Passport”.

The ‘passport’ states that student X has a short attention span. By giving short, meaningful and clear instructions, this should allow student X to know what is expected of them without overloading their short-term memory with information. This information correlates perfectly with the EEF’s first suggested area of giving implicit instructions.

The EEF suggest that teachers provide opportunities for students to plan, monitor and evaluate their own learning and as a part of the ICT curriculum planning there is plenty of opportunity to do so. The students will have access to the class videos and are able to work through each task as it comes. There is also a quiz on each area and students can see how they did. Student X should be able to see what task they are working through at all times; they have a clear learning journey to each lesson as well as the module.

Student X’s Passport suggests that teachers help organise work by using writing frames and/or other alternate methods of recording. The EEF’s third area is ‘to provide a supportive tool or resource such as a writing frame or a partially completed example’. This matches up perfectly. Student X will not have to do much writing however scaffolds are provided in terms of a spreadsheet with the task instructions and video that will explain the core skill. Both of which can be referred to at all times meaning Student X can remove scaffolds by trying to complete tasks from memory or refer to the scaffolds. A worked example from the front is another scaffold that is provided.

As students are working at desktops the ability to ‘Allocate groups temporarily, based on current level of mastery’ is not easy in terms of seating as the students are fixed however, I have the ability to move them. By seating Student A with similarly able students, I should be able to give some instructions and move on to other students.

As for the final principle ‘Using technology’, the use of computers is a given. I will also be able to use short videos and model instructions using a projector. As well as share students work and show pupils good work as an example.

Strategies in Action

• Short clear instructions given often and repeated (Principle 1)

• Use of short teaching videos (Principle 1+ 5+ 2)

• Use of a teaching model showing the skill (Principle 3)

• Sitting student with similarly able students and discussing the task with them (Principle 4)

I believe the use the use of technology in ICT is a real strength especially for student X who naturally followed the instructions. I personally believe because of the way we went about teaching the operations in excel in short bursts, student X found it easy to learn tasks. For example, one of the tasks in one lesson was to find the mean. In maths finding the mean is not a complicated task but can often overload short term memory as there are lots of numbers involved. In ICT there are essentially the same number of steps but the computer takes on the part of the task that can cause short-term memory to be overloaded.

I gave the student time to reflect on their own learning at the end of each lesson by setting ‘knowledge quizzes’ and also at the start of each lesson with a knowledge recap from the previous

References

EEF (2023). High quality teaching benefits pupils with SEND. The ‘Five-a-day’ principle (https:// d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/eef-guidance-reports/send/Five-a-day-poster_1.1.pdf ) (Date first accessed

Name: Rob Stichbury

Chosen area of SEND: Sensory and/or physical needs

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X, has been diagnosed with severe visual impairment following a spontaneous medical episode. This left Student X with poor vision in both eyes and lead to him avoiding lessons where he felt content would be too tricky to understand or be based on the board. He now uses supportive reading equipment, sometimes uses a reading pen with headphones and resources are always produced in large fonts on coloured paper.

Research

Students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) require a more personalised and adaptive approach to education. As a teacher, it is essential to identify and understand the unique needs of each student to provide them with the appropriate learning experience. Adaptive teaching involves tailoring instruction to meet the diverse needs of all learners, including those with SEND, to provide high-quality teaching that maximises their learning potential. In this essay, I will discuss appropriate methods of adaptive teaching I have researched and used to support high-quality teaching for students with SEND, benefitting student X and also others in the classroom.

Strategies in Action

One factor I identified on student X’s pupil passport is to use differentiated instruction, verbalising everything that is on the board, but in a way that he can interpret and understand without overwhelming. I have used visual aids, learning organisers, large printouts on coloured paper, coloured filters to overlay on resources and assistive technologies including coloured screens on laptops. Additionally, I have provided modified tests and also modified resources that better suit student X’s skills and abilities, and frankly to build his confidence and focus. By using differentiated instruction over the year I have found I can maintain his interest and keep him focussed, with the keen help of teaching assistants. For Student X, printing every paper resource on coloured paper and with large font has become essential, and he will remind me if even a minor resource is not on coloured paper.

Another important method is to use positive reinforcement. Students with SEND may require additional support and motivation to stay engaged in the learning process. With Student X I have found this year that discussing sanctions and warnings are not effective. Student X is well known as a happy and funny individual who is well liked by people around him, his friends and family and this warm positivity was not nurtured in a negative reinforcement framework. Simple verbal praise including showing the class how well he has done and to his closer peers works especially well, as well as providing small rewards such as the school achievement points. I feel that these strategies have helped to nurture and increase Student X’s confidence and self-esteem.

Another effective method is to use assistive technology. Assistive technology includes any device, software, or equipment that helps students with SEND to access and engage in learning activities. With student X he was provided a reading pen and headphones. In theory the text-to-speech software can help students with dyslexia or visual impairments to access written material.

and keep him focussed, with the keen help of teaching assistants.

Name: Sarah Rouse

Chosen area of SEND: Communication and Language

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X came to my attention when I realized they were a chosen mute at school, only answering their name on the register. They have an SEND passport and on it is noted there is an ASD referral and also social anxiety and communication difficulties. I was conscious that sometimes they sat passively and I was aware that I could not say what they did / did not understand in each Maths topic.

I found the Childmind Institute and an article entitled ‘Selective Mutism in the Classroom’ on the selective. mutism.org website helpful in my research.

The first thing I actioned was changing the seating plan so that student X was seated on the front row. This enabled me to observe their work easily, get to them quickly and talk quietly so not to cause further

The white board was introduced as a tool for communication with forced choice questions. ThIs was accomplished with a diagram when learning trigonometry and asking “Can you label the triangle?”, “Show me where…” or “point to which formula you would use’’. It was also useful to be able to ask, “What would the next line of working be?” and that they could choose to write either in their book or on the whiteboard in order for me to

I made a conscious effort to check in on them early on in the lesson and regularly to encourage them to attempt the work, especially the DICE starters, and

It was useful to be able to ask, “What would the next line of working be?” and they could choose to write either in their book or on the whiteboard in order for me to assess their understanding.

Student X responded well to being moved to the front and began to realise they were accountable for getting on and attempting the work as they were aware I was checking more frequently.

When I tried using questions with non-verbal answers, it was reduced to a nod or shake of a head or a shrug of the shoulders, a closed answer and not particularly helpful. The forced answers on the whiteboard were a real breakthrough for the student as they had to respond. It became effective for me to understand what they knew and where their misconceptions were in order to help them.

I will continue to use the whiteboard forced answers. It is good to see that Student X is now more engaged in lessons and is making more progress in maths.

Name: Sarah Wyeth

Chosen area of SEND:

X was pleasantly surprised with my tick sheet and was keen to engage with it. About 15 minutes into the first lesson using this strategy, X looked up at me and beamed. “Miss, thank you so much. This makes it much easier”. The first attempt proved fabulously successful. X did at least 4 times more work than he had done for a long time. X was incredibly proud and his work was doodle free; he had also written in much fuller sentences. I wasn’t always able to produce the tick sheet for each lesson and I did notice deterioration after the initial input.

Seeing the success for one student, I began to work in the tick sheets into other classes. Some were keen to take up the strips; others not so much (Student Y expressed visible horror at the idea). After a couple of lessons, I found incorporating the strips into my power point between tasks as a prompt to do the ticking off was quite crucial as the students themselves would forget to tick themselves.

For some groups, including the starter questions on the sheet (our 5 A Day) has been particularly useful as our starter seems to take an unreasonable percentage of the lesson. If I insisted on full sentences for all class members, my lessons would only be the starter so having the questions next to the responses gives context when rereading and linking the responses, which may be hard to read, so the questions give clarity.

The main issue I have had is finding time to put the strips together and getting them copied in the busy teaching day along with all the other lesson preparation that needs to be done. However, the technique is a simple one and seems to be highly effective so definitely worth pursuing.

About 15 minutes into the first lesson using this strategy, the student looked up at me and beamed. “Miss, thank you so much. This makes it much easier”.

Name: Vanessa Wester

Chosen area of SEND: Cognition and Learning

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Pupil X has an EHCP. One aspect of this document from the cognition and learning section states they have a target with writing sentences of a specific length. Pupil X also has a moderate learning difficulty with speech and language needs.

Research

https://www.wholeschoolsend.org.uk/page/ cognition-and-learning

“Cognition and learning needs may encompass most of the curriculum, such as for pupils with MLD or SLD. However, cognition and learning needs may only impact on specific areas such as reading, writing, spelling and mental calculations. Cognition and learning needs generally account for difficulties in curriculum-related areas such as:

• reading, writing and spelling

• numerosity

• comprehension

• processing difficulties such as sequencing, inference, coherence and elaboration

• working memory

• short term verbal memory

• other types of executive function difficulties”

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Blooms-Taxonomy-ofCognitive-Goals-Theories-of-Cognitive-Development-andLearning-Arabic_fig3_331461512

Maintaining

https://gradepowerlearning.com/benefits-ofcognitive-learning/

From pupil passport:

Strategies in Action

Keep oral instructions brief and clear

Ensure repetition of learning

Create a positive reading environment

Encourage the use of spell-checking and proof-reading

Scaffold the written work with sentence starters and key words

Check in with me regularly

Pre-teach me topic specific vocabulary

A quote from the student’s EHCP states that they have made specific progress in Spanish. Even though the student finds it hard to retain information and apply knowledge at times, they work hard in lessons and are actively engaged. They choose to sit at the front and work well next to another very able student. Maintaining consistent enjoyment and a positive outlook has benefited the pupil and it is my hope that they will continue to do well and stay engaged.

Critical Reflection

Name: James Milligan

Chosen area of SEND: Sensory and/or Physical Needs

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has an EHCP and has been diagnosed with ASD. Having joined the school in September 2022, my experience with student X was limited. When familiarising myself with the needs of my SEND students on classcharts, I was struck by his range of needs. Adapting my teaching to support his needs became an instant challenge and I was conscious that I needed to immediately assess his needs in a Physical Education setting in order to plan the strategies I would implement.

Research

When researching adaptive teaching strategies, I found the resources produced by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF, 2022) very accessible and consisting of a wide range of suggestions. I was drawn to the following areas as key areas of effective provision:

• Build an ongoing, holistic understanding of your students and their needs

• Create a positive and supportive environment for all students, without exception

• Flexible grouping

• Small group and one to one interventions

• High quality targeted interventions

• Effective deployment of teaching assistants (TAs)

Strategies in Action

I felt the most important area for me to begin with was to build my understanding of the student and their needs. In order to do so, I thoroughly read the student’s EHCP, spoke with staff who had previous experience of student X in addition to the teaching assistant to learn the extent of their physical development.

Being a new teacher to the class and in light of what I had learned about their needs, I felt it incredibly important to show student X that I was a friendly individual who was delighted to have them in my class. I did this with a smile, trying to appear enthusiastic and welcoming.

As time progressed and I learned more about student X. I quickly realised that his physical and sensory needs informed social needs in a way that large group activities were not an effective method of learning for him. As such, I organised the learning activities in a manner that required student X to work with one or two peers, with oversight from the TA. Student X was given some choice in these groupings to ensure the adapted learning environment I was trying to create, was positive and encouraging for him. Importantly, the technical skill being taught was not dumbed down. The TA was regularly briefed and prepared as to what the learning intention for student X in relation to the context being taught.

On reflection, whilst I felt familiarising myself with student X’s EHCP and documented needs was an important action, getting to know student X’s personality was equally vital and helped me assess them more holistically. It was vital that I deliberately engaged student X in conversation so I got to know ‘HIM’ in addition to his needs. This really helped me visualise what I thought would work for him and to support his progress. This did, however, take time, and in our early exchanges, student X was not particularly responsive and definitely not forthcoming. I felt persistence and persistent positivity was the key to ensuring he felt as thought I was a positive and supportive presence in his school life.

The flexible small groupings that were organised for student X, were far more effective than I had initially considered they would be. I was concerned he would find them almost patronising and ineffective, but I was amazed to see that student X really thrived in these environments. In makeshift, often smaller playing areas, student X enjoyed this bespoke provision and I observed him appearing happy and repeatedly practising the same target skills as the rest of the class. An unexpected challenge arose here though, as he became too comfortable in this arrangement and was reluctant to enter larger group situations that were required in certain activities. Consequently, this strategy later became a negotiation with student X, with the understanding that I would always like him to try larger group activities, as long as he felt comfortable.

In order to facilitate the above in a busy PE environment, the importance of a TA should not be

Name: Hazel Walker

Chosen area of SEND: Communication and Interaction

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has an EHCP for speech, language and communication needs. They have a diagnosis for verbal dyspraxia and used to be a selective mute. On initially reading the passport, it stood out that they had identified difficulties with maths and in coping with change, and that building a trusting relationship was highlighted as important. In addition to reading the passport, I also did some research on verbal dyspraxia before meeting student X to ensure we got off to a positive start.

Research

There is limited research available for strategies in secondary schools for students with verbal dyspraxia but I found useful information and strategies on Ireland’s NCSE website and a little bit on the NHS website. The most appropriate strategies I identified were:

• Reduce rate of speech and speak clearly

• Face them when talking to them

• Ask questions that require shorter answers

• Do not finish their sentences

• Be honest when you can’t understand them and encourage to persevere

• Use visual cues

• Use concrete materials

Seating Plan – Having a challenging room layout I had to think carefully about where to place student X so that we would be in direct line of sight of each other when teaching and modelling without it being forced and obvious. Rather than put them right at the front, I concluded that the second row and slightly to the left was where my natural eyeline fell when I was teaching and gave them a clear view of the board.

Cold calling – This gave me the most pause for thought. Some advice suggested that quick automatic responses are easier in comparison to having to think of a response and then be able to articulate it verbally, other advice was to give thinking time. Obviously, the context of the question/questioning can allow for both or lead more towards one than the other, but building confidence from the start was important. I got around this initially by taking a structured choral response from all students together and observing. Once settled in, we then moved to cold-calling and patient and relaxed thinking time proved to be effective for X.

Manipulatives - This was an easy strategy to fulfill in maths and I made sure we had manipulatives in the classroom freely available to use.

“Show me” – X could be reticent in asking for help so would need checking in with regularly. The majority of the time they would have a good understanding and would always follow the method set out in examples. I found that using the phrase “show me” what you are thinking helped as it was a cue that they could point or write down what they were thinking and often led to them talking about it as they did it.

I found that using the phrase “show me” what you are thinking helped as it was a cue that they could point or write down what they were thinking and often led to them talking about it as they did it.

Critical Reflection

Student X has made good progress, moving up a grade in the latest mock exams with double the score of the previous mocks and is notably more confident in answering questions. I am pleased that I took

Name: Rona Love

Chosen area of SEND: Communication and Interaction

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has diagnoses of ADHD; ASD; Dyspraxia. He also suffers with ‘Emotional & Mental Health difficulties’. He also experiences ‘absence epilepsy’ and therefore has a fear of being left alone as these episodes can be frequent.

I first met Student X early on in his school life, on a Tuesday morning after P.E when he struggled to get his tie on and he used to wander up the corridor, quite frustrated with re-dressing. The signs of dyspraxia were clear back then, but he always seemed happy that older students were keen to help him. I mention this because once I started teaching student X later on, the first thing I noticed was how aware they were compared to our earlier encounter. A key difference was that he struggled and subsequently became frustrated with things that his peers could do quicker/better/at ease and he ‘compared’ himself to them.

Research

When researching adaptive teaching strategies, I found the resources produced by the ADHD Foundation very useful as they addressed the needs, associated behaviour & desired outcomes that can be achieved by focusing on adaptive teaching.

The most useful thing for me in terms of understanding Student X as an individual, pivoted on the vast cross-over area of symptoms of dyspraxia that tend to overlap with ADHD which include:

• Clumsiness.

• Executive dysfunction.

• Poor balance.

• Restlessness and fidgeting.

• Difficulty concentrating.

• Disorganization - physical and mental.

• Social difficulties.

• Sensory processing difficulties.

Our support staff provide a plethora of knowledge and experience covering the complete spectrum of SEND so my first port of call before teaching student X (after studying his comprehensive & in-depth passport) was to spend time with an LSA who knew him well. The LSA did not predominantly focus on what was different about student X but how ‘I’ could adapt my classroom pedagogy to best suit his needs.

I always tried to keep an eye on him and if I read by body language that things were going wrong, I made sure I went over to his desk to start a conversation to distract him.

This was a challenging process. Student X was in a class who had strong subject knowledge and a very positive work ethos BUT none of them interacted with student X in any way which surprised me. During Starters student X would volunteer answers/ideas and ‘none’ of the other students would: I was teaching ‘them and him’. I tried very hard to ride this and the division also included practical work so student X, who isn’t a lover of the practical side of science, was being left on his own to work with the LSA. One day when student X arrived, I could see he was quite ruffled and half way into the lesson, something around him had moved which caused him significant discomfort. I met with my line manager and the SENDCo to discuss moving student X from his current class to another which quite diverse students; a smaller class that was more lively but also more laid back – they both agreed. The new class I moved student X into was also taught 50% by me so no changes there for him BUT the group of students made him feel welcome, included and this brought out his sense of humour and a feeling of belonging.

Critical Reflection

Looking at ‘what worked’ on the back of educating myself in relation to the needs of student X –

• Planning my seating. ... I did not move the student’s place in the class as changes cause him to become anxious.

• Providing breaks. ... The LSA took him out for a few minutes most lessons, during practical time to gather his thoughts.

• Considering alternatives to writing. ... the LSA took him to a quiet open area to watch the OCR science films that I regularly set on SMH.

• Re-considering materials. ... Each DNS was printed out for him and awaited his arrival with glue ready for lessons.

• Being clear. ...Often, I would write the key words I would be using on that DNS flash card.

• Being prepared to help. ...I always tried to keep an eye on him and if I read by body language that things were going wrong, I made sure I went over to his desk to start a conversation to distract him.

• Using written and visual aids as much as possible. ...This is where our knowledge organisers become an extra took; having a knowledge organiser and highlighter to hand took his mind away from the written word; diagrams also served this purpose – something I learnt from Vishi during ‘Dual Coding’ sessions.

• Keeping an eye out for bullying…..He was never bullied BUT he was excluded from his first class and once this pattern became continual we did move him to a set where his individual identity was appreciated.

I learnt a lot from teaching student X; there are many things I am now more aware of –

• Taking too fast

• Multi-tasking with new terminology

• The importance of routine & space

• The value of having lesson starters ready to greet students who find multi-tasking difficult.

Name: Rachel Kitley

Chosen area of SEND: Cognition and Learning

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

This study is driven by the desire to provide each and every young person with the best chance to succeed in life and will outline the tools used with one pupil to make the biggest impact in achieving this. Pupils with SEND have the biggest need of excellent teaching. For this study I will be focusing on the important area of cognition and learning, which can significantly affect a student’s ability to communicate and be independent.

Pupil X, is a student with SEND who I used to underpin my planning for E1M. I wanted to make sure that I was drawing on best practice regarding SEND research. Pupil X had a broad range of needs at cognitive and learning level. In particular, pupil X has:

• a diagnosis of ADHD

• SEMH needs around his resilience

• cognition and learning needs, in particular being at severe risk of dyslexia and having difficulties with organisation

Pupil X’s needs have displayed as challenging at classroom level. His pupil passport outlines his difficulties in articulating answers how he wants and in being able to show how he got to answers in writing. His passport outlines it would help pupil X to use clear and concise instructions, chunking tasks to stop him becoming overwhelmed with work and to have task plans with step by step instructions. Knowing that these needs are often highlighted in pupil passports, I used pupil X as the ground rock for E1M lesson planning, knowing that high quality teaching for pupils with SEND is firmly based on strategies that will either already be in the repertoire of every mainstream teacher or can be relatively easily added to it. The quality planning for SEND students is actually quality planning for all, including all pupils, with the best teaching you can offer.

Research

In particular, I was keen to test, through ‘assess, plan, do review’, the recommendations of the EEF Guidance Report: SEND in Mainstream Schools. Within this section, strategies are wide ranging but include:

1. Using graphic organisers as an extensively researched cognitive strategy to enable students to organise knowledge, concepts and ideas

2. Using explicit instruction, for instance using small steps, examples, highlighting essential content and removing distracting content

3. Using scaffolding, such as sentence stems and task plans, or chunking of larger pieces of work

Strategies in Action

I developed the E1M Year 7 curriculum and underpinned the planning with the EEF research recommendations which would best meet pupil X’s passport requirements. I used a continual process of assess, plan, do, review, to also support the process. This enabled me to trial approaches and work out what was most effective for writing the materials, which later became the prototype for all E1M booklets across the school for universal teaching.

I decided that each E1M student booklet would hold one topic (such as ‘How can I keep myself healthy?’) and last for a half term, with printed activities within booklets and students answering within the pre-printed booklets rather than using exercise books. This offered particular benefits I knew were SEND friendly such as eliminating all need for copying, which can be very tiring for SEND students and an unnecessary and inefficient use of learning time for all students. The booklets also leant themselves well to enabling students to write straight into graphic organisers within the booklet and to being able to include task plans and chunked tasks with sentence stems already preprinted. Perhaps more so than an individual handout, the booklets also enabled me to put everything in one place for students. This was aiming to meet the needs of students with organisational difficulties such as pupil X.

In line with EEF recommendations, I included the following 10 elements in the booklets:

1. Vocab lists of tier 2/3 language with definitions in alphabetical order, linked to core teaching of the words in lessons; key words are highlighted in bold whenever they later appear.

2. Banks of sentence stems to be used in both speaking and writing, grouped into words to show: contrast, for building on ideas, causes and emphasis and offering a specific chunked structure for a table or classroom bounced discussion using A, B and C.

3. Knowledge organisers for every lesson split into: our big idea, must remember information, a how to section and good to know that.

4. A FEAST poster with visual reminders of literacy expectations.

5. The use of icons for different types of activities to help as graphic organisers (you will notice these across the examples included for other sections).

6. Graphic organisers to help organise thinking and support prioritising.

7. Chunked activities where for instance four sub questions, each in a different box, divide up what could have been one larger un-chunked question.

Critical Reflection

Pupil X had a successful experience in E1M demonstrated by student voice and the quality of work in his booklet. This approach was inclusive and moved away from the idea of labelling individuals and groups and instead centred around the idea that I should have a high expectation for every pupil in my very large E1M class. Pupil X experienced the same high expectations I set out as for the rest of the class and had the support pre-planned around his needs to help him make good progress and achieve well over time to meet those expectations. This approach was more inclusive, while also reducing my workload as instead of differentiating each lesson individually for each student with different needs, I planned once to incorporate adaptive strategies for all students on an ongoing basis. Broader student voice also tells me that all students benefitted from this support irrespective of their need.

The booklets leant themselves well to enabling students to write straight into graphic organisers within the booklet and to being able to include task plans and chunked tasks with sentence stems already pre-printed.

High quality teaching for pupils with SEND is firmly based on strategies that will either already be in the repertoire of every mainstream teacher or can be easily added to it. Teachers should develop a repertoire of these strategies that can be used flexibly in response to individual needs and use them as the starting point for classroom teaching for all pupils.

Cognition is the mental process involved in knowing, understanding, and learning. Cognitive strategies are skills like memorisation techniques or subject-specific strategies like methods to solve problems in maths. Cognitive strategies are fundamental to learning and are the ‘bread and butter’ of effective teaching.

Metacognition refers to the ways in which pupils monitor and purposefully direct their thinking and learning. Metacognitive strategies are strategies we use to monitor or control our cognition, such as checking whether our approach to solving a mathematics problem worked or considering which cognitive strategy is the best fit for a task.

• Teachers should acquire the professional understanding and skills to develop their pupils’ metacognitive knowledge.

• Explicitly teach pupils metacognitive strategies, including how to plan, monitor, and evaluate their learning.

• Model your own thinking to help pupils develop their metacognitive and cognitive skills.

• Set an appropriate level of challenge to develop pupils’ self-regulation and metacognition.

• Promote and develop metacognitive talk in the classroom.

• Explicitly teach pupils how to organise and effectively manage their learning independently.

Explicit instruction refers to a range of teacherled approaches focused on teacher demonstration followed by guided practice and independent practice. Explicit instruction is not just ‘lecturing’, ‘teaching by telling’, or ‘transmission teaching’; it usually begins with detailed teacher explanations, followed by extensive practice of routine exercises, and later moves on to independent work.

Common aspects of explicit instruction include:

• teaching skills and concepts in small steps;

• using examples and non-examples;

• using clear and unambiguous language;

• anticipating and planning for common misconceptions; and

• highlighting essential content and removing distracting information.

from: Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools Guidance report from the Education Endowment Foundation

Ensure all pupils have access to high quality teaching

Name: Aaron Hartup

Chosen area of SEND: Cognition and Learning

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has a dyslexia diagnosis, possible ADHD and being considered for an ASD assessment having has joined the school this September. They began the year very shy and quiet. Having read his passport there were a number of issues they were faced with day to day and began to use this to adapt my teaching to cater for all needs present within the class. I found the first few lessons a particular challenge as simple instructions provided more of an issue than first anticipated.

Research

When researching different strategies to adapt my teaching I found a number of suggestions that were Physical Education specific; one of these being the STTEP principle. This involved changing the following:

• Space,

• Time,

• Task,

• Equipment or

• People

This helps to ensure that students can still achieve the same outcome as the rest of the group. These are often things that most teachers will adapt to cater the needs of students but there is significant research that has shown how this can cover the majority of areas that require adaption for student with additional needs.

Throughout my interaction with Student A I have tried a number of suggested ideas that are present within their passport. The main area that I began to focus on was how I delivered my verbal instructions.

Their passport suggested to keep them brief and clear and to regularly check in to ensure that they have understood the task and were capable of completing the work set. I also used chunking to breakdown more complex skill development to enable the student to see the progress they were making and could begin to use this within their skill performance. Within the teaching of the skills, I implemented STTEP within my teaching and used a number of these to determine which one was most successful, I ranged between changing the task, the equipment and the people that they worked with.

which had been noted within their passport as trying to keep them from being distracted by peers and creating a positive learning environment where they can recognise the positives within their work and receive praise accordingly. I tried to give the student some choice and independence when choosing working groups to try and support their confidence and to help settling into the class.

Throughout the year teaching this student, I have found a number of these strategies to be very effective. The student became a lot more settled within the class and this made implementing some of the strategies easy than the beginning of the year. I found the use of STTEP to be the most effective, more specifically changing the people that they worked with (as per their passport) and chunking the task into smaller sections to allow the student to easily process the task being asked of them.

I often checked the students understanding through targeted questioning and allowed the student time to prepare an answer as opposed to this being sprung upon them, I found this to be very helpful as experiences of springing questions upon them lead to freezing and the student being unable to answer the question for me. Some of the strategies mentioned within their passport were not relevant to PE so had to use other techniques learnt through years of adaptive teaching so aid with my lesson delivery for Student X.

I found this year to be a success with the student and have been able to utilize a number of techniques to adapt my teaching to meet his needs and requirements and ensure that they have been able to achieved the same intended outcomes as every other student within the lesson.

I often checked the students understanding through targeted questioning and allowed the student time to prepare an answer as opposed to this being sprung upon them.

Name: Antonio Giannotta

Chosen area of SEND: Communication and interaction

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

This report will focus on two students identified as 01 and 10 with particular ASD needs. At the start of this year, I already had some previous experience of teaching these students, but there had been a gap. I realised that the needs of the students meant that I would need to adapt my teaching in a number of ways to make their learning journey more successful and to meet their needs. One of the students is very vocal in class and, if left unchecked, will dominate in giving answers and offering solutions. Due to Student 01’s own needs, they are not always aware that when a question is asked, it may be asked of the whole class, not just to them specifically. Student 10, however, lacks confidence and is much more inclined to sit quietly, listening and taking it all in. Again, Student 10’s needs (this time, anxiety-based) are the predominant reason for this behaviour, as Student 10 has the need to get it right but over-thinks and subsequently is unable to commit to an answer.

When researching Adaptive Teaching, I was reassured that the strategies used are not necessarily exclusive to adaptive teaching but builds on the strategies put forward by Black and William, using formative assessment to inform the teacher of the needs of the student and changing the learning experience accordingly. In my subject, we have more technology to support this formative assessment process and we are able to benefit from a larger amount of data, where that is available, to identify areas that are in need of reinforcement and support.

Strategies in Action

Research

Although sometimes it is the need of one student in particular that makes the teacher turn to use a particular strategy, in most cases all students can benefit from the structure, security, variety of input, support or revision methods being offered. I was interested in the emotional support we can offer students, especially through strategies such as flexible grouping. I had used this before, but not so specifically meeting someone’s emotional needs. I decided to focus primarily on the needs of ASD students, as their needs are those that require the greatest adaptations.

We have a seating plan in class and for most peer-talk and collaborative work students will work in pairs with the person sat next to them. However, this leads to the same person tending to dominate and the research says that the person who contributes less every time takes on a subservient role and will consequently try less and less to participate. To mix things up, flexible grouping allows the teacher to enable students who would fall into a quieter role to take more of a lead.

I used a variety of strategies to create different groups so that these effects were minimised. For example, one strategy I used was to assign each student as a ‘question expert’ for a given question that they completed well in a recent assessment. This meant that everyone had the experience of leading the solution explanation. Also, as the assessment has already been marked, the student knew that their answer was correct, so it is a very low stakes experience. Students were then able to share in their small group the solutions they each got, thus making it a collaborative learning experience.

In their small group the solutions they each got, thus making it a collaborative learning experience.

Another strategy I used was in a revision of key words task. I created a class set of ‘Keyword Dobble’ website: http://aaronbarker.net/spot-it/spot-it.html. Dobble (or Spot It in the USA) is a game where there are a number of cards (57 in my version) and between any two given cards there will always be one and only one word/image in common. It is a fun game and the fun comes from thinking you have found a match, when it is a similar-looking word/image.

In my version, I was less interested in them actually finding the missing word (although this can be challenging), so much as I wanted them to have exposure to as many of the key terms as possible, and to practise the definitions of those words. The ‘match’ they find is the term they try to define. Then their partner tries to come up with a better definition. Then, they check the definition on the subject knowledge organiser. The benefit of this game is that students only need two cards each and they can then move around the room and for each other person there are 4 potential words/terms to define. If they do not want to move, they have 8 words (plus their own) just by using the people either side of them. If, by luck, they find the same word twice, the element of ‘finding the strongest definition’ means that they get to practise that killer definition they just came up with. On two cards they have 15 unique words/terms that they could go away with.

The positive outcomes highlight the significance of building a trusting and supportive teacher-student relationship to create an inclusive and accommodating classroom environment.

Critical Reflection

For Student 01, who tended to dominate class discussions, the adoption of flexible groupings allowed for a more equal distribution of participation. Because the ‘question expert’ was confident in their answer being correct, everyone had the opportunity to lead the solution explanation. This approach enabled Student 01 to share their solutions within their small group but also being forced to sit back and listen to other students lead. This created a more balanced and inclusive learning environment.

Student 10, originally lacked confidence and hesitated to provide answers due to anxiety and overthinking. The use of flexible groupings also proved beneficial to them. The ‘Keyword Dobble’ task gave Student 10 the opportunity to engage in a low-stakes activity that encouraged participation. The game facilitated exposure to multiple key terms as students interacted with peers, allowing Student 10 to gradually build confidence in contributing their definitions and checking them against the subject knowledge organiser. It was good to see Student 10 even more motivated when a previous word that they had defined already did come up!

These strategies have helped both students to overcome their respective challenges and demonstrate improvements in their engagement, participation, and confidence levels. Student 01 was already somewhat aware of the tendency to dominate, so it was helpful to construct a situation where this is controlled. Student 10 gradually developed the ability to commit to answers and express their understanding. By using flexible grouping and creating opportunities for collaborative learning experiences, the intervention effectively addressed the emotional support required by students with ASD needs.

Implementing these strategies has reinforced the importance of individualising support for students with ASD needs. Recognising their preferences, strengths, and areas of challenge has hopefully led to improved well-being as well as academic performance. Furthermore, the positive outcomes highlight the significance of building a trusting and supportive teacher-student relationship to create an inclusive and accommodating classroom environment.

In the future, I will continue to refine these strategies based on ongoing communication with students, collaboration with support staff and learning passports, and CPD opportunities. By continuously adapting my teaching approach, I aim to maximise the potential and success of all students in my Computer Science classes.

Name: Bethaney Padden

Chosen area of SEND: Cognition and learning

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

I have a chosen a KS4 student with an EHCP. This student has cognitive and processing needs, in particular remembering instructions, organisation of learning and maths skills. My approach since teaching this student in year 10 has been to give take up time and clear instructions one at time. The student has also responded effectively to use of praise e.g. reward points, emails/phone calls home.

However, as this student is ‘well behaved’ and ‘does not like public speaking’ (as referred to in their passport) I felt there was more I could do to support their progress in science. I wanted to make a conscious effort to check in more frequently with this student and find alternative ways to check understanding that are not necessarily in front of the whole class.

Research

When starting my research, I began with the resources provided by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) provided to help me develop my strategies. Firstly, the strategies used should benefit all students positively, I should assess, plan, do and review, in other words, check what I’m doing is effective not just wait until the end. Next, I should continue to use cognitive strategies, explicit instructions and scaffolding to name a few in my approach, as well as include interventions. Finally, I should continue to work effectively with Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) ensuring they supplement rather than replace my teaching.

I also began by thinking about strategies that have been effective before with previous students I have taught. When it comes to preparing students for final GCSE exams when they struggle to retain information I have found repetition and modelling of how to answer exam questions extremely effective. I looked on their website to see if the EEF confirmed my theories. I came across the “Five a day” principle (EEF) which includes the following things teachers can include in their practice to benefit SEN students:

1. Explicit instruction

2. Cognitive and metacognitive strategies

3. Scaffolding

4. Flexible grouping

5. Using technology

I then read a bit more detail about evidence-based strategies that have been effective in supporting pupils with SEND. Scaffolding was included first suggesting the use of knowledge organisers, sentence starters, reminders of classroom routines and equipment. I also was interested in the part that described ‘thinking aloud’ as this is closely related to ‘walking talking mocks’ which I have found effective in the past and I knew would be one of my key strategies.

Next, focusing on cognitive strategies I knew I would include checklists to support my student’s organisational and emotional needs. Also, it stressed the importance of not overloading working memory so it will be important to continue to chunk work in achievable goals to avoid feeling overwhelmed which can easily occur when approaching something such as a 60 marks science exam paper.

Lastly, the idea of flexible groupings, I would use a different grouping for student X during practical work and their theory work so they can independently develop skills and again the use of modelled answers in mentioned which will be essential in my approach. I will also explore the use of technology for homework/independent study, continue the use of Seneca learning.

Strategies in Action

I began my approach in February 2023 and the strategies I was going to use I was hoping would not just support student X but also the rest of my year 11 group and their science progress. In previous years, I have noticed the trend that year 11s lose marks most frequently on practical content questions worth about 15% of each of the six science papers they sit. Historically, these marks would have come from coursework, which suited students who do not particularly perform as well in an exam due to memory and retention. To better prepare students for the part of the papers which assess practical techniques and procedures I will concentrate the revision time on the 16 Practical Activity Groups (PAGs) (Source: OCR Gateway Combined Science specification).

I started by introducing my idea to the class with a cover sheet and new exercise book outlining the 16 PAGs, why we are focusing on these aspects as I explained above and some diagrams of commonly used lab equipment to become familiar with. I also created a timeline which acted as a checklist including the exam dates in May/June. February –May 2023, we completed the 16 PAGs with built in review lessons. During the practical sessions, the focus was on safety and skills.

During the review lessons, we completed past exam questions based on the biology, chemistry and physics PAGs to check our understanding and apply the practical experience to exam style questions as

The review lessons were the most important part as I modelled how to read and annotate exam questions, modelled answers by scanning them in, other times writing them live so students can see/hear my thought process (normally a mixture of both) and how exam questions are marked, making use of red pen. Often when questioning, I would encourage “talk like a scientist” ensuring that we always use scientific keywords. I would often have to remind student X to tick off the checklist as we went, and the review lessons were a challenge. There was high motivation during practical sessions, but less so when approaching exam style questions. I think being consistent with my approach helped embed this new routine and it made revision time in lessons very structured. Also, making sure students were clear on why we were doing this helped motivational levels.

Often when questioning, I would encourage “talk like a scientist” ensuring that we always use scientific keywords.

Critical Reflection

I do believe these strategies were effective. Student X has trouble self-organising, so I think having a clear plan to follow with clear expectations for each lesson ensured calm and effective learning took place. I also think the regular revisiting of core things such as ‘variables’ in the do now as part of my retrieval practical and drawing (many) graphs – these questions are often worth 4 marks, improved confidence and each time I saw an improvement in marks achieved during live marking.

During the first review lesson (biology), I noticed, student X was reluctant to engage with exam style questions finding the questions overwhelming. During the second review lesson (chemistry), I encouraged student X to make more use of their exercise book (knowledge organisers) so there was less pressure to remember everything. By the third review lesson (physics), student X was very confident in using red pen to self-assess and was making better use of the model answers, improving their answers rather than just tick or cross. Comparing review lesson 1 and 3, there is a big improvement in engagement and their practical skills developed too.

I made use of flexible groupings during the practical sessions and use of technology when setting home to revise for the ‘review lessons’ using online quizzing. This use of low stake assessment helped ready students for the exam style questions used in class. Although, I did not find I got as much engagement with these as I would have hoped.

On reflection, I think there is a limit to how well I can check its effectiveness, as I will only know for certain when I see my class’s GCSE results. However, I feel confident that it kept students motivated knowing the routine, it made that link between practical skills and the practical exam style questions. Finally, I think it is an approach I will use next academic year and if anything, a strategy I would apply earlier on in the year to try and make even more of an impact and increase levels of independence.

Name: Blake Rayner

Chosen area of SEND: Communication and Interaction

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has ASD which presents as the student wanting limited interactions with other students but is open to discussion about work from teaching staff. They do not really like criticism of their work so giving feedback needs to be tactful and delivered carefully. With this in mind it is vitally important that this student feels successful in tasks so preparing them with scaffolded recourses is key. The following is detailed on the pupil passport.

Research

Although ASD fits into the communication and interaction section, as explained the issue I want to address is focused around improving success as feedback has sometimes been ineffective due to frustrations with performance on the task itself. I wanted to research how I could best use scaffolding to support this student, particularly in extended answers as they were beginning to get despondent due to lack of success and not responding to feedback too well. I researched effective scaffolding using the EEF website and wanted to put the items below into practice.

Strategies in Action

My initial trial with this was to use a scaffolded mind map of the topic before attempting a long answer question (LAQ). Instead of just asking students to revise I used a pro forma of a mind map on the topic for them to complete (This included the knowledge needed to answer LAQ and other key ideas from the topic). The aim was to make revision tasks clear and specific in terms of language and act as a checklist as per the pupil’s passport. Feedback for the mind map was via verbal questioning and writing student answers onto the board.

There was some success with this despite limited completion of the mind map, the part of the task related to the LAQ was completed and a score of 2/6 on the LAQ was achieved. Despite this being a relatively low it was an improvement on some previous attempts and more importantly the ICE task was accessed rather than being ignored as it had in previous attempts.

Instead of just asking students to revise I used a pro forma of a mind map on the topic for them to complete.

Critical Reflection

Whilst this presented some limited success I realized that I needed to try going further with the scaffolding. So on the next topic I had a similar approach, but this time I included some exemplars on the mind map (mainly on the higher tier content). I used more regular check ins and prompts with the student and also provided a printed mark scheme/answer rather than just transferring student answers onto the board. This led to a much better completion of the mind map and an improved score on the LAQ, achieving 4/6 this time.

Overall my aim was to not only to improve performance on LAQs for this student, but more holistically, to generate feelings of success and improve engagement with feedback. On a discussion level basis this did seem to be the case although I probably should have considered how to evidence this further maybe with a student questionnaire or similar. Nonetheless there was some positive results in the short term and overall this has worked as a way help this student access the LAQs with more success.

Mark scheme mind map.

Name: Dannii Godfrey

Chosen area of SEND: Cognition and Learning

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has dyslexia and has a student passport. Upon first teaching student X in September, it quickly became apparent what a committed and hard worker they are. As commented in their student passport, Student X is a perfectionist and consistently strives to complete all learning and challenge tasks to the best of their ability. At times, this means they require additional timing, adapted homework tasks and refocusing as they may apply too much focus and enthusiasm on unnecessary areas. Student X’s student passport additionally highlights difficulties in seeing the board, reading and challenges around organisation. Due to issues around anxiety and confidence, this student will not consistently highlight the need for support and help, so requires discreet and consistent checking in to offer support. It was also further observed that during assessments, Student X would not complete all questioning due to perfectionism and time management issues. Teaching this student in a high literacy subject highlighted the importance of ensuring that this student was provided with the necessary support to succeed within the subject.

Research

The Education Endowment Foundation’s (EEF) ‘Five-a-day’ principle provided a place to start when considering strategies to support this student. The EEF summarises 5 recommendations when supporting students with SEND. For example; creating a positive and supportive learning environment; building an ongoing and holistic understanding of pupils’ needs; ensuring pupils have access to high quality teaching; compliment high quality teaching with carefully selected small group one-to-one intervention and working effectively with teaching assistants.

Focusing specifically on ensuring that pupils have access to high quality teaching, it encourages flexible grouping; cognitive and metacognitive strategies; explicit instruction; using technology to support pupils with SEND; and scaffolding would be effective strategies in supporting this student. The evidence review for this recommendation found that ‘teachers should develop a repertoire of these strategies that can be used flexibly in response to individual needs and use them as the starting point for classroom teaching for all pupils.’

By allowing this student to sit next to a supportive peer, the recommendation of creating a positive and supportive learning environment was met. Additionally, I ensure that this student is sat at the front of the classroom with a

This student’s pupil passport provided some thorough information on how this student could be supported. A conversation with Student X’s parents also confirmed ways to support them in achieving expectations and to make progress within the subject. By building communication with Student X’s parents, I acted on the second recommendation by building an ongoing, holistic understanding of this pupil and their needs and this developed a respectful and mutual

As part of this support, I focused on the advised strategies within recommendation 3 – Ensure all pupils have access to high quality teaching. To start with, flexible grouping was achieved through placing this student in a mixed ability

The seating plan was carefully considered to ensure this student was sat with a supportive peer, but also a high ability student which provided a small and effective working group when required. The student responded positively to this.

Through cognitive and metacognitive strategies I supported Student X in becoming more independent with their learning. This included modelling exam answers through I, We, You activities. Furthermore, this student was supported in organisation and planning by timed activities and copies of the PowerPoint resource so that the student can work independently. This made a significant improvement in this student’s ability to manage time, but also encouraged more independent learning. I also introduced graphic organisers in the form of Venn diagrams and event chains which were an effective tool within the subject.

Additionally, explicit instruction was a strategy used. I referred to the popular approach to explicit instruction in Rosenshine’s ‘Principles of Instruction’. This included ‘thinking aloud’, allowing opportunity for independent exploration of a topic, and then modelling the key information that was essential in the activity. Using ‘non-examples’ when exploring a series of chronological events provided an opportunity for deeper thinking and an opportunity to challenge any misconceptions.

As advised in the pupil passport, all homework was made accessible for completion via technology. The non-instructional app, GCSEPod provides short videos which the student was able to watch and then consolidate their learning through further independent activities.

Finally, I focused on the EEF’s guidance on scaffolding to provide ‘temporary support, with removal through time’. In particular, the research and information on ‘scaffolding’ was informative. In the EEF’s research, a systematic review of 56 studies (Belland et al., 2017) found that ‘scaffolding has a consistently strong effect across student populations’, noting a ‘very large’ effect size among students with learning disabilities. This student responded particularly positively to writing frames to provide support when completing exam answers, particularly as previously this student would spend too much time on exam responses and was unable to manage time effectively or meet the required expectations. Initially this scaffolding was provided for the whole class, before working with this student one to one to discuss appropriate responses. Continuing to model answers and highlight essential content has also supported this student in feeling more confident and able to work independently to avoid complete reliance on support following scaffolded activities.

Targeted questioning can cause anxiety for this student, therefore a warning of a question coming up and time to think was imperative to build trust and confidence.

Critical Reflection

Whilst the pupil passport provided advice and strategies on how to support Pupil X, building a positive relationship and purposeful learning environment was also essential in supporting this student with learning anxieties. Having built a positive and mutually respectful relationship, I was able to further explore this student’s needs. Targeted questioning can cause anxiety for this student, therefore a warning of a question coming up and time to think was imperative to build trust and confidence. This has seen an improved engagement in class discussion from this student and provided positive in identifying any misconceptions to respond with further adaptive teaching methods.

Initially this student did not respond positively to one-to-one support and was reluctant to engage. However, through discreet support and conversations, they became more responsive. Through publicly modelling and scaffolding activities for all students, this furthermore increased engagement. Additionally, this student was reassured further through copies of resources and checklists to support independent learning.

Referring to the EEF’s recommendations and research base on supporting this student with cognitive learning difficulties had a very positive impact on the learning not just for this student, but also of that of others in the class.

Involving the student in their learning further promoted the impact of these strategies as Student X was able to understand the benefit of these strategies in supporting her learning and recent exam answers have modelled an increased improvement which is promising for future learning. It was extremely positive to observe how this research driven recommendations and strategies of adaptive teaching improved the confidence, independent learning and progress of this student.

Name: Holly Downer

Chosen area of SEND: Cognition and Learning

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has a keen interest in Film and Drama, but has never studied this specialist subject area before. Their SEND needs identify issues with working memory, processing and recall.

As with all creative subjects, the level of knowledge and understanding of key concepts, issues and vocabulary is extensive and incredibly specific. The application of this knowledge is crucial in allowing students to make progress and engage with higher-order thinking skills of evidence-based evaluation, critical thinking and considered debate. If recall is a challenge, then students find it incredibly difficult to engage with that initial stage of their knowledge base, making the application of that knowledge a non-starter.

I wanted to explore metacognitive strategies that would allow me to broach this hurdle of recall most effectively with a student like Student X , who experienced a lack of confidence and disillusionment with the subject matter if the subject-specific knowledge base necessary to making progress felt out of their reach.

Research

Having researched the metacognitive strategy of dual coding, I felt that this was a strategy that could be really well deployed in the context of Film Studies as a visual medium, but also tapped into the creative processes at work in a range of subjects in my field to good effect for students like X.

Dual coding is using images and graphical representation alongside text or verbal instruction to make information clearer. Linking images to key theories, concepts and ideas enables students to quickly recognise and connect material. Oliver Caviglioli’s research and writing on the use of dual coding in educational contexts has identified clear benefits of this strategy – see Fig 1 to the right:

Integrating visual and verbal representations along with metacognitive skills development I hoped would empower student X to actively engage with the Film Studies curriculum and deepen their understanding of subject specific vocabulary, in addition to achieving improved learning outcomes as their recall of essential knowledge and concepts was supported.

Strategies in Action

I implemented these metacognitive strategies when introducing new concepts around the use of specific film language and concepts. For example, I wanted to teach the class about the use, encoding and analysis of mise-en-scene in Film – the placement of objects, props, costumes etc. within the frame to encode meaning for the spectator. I developed a resource that utilized images alongside the five key areas of mise-en-scene to represent them whilst also introducing these ideas verbally. This encouraged student X to use the graphical representation to aid understanding as concepts were introduced (see Fig 2).

I

These images were then referred back to in recall activities in subsequent lessons to be able to apply concepts specifically and with growing confidence. Additionally, these same graphics could be simply reproduced by students in essay or exam response preparation to aid depth of analysis and breadth of understanding.

have found that dual coding practices have supported students who are developing their working memory and recall, and ultimately

given them greater access to vocabulary and subject-specific knowledge.

Critical Reflection

I have found that dual coding practices across the creative subjects I teach has definitely supported students like X, who are developing their working memory and recall, and ultimately giving them greater access to vocabulary and subject-specific knowledge. This underpins the higher-order thinking processes essential in these kinds of subjects. The boost in confidence and ownership of students over their own learning and knowledge has also been a powerful boost to this work. I would like to develop this work further and ensure that it is deployed specifically and effectively going forward, to ensure that

References

https://www.theocmjournal.com/post/dual-coding-in-the-classroom

https://www.olicav.com/

https://opendramauk.org/2023/05/31/814/

Name:

Kate Moloney

Chosen area of SEND: Cognition and Learning

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has a pupil passport which indicates that the student displays dyslexic traits and has been referred for as assessment to test for ADHD. This student has a wide range of needs, which are also evident on other passports for other students within the class, so ensuring I was able to adapt my teaching to best support both this student, and also other students within this setting, has been crucial to ensuring that the content is accessible and that learning is able to take place. This student is keen to do well but is often impeded by poor memory and low confidence. I rapidly introduced miniwhiteboards as a way of encouraging students to record their thoughts, and this student thrived with that approach as they were able to make mistakes but still experience success. As a department, we have been working to embed a number of key strategies to support students with their development of recall and retrieval, oracy and vocabulary, all of which have been vital to enabling student X to fully access the learning and to make effective progress.

Research

Whilst conducting my research into the strategies which would best support this student and the wider class, I found the EEF resources: Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools | EEF (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk (2020) and EEF Blog: Five evidence-based strategies to support… | EEF (educationendowmentfoundation. org.uk (2020) really useful as a starting point. Within the first piece of research, I found the following key strands to be essential when considering how best to adapt my teaching:

Strategies in Action

Within a class where the majority of students have SEND needs and pupil passports, I feel that creating a positive and supportive environment has been of paramount importance in ensuring students feel as though success is achievable. As stated by the EEF (2021), ‘To a great extent, good teaching for pupils with SEND is good teaching for all’. It is therefore absolutely crucial to ensure that students are supported to engage with lessons; Student X requires reading materials and key words available to access the learning and ensuring that they have access to this has been invaluable as it has supported the student to develop greater independence in their writing.

In order to ensure that my teaching has been effective and focused on what students need to know in order to make progress, I have focused heavily on embedding ‘Five a Day’ retrieval practice using mini-whiteboards within every lesson to support students’ cognition,

1. Create a positive and supportive environment for all pupils, without exception

2. Build an ongoing, holistic understanding of your pupils and their needs

3. Ensure all pupils have access to high quality teaching

, and to ensure that every lesson begins with the opportunity for success. Using ‘what/when/who’ questions to assess prior learning helps students to see how much progress they’re making in terms of retaining core knowledge and also enables me to reteach core knowledge which is not yet secure. One of the difficulties identified on Student X’s passport is retaining information and one of the suggested strategies is to repeat key information; this recall strategy allows for repetitious questioning and frequent reteaching in order to fully embed key learning.

Alongside this, I have prioritised using the visualiser as a means of explicit instruction: scaffolding, modelling and chunking key tasks are strategies which I have successfully employed to support this student, and the class more widely. Student X’s passport identifies focus and concentration as an area

of difficulty, with verbal memory also making learning more tricky. Using the visualiser to model and talk through the processes of how/why we record information in a specific manner or to explore effective methods of analysis or creative writing has been invaluable as it has avoided overload; we’re able to go at a pace which suits the class. It provides models which supportsStudent X with their need to focus on punctuation, gives additional time and, because I model using chunked tasks (e.g. specific sentence types or inclusion of specific vocabulary) in the margins, allows the student to work through tasks with an in-built checklist to ensure they’re not overwhelmed with information.

Critical Reflection

As the year has progressed, it has been evident that some of the strategies have been really effective, while others need refinement. For this student, the approaches that have had the biggest impact are retrieval and modelling. Student X has moved from not really being able to recall much key information at the beginning of lessons, even from the day before, to being able to recall information which we taught earlier in the year. This represents a huge level of progress and has been aided by my own research into retrieval and the cognitive processes entailed within. Being able to repeat questions, reteach core concepts and revisit, and to be able to see this information quickly via MWBs, has meant this student has experienced success really early in the lesson, which creates a hugely positive environment for them.

Modelling tasks and ideas and modelling the thought processes for students generally, and for this student specifically, has also improved this student’s use of punctuation, which features on their passport, and has ensured that they are able to access the learning fully because of the chunked nature of the tasks. Through the provision of a clear scaffold, this student is able to develop more independence, and because we stop and discuss the structure, function and effect of key sentences as we go, they’re also developing an ability to comment on why specific strategies are useful within writing/longer pieces of work.

Giving vocabulary has worked to a degree but one of the elements I want to focus on as we move forward is on exploring the etymology of words in more detail to support their wider learning; knowledge of suffixes, prefixes and root words would be invaluable in supporting this student with retention of vocabulary but also in their other interventions, such as Lexonic. I think as well that we also need to spend more time exploring individual vocabulary words more thoroughly by providing more concrete and worked examples and by providing time for this student to apply the words in a range of different contexts in order to ensure the learning is fully embedded.

Any SEND provision demands a thorough understanding of the students in front of you. This knowledge then helps the practitioner to facilitate the learning through a range of strategies in order to fully support the learner in the classroom and beyond. This student has really made some excellent progress this year and in fact, so have the rest of the class. Their confidence and ability to retain information is so much more embedded and evident than in September, and this student in particular has demonstrated a keenness in lessons which I think is at least partly due to the supportive environment and targeted support they have received in the classroom.

Using the visualiser to model and talk through the processes of how/why we record information in a specific manner or to explore effective methods of analysis or creative writing has been invaluable as it has avoided overload.

Name:

Katie Samuel

Chosen area of SEND: Communication and Interaction

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has an ADHD diagnosis. Despite being a contentious individual who wants to do well, their ADHD combined with their confidence and being (according to their passport) ‘a larger-than-life character’, this leads to issues with the student frequently calling out, attempting to draw attention to themselves, and not attempting work because they ‘know it so don’t need to write it down’. This becomes more problematic when considering the fact that it is a challenging class in terms of behaviour and student accountability.

Research

My initial research was largely driven by the EEF, especially their ‘five strategy recommendations. 1 From these I narrowed my focus down to the following three points.

1. Build an ongoing, holistic understanding of your students and their needs

2. Create a positive and supportive environment for all students, without exception

3. Adopt a positive and proactive approach to behaviour.

From this I applied the cognitive and metacognitive strategies of chunking in order to aid student X in their learning.

Strategies in Action

5-a-day:

I have used a variety of chunking based strategies within the class. Upon entering the room, the class have a 5-a-day starter on the board with ‘who/ what/ where’ style recall and vocabulary questions. I then stand at the door to ‘meet and greet’ (consistently friendly and welcoming) the students and hand them each a hand-out with the questions printed. To help focus the students, I then put a timer on the board.

Task lists:

A second tactic I use is based only on Student X and a few other students with similar needs. This takes the form of a task list on a margin strip, which chunks each task. This includes the basic details starting with ‘glue in task list’, ‘write date and title’ and then ‘underline date and title with a ruler’. These then form a check list that Student X can tick off once each task is completed. Furthermore, underneath the list will be any tier 2 or 3 vocabulary and subject specific terminology that will be introduced in the lesson to help aid understanding.

Margin Strips:

For extended pieces of writing, I have found using margin structure strips provide the biggest aid to promoting and supporting independence. These margin strips contain a step-by-step guide with a mixture of potential sentence starters and prompt questions, and success criteria (again this is presented in a form of a check list so that students are able to tick off each aspect of the success criteria they have used). Underneath the sentence starters, I also include a variety of vocabulary (with synonyms to help define) that the students can use to up-level their responses.

0-5k writing:

Within English we also use the 0-5k writing. This works by chunking extended pieces of work into the basic elements in order to produce a larger piece of work. For example, we first get the students to use a discourse marker to state their point, we then go on to show them how to use quotation-based evidence to support it and zooming in on specific vocabulary and techniques from the ‘writers toolkit’. Finally, the students are encouraged to think about the effect on the reader and the writer’s purpose.

I have found the use of margin strips the most beneficial because they promote independent work on behalf of the students and can be easily modified for a variety of tasks.

5-a-day

I have found that by handing out the starters in table format allows students to settle immediately, and by using simple questions, it often provides ‘quick wins’ for confidence boosts. I have also found that this provides easy opportunities to ensure that the entire class, and not just student X, has engaged with their starter as they can hold them up and show that every box has been answered. This system can then be repeated after the starters have been marked and I can guarantee that the students have marked and corrected their answers in red-pen. The main issue that I have found with this is the add to workload and time it takes to create, print, and cut the tables.

Task lists:

I have found that this use of task lists allows student X to ensure that they are completing all aspects of the lesson. This is also where my knowledge of student X as an individual is beneficial. I know that Student X is an avid drawer and enjoys creating doodles. This is then used as their reward that if they finish each task before the others, then they are allowed to spend some time drawing until they have to engage in the next section of the lesson. I have to make sure that Student X’s attention then returns to focusing on the lesson, by taking away their doodle paper until they have ticked off the next task.

Margin Strips

Out of all the chunking instructions, I have found the use of margin strips the most beneficial because they promote independent work on behalf of the students and can be easily modified for a variety of tasks. Furthermore, by basing it around the success criteria, it becomes easy for students to peer or self-assess whilst because the check list becomes its own WWW and EBI for ICE work.

0-5k writing:

One issue with using this approach is that it can become too rigid and formulaic, which can prevent some students, like Student X, from being able to explore their personal responses to the text in their own independent way. I feel that further research needs to be done into finding a compromise between allowing the students to provide and independent personal response and providing them with a prescribed structure to ensure they reach all of the success criteria.

References

1https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/eef-guidance-reports/send/EEF_Special_Educational_Needs_ in_Mainstream_Schools_Guidance_Report.pdf?v=1686748950

Name: Lorna Churms

Subject: Religious Studies

Research

Standard 5 of the Teacher’s Standards states that adaptive teaching is when teachers ’adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils’. Adaptive teaching requires teachers to have knowledge of a range of factors that can inhibit pupils’ ability to learn and how best to overcome them in order to ensure that all pupils are taught effectively. SENDCO Kirsten Mould explored the practicalities of adaptive teaching in a recent blog for the Education Endowment Foundation (Mould, 2021). She says that ‘high-quality teaching – adjusting, adapting and assessing in the classroom – is of course crucial for the progress of all pupils’ and goes on to say that ‘while providing focused support to children who are not making progress is recommended, creating a multitude of differentiated resources is not’. In RS we have adapted the curriculum so that it is more rigorous and academic with a greater focus on literacy. This has also meant that we have had to think about how we can deliver the curriculum so that all students despite reading age, prior learning and attendance are able to engage with the lessons and

Challenge tasks provide opportunities to stretch and challenge

Over the year, I have seen an increase in student engagement for the topic. Students are making more links with prior learning than previously. There is less reluctance to attempt tasks or when we are discussing tasks to give a ‘I don’t know’ response. This is because of the structure given to the lessons meaning that the students are more confident to have a go, and to share their learning with others. Observations during the year in RS, have also reported that there is clear adaptive teaching taking place within the lessons.

Chosen area of SEND: Communication and Interaction

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has an EHCP and has been diagnosed with ASC and ADHD.

Research

Teaching students with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) requires a comprehensive approach that takes into account their unique learning needs and challenges. Research has highlighted several effective strategies for adaptive teaching in these cases. First and foremost, creating a structured and predictable learning environment can greatly benefit these students. Providing clear routines, visual schedules, and consistent expectations helps them feel secure and understand what is expected of them. Additionally, incorporating visual aids, such as charts, diagrams, and pictures, can enhance their comprehension and engagement.

The breaking down of complex tasks into smaller, manageable steps with clear instructions and allowing for extra processing time can also support their learning. Incorporating multi-sensory activities, handson experiences, and their special interests into the curriculum can further promote their motivation and participation.

Employment of positive reinforcement, praise, and rewards can encourage desired behaviours and academic progress. Regular communication and collaboration with parents, caregivers, and support professionals are vital for a holistic and coordinated approach to teaching these students. By implementing these strategies, teachers can create an inclusive and supportive learning environment that optimises the educational experience for students with ASC and ADHD.

As well as building an atmosphere of trust and rapport I have always been a great believer in the use of a sense of humour in the classroom and the ability to relate to students as a human being. Some students take longer to respond to this style of teaching depending on their ability to read situations correctly. If you can build this into your lesson they are valuable traits for building rapport with students for several reasons:

1. Relatability: Humour and humanity make you relatable to your students. By displaying a sense of humour, you show that you understand their perspective and can connect with them on a personal level. Sharing a funny moment can create a bond and break down barriers between you and your students.

2. Emotional connection: Humour has the power to evoke positive emotions and create a friendly and warm classroom atmosphere. When students associate positive emotions with your presence, they are more likely to feel comfortable, engaged, and open to learning. By being human, showing vulnerability, and sharing personal stories or experiences, you demonstrate authenticity and foster emotional connections with your students.

3. Reduce stress and tension: Secondary school can be a challenging transition period for students. By injecting humour into the learning environment, you help alleviate stress and tension. Laughter releases endorphins, which are natural mood-boosting chemicals and can create a more relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere in the classroom. It can also make challenging subjects or tasks seem less daunting and more approachable.

4. Enhanced learning experience: Humour can be a powerful teaching tool. It can capture students’ attention, increase their engagement, and improve information retention. When students are relaxed and enjoying the classroom environment, they are more likely to be motivated and participate actively in discussions, group activities, and assignments. Humour can also help make more complex or abstract concepts more understandable and memorable.

5. Strengthened teacher-student relationship: A positive teacher-student relationship is crucial for effective teaching and learning. By being humourous and human, you demonstrate that you genuinely care about your students’ well-being and enjoy being in their presence. This fosters trust, respect, and a sense of belonging amongst students. They are more likely to seek your guidance, feel comfortable asking questions, and approach you when they face difficulties.

6. Improved classroom management: Humour can be an effective tool for managing classroom dynamics. It can diffuse tense situations, resolve conflicts, and redirect disruptive behaviour. When students see you as approachable and human, they are more likely to adhere to classroom rules and expectations. By using humour strategically, you can create a positive learning environment and establish a balance between authority and friendliness.

One of the strategies I used was to create clear expectations and rules within the classroom. Students are required to enter quietly and begin their DICE tasks, complete the date and title in their books and help others if they have finished. This automatically makes students feel more secure and comfortable, as they understand exactly what is expected of them in each lesson.

In order to effectively support a student with an EHCP, it is crucial to establish a strong foundation of trust and rapport, which was one of my key approaches with this student (and the rest of the class). One of the initial steps in this process is getting to know the student on a personal level.

I took the time to understand their interests, learning styles, strengths, and challenges, to create a comfortable and inclusive atmosphere in the classroom. When a student feels seen, heard, and valued, they are more likely to open up and actively participate in their educational journey, which is essential for implementing effective strategies outlined in their EHCP.

The use of humour within the classroom has always been a key aspect for me in creating the right classroom environment. This works by encouraging the quieter to students to participate and help to manage any issues with behaviour.

Student X was notably distracted by his peers when he joined the school and was moved to the front of the class to help with concentration and involvement in the lesson. Student X was constantly encouraged to provide answers and contribute to class discussion, something he was reluctant to do.

Student X was more likely to find a large selection of tasks daunting, which meant splitting the tasks up into manageable sections, and checking each before moving on.

Student X does not like to write a great deal in their book and so more whiteboard work has been used with this group.

Critical Reflection

Using these strategies with student X resulted in them being far more likely to accept help when it was needed and ask for help when required. Student X has developed a keen interest in being involved in class discussion and providing answers to questions without any embarrassment. This is a big change from September when he tried to keep his head down, avoid eye contact, and was reluctant to answer questions. I believe this is because student X is now much more comfortable in the classroom environment, which promotes learning and the ability to make mistakes without embarrassment.

I found in September that student X was reluctant to ask for help as he felt embarrassed when he did not understand. This is certainly not the case now and he will happily answer, or ask a question, without fear of looking silly in front of the class.

Student X could be easily distracted by his peers and so he has sat at the front on his own. This was initially an issue, due to a lack of trust and rapport, but he is now working well and gets a lot of help and support.

The use of a smaller quantity of tasks/questions has improved student X’s concentration and effort in the classroom. This has been improved further by the using of whiteboards, thus reducing the amount that they are required to write.

I feel that student X is well settled in his class and feels free to make mistakes, join in discussions and enjoy the learning process. This means that he finds tasks far less daunting and is much more prepared to try completing the tasks set, even when the difficulty of the mathematical concepts has increased.

Regardless of the outcome regarding progress, student X has developed as a learner in Maths this year, which should encourage a positive mindset for the years to come in his learning journey.

The use of humour within the classroom has always been a key aspect for me in creating the right classroom environment.

Name: Tom Harding

Chosen area of SEND: Communication and interaction

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Pupil X has a diagnosis of ADHD, a pupil passport and shows traits of dyslexia. They also use a time out pass, respond well to visual aids and are currently receiving Lexonic Leap intervention. Based on a criteria from a combination of information from their Primary School, parent, readings assessment and transition partnership agreement, they joined the school’s Accelerate class to support their transition into secondary education. I taught pupil X for a year and found that a structured, un-cluttered environment, positive reinforcement and achievable expectations promoted positive learning behaviour.

It is clear that pupil X responds well when implementing quality-first adaptive teaching strategies. They particularly engage well when they feel invested in, liked, given a supportive environment and their differences celebrated in a positive way. Research from the Education Endowment Foundation based around ways to adapt teaching to support pupil X are as follows:

• Read texts in advance as pre-teaching and communicate regularly with parents to help support with future lessons

• Supply background knowledge

• Teach vocabulary – particularly specific words relating to the topic that will be frequently used.

• Introduce a concept via open discussion and dialogue

• Prepare a model of what to expect and teach this explicitly before any piece of work is expected.

• Adjust the level of challenge to meet the student’s needs

• Set intermediate goals

• Improve accessibility and proximity to the teacher

I developed a new form of success criteria for every lesson. It contained the lesson objective and three ‘prove it’ statements which were linked to each stage of the lesson.

Research

It was clear from the first few interactions that pupil X had quite a negative view of education and that building positive relationships to help change this view was important. In Paul Dix’s book, ‘Taking care of behaviour’ he discusses the importance of 4 fundamental principles behind building relationships with students:

Strategies in Action

It was initially important for me to ensure that I had sought advice from pupil X’s primary school SENCDO and year 6 teacher on how best to support their transition. They were also best placed to be able to provide useful strategies on what had been previously successful and also what strategies to avoid. This information was also available from pupil X’s head of year and form tutor. I also felt that it would be important to mirror some of the resources used in their primary school to help them feel welcome and that they felt as though I had spent time investing in them.

The seating plan would also define a positive initial relationship, especially where I would be able to kneel easily next to pupil X and quietly, and without intimidation or being too public, explain a concept slowly, calmly and with genuine interest in their personal learning. I was also keen to ensure that they were sat next to someone who would be kind in their interactions and be a positive role model to both learning behaviour and class engagement.

As with other students in my class, I ensured that they all knew from day 1 that I was always going to champion them as individuals and that it was a good thing to make a mistake. I found that devising a ‘contract’ between me and the class worked really well to build initial trust and a good relationship. The students, including pupil X, came up with their expectations of me as a class teacher, and I came up with expectations (through discussion) of them. We both ‘signed’ the contract to set the right tone for the year.

There is increasing research and evidence relating to the importance of task design coupled with careful planning of resources for each lesson. I found that by carefully adapting the existing curriculum through the use of writing frames, visual vocabulary aids, sentence starters, concrete resources, modelled examples and interactive smart notebooks, I was able to engage better with pupil X and ensure that they had the ability to ‘hang’ their ideas from. I also developed a new form of success criteria for every lesson. It contained the lesson objective and three ‘prove it’ statements which were linked to each stage of the lesson. Pupil X was therefore always able to demonstrate success throughout the lesson to build their confidence and start to enjoy the thrill of learning. I combined this with regular reference to the ‘Cowes Way’ and the importance of transferable skills with high expectations in all subjects.

Having high expectations that were also achievable were also key to pupil X’s progress. I regularly spoke to them (and the class) about why I had high expectations and that I would never give up on them. This honest and human approach worked well and allowed me to build trust to be able to carefully introduce more challenging work.

Paul Dix makes reference to the importance of having more positive interactions than negative ones. More specifically, he states that researchers recommend having five positive interactions for everyone on negative interaction. Therefore, I found that using strategies such as greetings with positivity about the previous lesson, giving praise for manners, kindness and engagement (not just for completion of a task) and also taking interest in pupil X’s pet and showing that I cared also worked well.

Critical Reflection

We know that students who learn differently often have more negative interactions than positive ones.

Pupil X, who has a diagnosis of ADHD, would be expecting from previous interactions and school experience to receive constant reminders from teachers to be on time and stay on task . I therefore wanted to challenge this expectation, give clear instructions, reasonable time to complete a task and also reward all the small successes. On reflection there were times that I felt I needed to be more precise with my language and be conscious not to overload pupil X with information.

Over the first few weeks I made sure that my approach to learning was always honest and that it was ok to make a mistake. I shared with the class that we learn at the point of inability and that not all learning was comfortable or easy – but that feeling was perfectly normal to be able to improve and understand. Although this approach worked, in the future I will also made further reference to personal anecdotes and experiences of my own to ensure that students feel that I understand what it is like to be a student.

Name:

Lynsey Greenfield

Chosen area of SEND: Cognition and Learning

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

My selected student, ‘X’ has been recognised on his passport as having ‘Cognition and Learning difficulties’. He has a low reading age, and from my time spent with him this year I have witnessed him struggle with his confidence to respond to questions both written and verbally on a 1-to-1 basis as well as in a whole class situation. I feel that his progress is being impeded by his lack of self-belief and resilience as much as his low cognition. Student X’s passport recommends keeping instructions short and clear, checking that he understands and repeating instructions. Being in a small class, these are strategies that I have consistently used throughout the year, but they haven’t truly helped with the problem of building his self-belief and resilience in science. He is a very quiet and shy student within a small boisterous class, who could easily be overlooked, but I feel small gains could have a large impact across his wider curriculum too.

Research

Through my wider reading for this action research, I spent some time reading The EEF’s Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools Guidance Report. Recommendation 3; ‘Ensure all pupils have access to high quality teaching’, stood out to me the most as the area that I could make the largest impact on personally. It includes details of scaffolding that we have also previously discussed within the colleges CPD.

The EEF’s ‘Five-A-Day’ Principle for Scaffolding states ‘scaffolded support provides temporary assistance to students so they can successfully complete tasks that they cannot yet do independently and with a high rate of success.

Teachers select powerful visual, verbal and written supports; carefully calibrate them to students’ performance and understanding in relation to learning tasks; use them flexibly; evaluate their effectiveness; and gradually remove them once they are no longer needed’. My plan is, student X could build his confidence to successfully complete tasks with support, then have the self-belief to continue to complete them as the support is gradually taken away.

Strategies in Action

Within the science department, over the last few years there has been a lot of work put into improving the consistency in pupils accessing high quality teaching. In each topic there are resources to ensure students are introduced to new vocabulary, and over the course of the topic their understanding of the vocabulary is checked using DNS Q’s and a mid-topic knowledge check. However, with student X I could see he needed further scaffolding to enable him to successfully use this new vocabulary independently to answer the ‘Long Answer Questions’ (LAQs) that are expected at GCSE. My plan involved ‘over-teaching’ the key terms and their definitions to build his confidence and then progressively remove the support given.

I began by making a slight change to the starting routine of the lesson, with students collecting a textbook as they entered the room and began the task of finding the 4 or 5 key terms from the board in the glossary (chosen by me and relevant to the lesson) to copy the definitions into their exercise books. After this, I questioned students about the new key terms, linking identified prefixes and root words to common words already in their everyday vocabulary in an effort to deepen their understanding.

I decided that with this class I would use the short knowledge recall style questions (usually used as ‘Do Now Starter’ question in the next lesson) within the same lesson, so that the key terms were still fresh in their mind and they could use the definitions they had copied out to help them. This also meant the next lesson could be started with the next set of new key terms.

I questioned students about the new key terms, linking identified

During each GCSE topic it has been identified that it is important that all students have an opportunity to practice answering a LAQ. With this class, I ensured I planned the LAQ task at a point in the topic when students had a secure understanding of the key terms they were expected to use in their answer. For the task I provided the whole class with a list of the key terms to use and a sentence starter as a scaffold if they wished to use it.

I found that despite student X having the key terms provided and a developing awareness of them, he still lacked the confidence to respond to the LAQ in sufficient detail. Here I opted for some more confidence boosting strategies over the next few lessons. These included; students being selected to read aloud the key terms and their definitions after writing them in their books, a strict hands-down/ cold-calling policy to push them to have a considered answer, key terms on each slide of the lesson, and expectations and support to use them in their verbal answers.

Name:

Victoria Wells

Chosen area of SEND: Cognition and Learning

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

I have taught student X since the start of the year. They respond well to praise but finds complex stories difficult especially when his working memory is full. He also struggles with auditory memory and has a diagnosis of specific learning difficulties.

Research

Repetition of tier 3 vocabulary is the key to embedding into student long term memory. Given the issues the student faced with cognitive load this would be a pertinent approach. There is conflicting research as to the number of exposures which will cause a word to be slotted into long term memory ranging from 7 to 70 times.

Marzano (2004) suggests six techniques to teach new vocabulary to learners which I attempted to use and I also considered Caviglioni’s (2019) links to dual coding as he argued an easy of way of facilitating long-term recall is by is peppering your presentation with images linked to the keywords.

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) suggests a range of strategies to promote academic language, including ‘exploring common root words’ which I included in a key word template. The EEF also place importance on combining vocabulary development with learning the spellings of key words, explaining that ‘etymology and morphology, will help students remember new words and make connections between words’.

Strategies in Action

Passport strategies recommended relevant to my focus included: Give me positive encouragement, encourage me to speak slowly, provide me with visual aids, chunk tasks and information, use my name to refocus my attention, give instructions in the order you would like them to be completed repeat instructions, check that I have understood.

Approaches I used to keep the new vocabulary ‘alive’ included:

• Word monitors – students were allocated a word to look for in teacher and student responses and they tallied the number of times each word was used in each lesson. If a word wasn’t used, we rectified that.

• Shared word lists – I shared the list of key vocabulary at the start of each topic. Students could use that list as a prompt if they were unsure during Q&A.

• Display – I had a travel display of a roll of whiteboard paper which I put up each lesson to remind us all of the key vocabulary for that topic

• Bingo cards – once all key words were taught students tried to use all words in a

Do Now starter quizzes – many, if not all, were based upon the key tier 3 words. So students were exposed to some words once again at the start of each lesson as

Knowledge organisers – with key words

As the word lists became increasingly long the student found keeping track of them and using them frequently more difficult. This is highlighted by John Sweller’s (1988) ‘Cognitive Load theory’. The Cognitive Load theory reminded me to make connections between ideas, in order for ideas to become more meaningful and connections to be made within the working memory. This supports embedding in the long-term memory for effective recall over the long term. Going into next academic year I am going to look carefully how I can develop the word list into a web to emphasise the connections between the words rather than simply grouping by topic, hopefully this will aid long term retention of the word. I will also look to adapt knowledge organisers in order to structure the wider knowledge required around the key word lists created. I also think there is merit in using the knowledge organiser as a key working document with the student building and physically sticking the chunks of information onto a large sheet. This will help the student see the links between each lesson and not treat in isolation.

Students were allocated a word to look for in teacher and student responses and they tallied the number of times each word was used in each lesson.

References

Berger, R. (2003). An Ethic of Excellence. London: Heinemann. Caviglioli, O. (2019). Dual Coding for Teachers. John Catt Educational Ltd.

Marzano, J. (2004). Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement: Research on What Works in Schools.

Quigley, A., & Coleman, R.. (2019). Improving Literacy in Secondary Schools Guidance report. Education Endowment Foundation. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk

Sherrington, T., (2019) Rosenshine’s Principles in Action. London: John Catt.

Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive Science. 12. pp257-285.

High quality teaching should reduce the need for extra support for all pupils. Nevertheless, it is likely that some pupils will require additional support in the form of high quality, structured interventions to make progress.

Small-group and one-to-one interventions provide the opportunity to apply effective teaching strategies with a more intense focus on a smaller number of learning goals. They can be powerful tools but must be used carefully: they should not replace general efforts to improve the overall quality of teaching in the classroom.

What are pupils missing by spending time away from the class?

• Pupils are often withdrawn from their usual classroom teaching for interventions, so it should be a prerequisite of any intervention programme that it at least compensates for time spent away from class. It is also important to consider whether the pupil might be missing subjects they enjoy and the social impact of not participating in the whole class.

How does a pupil’s experience in an intervention relate to whole-class teaching?

• It should not be left to the pupil to make links between the content of the intervention and the curriculum covered back in the classroom. Given that supported pupils are often those who find accessing learning difficult in the first place, this would present a huge additional challenge. The integration of the intervention with the mainstream curriculum is, therefore, vital. It can be difficult to find time in the busy school day to make this work.

Is this the right intervention for the pupil?

• Does the pupil really need this intervention? Targeted support has the potential to be detrimental if a pupil has been misallocated to an intervention they do not actually need and, as a result, miss out on whole-class activity.

from: Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools Guidance report from the Education Endowment Foundation

Complement high quality teaching with carefully selected small-group and oneto-one interventions

Name: Ashley Hetherington

Chosen area of SEND: Communication and interaction

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Having newly joined the school I had no prior knowledge of Student X’s needs. Student X has an EHCP in place and has severe ADHD and slow processing abilities. They are in mainstream school full time and is fully integrated into the school community. I had to find a way to create a quality first teaching environment in which all students benefit from scaffolding strategies that may aid Student X. I had to consider the specific challenges of a drama class in which there is a combination of practical and theory work and therefore be able to facilitate a successful transition between the two as well as maintaining structured group work and social interactions in a room without the physical boundaries of desks.

Research

I began by reading guidance from the 2020 Education Endowment Foundation who published the Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools guidance report and focused on the five key recommendations:

• Recommendation 1 - Create a positive and supportive environment for all pupils, without exception.

• Recommendation 2 - Build an ongoing, holistic understanding of your pupils and their needs.

• Recommendation 3 - Ensure all pupils have access to high quality teaching.

• Recommendation 4 - Complement high quality teaching with carefully selected small-group and one-to-one interventions.

• Recommendation 5 - Work effectively with teaching assistants.

From these key recommendations I decided it was most imperative to focus on; creating a positive environment, carefully selecting small-groups and one to one intervention and working effectively with teaching assistant which I believe would facilitate the other recommendations also.

I also drew upon on research that I had utilised during my SCITT training last year, drawing on sources such as Armstrong (Contemporary Issues in Special Needs Considering the Whole Child 2012) and Burnett and Cremin (Learning to Teach in the Primary School 2018).

Strategies in Action

I decided, having read Student X’s EHCP, the next most effective area to focus on would be speaking to their LSA who works with them across a number of lessons. Their input was incredibly valuable as they were able to offer and insight into a wider picture of Student X’s needs and particularly how they interact with other students in various classes.

I found that in other classes they have particular individual students they are able to work well with. With this information I was then able to consider my next area of focus, selecting small groups and one to one intervention.

The idea of community is vital in a successful

As the EEF stated in regards to ineffective use of TA’s ‘Pupils with SEND are often segregated from the rest of the class at an individual table with a TA’. I wanted to avoid this and, from the information from the TA, I was able to further integrate Student X into the class which allowed for more peer to peer support and allowed me to deploy the LSA in more effective ways. The EEF states that ‘Creating an inclusive environment is the most important thing a school can do. An inclusive culture is a prerequisite for an effective school: it brings happiness, a feeling of safety and being part of the community, and, of course, it impacts positively on learning, both in the classroom and beyond. It is our job to prepare pupils to flourish and feel truly included in society’. During my research and observations I saw that although Student X responded very well to teachers and other adults, their peers often responded badly towards them which had a detrimental effect on their ability to learn. After some negative peer interactions, they became increasingly frustrated, less participatory and less able to complete work to

Having scaffolded and facilitated the social and emotional needs of Student X within a group I was able to offer more balanced intervention between them and the rest of the class and it in turn created a more positive wider classroom culture that centered around equity without obvious differentiation that

between young people this will continue to be a barrier for learning in itself.

Student X has a teaching assistant which whilst benefiting them greatly at times because of their successful relationships with adults, can also be a be a barrier to inclusion. As Armstrong states in Contemporary Issues in Special Needs Considering the Whole Child (2012): ‘Indeed, even pupils placed in a regular mainstream class may be isolated from the rest of the class and not truly ‘integrated’ within the group, particularly if they work with a support worker or teaching assistant in one-to-one sessions for the majority of each day’. If we are considering inclusion of a child such as Student X with Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs it could then be argued that without deploying a TA strategically there could be a further divide between peers and incidents of poor interactions as exampled earlier could continue and be detrimental to learning.

As per school guidelines on quality first teaching, I implemented groupings in class. This was beneficial for Student X to access learning and also controlled who they would work with in group/paired work, which had positive implications on his integration into the community of the classroom. He was able to be paired with students who were both able academically but also sensitive to his needs which boosted moral and therefore participation and in turn, learning. Unlike previous drama lessons (in which there is no pre-planned groups) group work was a challenge for Student X.

Student X was able to demonstrate that with suitable peer guidance he could integrate and engage with the learning which again, suggests that inclusion is possible for SEND students but not without differentiating their specific needs and guiding them into a school community where they can develop and learn with careful monitoring without feeling segregated.

Name:

Charlie Day

Chosen area of SEND: Cognition and Learning

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has a passport stating a diagnosis of moderate learning difficulty with specific difficulty with working memory. The 2022/2023 academic year has been the only time that I have taught this student and therefore I had no prior knowledge of this student or their needs. I read their passport to get a better understanding of their needs and I have conducted research into cognitive load and working memory to identify strategies I could put in place to support this learner and other learners in the same class with similar needs.

Research

Working memory refers to where information that is being actively processed is held and cognitive load refers to the amount of information our working memory can hold at any one time (Education Endowment Foundation 2021). Overloading working memory can confuse students, students may give up, complete part of a task or become frustrated with the learning The EEF refers to a number of strategies that can be used to optimise cognitive load ensuring working memory remains focussed on the learning. Strategies include:

• Worked examples

• Scaffolds

• Concept mapping

• Dual coding

The writing frame included hints and tips for completing each section which included giving definitions of what each part meant and giving examples or prompts.

I decided that I would base my work on practical activities and worked examples. I chose to focus on investigation skills and practical work in science by using worked examples and scaffolds.

After reading the research I felt that I could support student X with practical work by demonstrating the practical activity and giving instructions in diagram form. I started the worked example by giving very clear, precise instructions during a demonstration. The research suggested that this reduces the burden on working load as student X as ‘extra’ information was omitted to ensure the student was focussed on the practical. I also gave student X a printout of the practical activity in diagram form so that they could refer to this during the practical activity if they had forgotten what was said during the demonstration.

I also provided student X with a writing frame to use for their practical investigation write up. This writing frame included step-by-step instructions on how to write up a practical. Included in the writing frame was questions to assist the student with what they needed to do and to stimulate thinking rather than just blank boxes. I also decided to model activity to the entire class several times, where we would complete the writing frame together. After approximately a term of using a model to scaffold the activity I removed my modelling and allowed students to complete their work in pairs. The research suggested that student X would benefit from this by working in a pair the working memory is split between two suggesting the working memory would not be overloaded.

Critical Reflection

The demonstration of practical work was very effective as student X and their peers as the students were able to collect their results and felt a sense of accomplishment. However, by omitting extra information high prior attaining students were not being challenged or quested to the extent that I would have liked, therefore a balance has to be found between limiting working memory overload and challenging students.

The diagrams modelling the practical activities were also very effective as students were able to refer to these during the task. These diagrams were student friendly and simplistic therefore all students were able to use these. However, finding these diagrams or making them from scratch was very time intensive, and slightly more complicated diagrams just confused students. I feel that maybe drawing simple diagrams on the board like a story board maybe effective however that is dependent on drawing skill.

The writing frame was effective for writing up practical investigations. The writing frame included hints and tips for completing each section which included giving definitions of what each part meant and giving examples or prompts. As a class we completed the writing frame together a few times, this meant that all students had these completed and could use them in the future. Modelling worked very well for this, student X completed their work and over time

developed confidence to suggest answers when writing the investigation together. After a term I removed the modelling and allowed students to work together but kept the prompts. Students liked working together and student X was able to complete their work, however, the extra noise in the room meant at times it was difficult for student X to concentrate and therefore their working memory may have been overwhelmed by the noise in the room resulting in their work being completed but not to the highest standard. I used a noise monitor so that students could identify when they were being loud and when they had to work quietly. After another term I removed the prompts from the writing frame, student X then found it much more difficult to complete the writing frame. I decided at this point that students could continue to work in pairs, but I plan to remove this. Moving forward, I will be providing students with a completed practical write up so that can be placed on their exercise book cover so that all students have something to use. I also think that part of their knowledge organiser for a topic could be dedicated for practical investigations so that when student X completes their home learning investigation skills

References

Education Endowment Foundation (2020). Five evidence-based strategies to support high-quality teaching for pupils with SEND. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/news/five-evidence-based-strategies-pupils-with-special-educationalneeds-send

Education Endowment Foundation (2021). Cognitive Science approaches in the classroom: A review of the evidence (summary). https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/evidence-reviews/cognitive-science-approaches-in-theclassroom

Name: Jade Beale

Chosen area of SEND: Communication and Interaction

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has a diagnosis of ADHD. They are medicated to manage their symptoms yet this is somewhat inconsistent and X struggles to regulate themselves which (out of context) could be interpreted as misbehaving. When familiarising myself with the needs of my SEND students on classcharts, it was evident that to best support X, I would have to spend some time getting to know him and build a strong rapport as many of his challenges identified behaviour and staying focused as a challenge. We have recently moved to a challenging and knowledge rich curriculum that needed to be heavily adapted to ensure all learners could access the new content in a meaningful way.

Research

My main source of research was from the EEF Special Educational Needs in mainstream schools guidance report. In this, I focused on three main areas: A supportive environment, a holistic understanding and high quality interventions.

EEF research findings:

• Create a positive and supportive environment for all pupils, without exception:

• Promote positive relationships, active engagement, and wellbeing for all pupils;

• Adopt a positive and proactive approach to behaviour, as described in the EEF’s Improving Behaviour in Schools guidance report.

• Build an ongoing, holistic understanding of your pupils and their needs

• Assessment should be regular and purposeful rather than a one-off event, and should seek input from parents and carers as well as the pupil themselves and specialist professionals.

• Ensure all pupils have access to high quality teaching

• Small-group and one-to-one interventions can be a powerful tool but must be used carefully. Ineffective use of interventions can create a barrier to the inclusion of pupils with SEND.

• Work effectively with teaching assistants

• TAs should supplement, not replace, teaching from the classroom teacher.

By building a safe and friendly environment, the students felt comfortable to offer opinions/possible answers in my lessons and it also resulted in students being comfortable with being corrected in a non-judgmental way if something went wrong.

Strategies in Action

Before teaching student X, I ensured that I familiarized myself with his needs and made sure I knew his passport. In his passport, he identified that he struggled to: stay focused on work for long periods of time, holding conversations that he is not interested in and following complex multi-step instruction. In order to support this, I focused on three areas of recommendations from the EEF guidance report for supporting students with SEND in mainstream schools.

Positive relationships:

When first taking on the class in September, I knew that some of the students, and especially student X were going to have some severe self-confidence and self-belief barriers and therefore it was important that in the first few weeks I established a safe, hardworking and comfortable learning environment. I greeted students at the door and would ask about their days as books were being handed out. By building a safe and friendly environment, the students felt comfortable to offer opinions/possible answers in my lessons and it also resulted in students being comfortable with being corrected in a non-judgmental way if something went wrong.

Due to the general atmosphere of the class being an inclusive, friendly and non-judgmental atmosphere, I noticed that student X started to participate more positively. I quickly noticed with student X that tone and consistency was extremely important as they disliked trying something new if they felt they would fail so it was a priority to ensure that they had a consistently positive and ‘fail safe’ learning experience.

Assessment for learning:

In January, as a department, we implemented the 5 a day do now in to our shared planning. By having this strategy implemented across the department, it ensured that there was consistency in high expectations. Straight away, this strategy was a success with student X as it was low stakes but high reward and therefore the lesson started on a positive. I used the mini whiteboards to complete this task as it took away the permanency of committing to his English book and then getting it wrong- something that he struggles to overcome. By starting with the knowledge retention questions, he was able to have a positive start as well as address any misconceptions in a quick, straightforward way and receive lots of positive praise from myself and the HLTA supporting. Cold calling has been something that works well as it encourages all students and student X to follow the ‘thread’ of the lesson and promotes high engagement and focus.

1:1 interventions/ HLTA support/

group size

Student X has been in a Lexonic group for a third of the year and has come out of his English lessons to support this. Despite this meaning that he would lose some of the content, it was a priority that needed to be supported. Due to the nature of the group, a huge focus in my planning, teaching and assessment is repetition and recall exercises so due to this, student X was able to both benefit from his Lexonic Advance intervention and not get behind in the English curriculum content.

Student X was selected for a smaller English class that is led by me and supported by an HLTA. We believed that while having the same high expectations for the group as the rest of the year, flexibility with how we communicated the taught knowledge and the pace at which we conducted the lessons. During lessons this means that we are able to split the class into two smaller groups supported by the teacher and HLTA. The HLTA and I communicate regularly and they are always briefed on what the expectations are for the lesson.

Critical Reflection

Overall, I feel very positive about my approach to student X’s learning this year. Developing positive, respectful and aspirational relationship with student X has without a doubt been the number one strategy for improving and raising his attainment across the year.

The English department being able to facilitate a smaller class size for a group with higher SEND needs has been vital in the core subject area. Student X has been able to develop positive relationships with two adults and, as the year has gone on, has developed positive working relationships with peers outside of their friendship group. I believe having a holistic approach to teaching and taking in to account the whole student both personally and academically, has allowed student X to thrive in confidence and knowledge in the English curriculum.

The 5-a-day starters focusing on recall have been a powerful tool in assessing student X’s retention and application of knowledge without losing their interest. Student X has responded really well to the whole school drive on recall and due to it being embedded across other subjects, this has allowed for consistency and therefore stability for the student.

After speaking with his teacher last year, I learned that he was part of a vocabulary boosting program called Bedrock Learning and that he responded really well to the short and fast paced nature of the program. This year he had specialist Lexonic Advance and Leap intervention which I have had very positive feedback about and this has impacted on his spelling and ability to decode words/ make informed guesses in class from his knowledge more than he was able to before.

Moving forward, I would focus on finding more alternative ways of recording his learning. Mini Whiteboards and short knowledge check questions have worked really well with student X as well as scaffolds for structured writing. In future, I would like to have a strong focus on oracy and provide more opportunities for structured talk and raise my expectations for his verbal communication. I have read interesting studies from EEF recommendations and would like to further embed this in to my practice next academic year.

Name: Sallyanne Stanford-Clark

Chosen area of SEND: Cognition and Learning

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has MLD (moderate learning difficulties) and finds social interactions a challenge. Change to normal routines could be problematical and result in tears or a full ‘meltdown’. Identifying triggers that might lead to this was a priority, then devising strategies to head off potential difficulties was needed.

Student X has difficulty in remembering scientific terminology and using new technical vocabulary in a full sentence was equally challenging. Again, this was a source of frustration which could lead to tears. In addition to this student X was one of 6 of girls in a class of 28 students, making groupings tricky at times.

Research

Using the Education Endowment Fund resources (EFF 2022) I was able to select from a range of strategies which would not only be useful in addressing the needs of student X but also the benefit of the whole class to improve confidence and build better more scientifically accurate responses. The strategies which I have used over this academic year have included in particular:

• Build an ongoing, holistic understanding of your student

• Create a positive and supportive environment for all students

• Use of scaffolding

• Explicit instruction

• Flexible grouping

From student X’s pupil passport I could see that she came across as confident with adults however was less sure when interacting with her peers. To this end when devising the seating plan, I spoke to her teachers from the previous year to gain some insight into positive groupings and I originally seated her with another student who was in most of her lessons, thinking a familiar grouping would, hopefully, lead to confidence in small group activities. Student X initially seemed happy with this, however this grouping became a source of anxiety as the year progressed.

Science involves practical work which needs explicit instruction, in order to be carried out safely. Explicit instruction was given in several ways; a verbal discussion of what was to be done; a demonstration of the equipment set-up as a visual instruction; the use of scaffolded writing frames.

Strategies in Action

Additional scaffolding was provided through the use of keyword sheets and knowledge organisers, particularly during the do now starter time or when writing a short conclusion. I also used sentence starters which I gradually removed as the year progressed.

From the outset I made sure to engage student X in conversation in order to get to know her better and be more aware of signs of anxiety and distress, in order to avoid tears and meltdowns. I became better at this as time went on as I developed a more holistic understanding of the student and the type of situations which caused her stress. These could vary from lesson to lesson based on a number of factors, such as social interactions in the previous lesson or break time, not fully understanding a homework activity or one of her group members being absent.

During written activities, I checked that she understood what to do and showed her how to use the knowledge organisers and keyword lists she had available. She made good use of these and is now confident in looking for information in the knowledge organiser to find answers.

She has also benefitted from the use of sentence starters. I used these more at the beginning – middle of the year and have been taking them away of late. Student X has used these to good effect and now enjoys verbally answering questions in front of the class using a full, spoken sentence, which reflects what she has written in her book. This is still a work in progress, but definite gains have been made.

Practical work provided more of a challenge, as there were both social and intellectual challenges. It was here where we experienced more anxiety resulting, occasionally, in tears. Although the writing frame provided a structured approach, the social aspects of collaboration were sometimes a barrier to effective work. After some 1:1 discussion, the groupings and seating plan were changed and gradually student X has gained more confidence with practical skills. She feels confident with her group and takes a much more active role. This in turn has improved both her understanding and her ability to use the technical vocabulary to describe pieces of equipment and procedures carried out.

From the outset I made sure to engage the student in conversation, in order to get to know her better and be more aware of signs of anxiety and distress.

Name: Sarah Booth

Chosen area of SEND: Cognition and Learning

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has a recently finalised Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP plan). Student X was initially placed in my small, specialist support class of eight students for Mathematics and English. Within my specialist group, Student X has access to one SEND teacher and one Learning Support Assistant (LSA). This means Student X receives frequent access to direct adult input so that progress can be effectively monitored throughout each task. Along with the rest of this group, Student X receives adapted work in all lessons that takes account of his difficulties, as highlighted within Sections B and E of his EHCP and school SEN Pupil Passport.

Research

Although Student X’s EHCP outcomes primarily relate to ‘Cognition and Learning’ and ‘Communication and Interaction’, it became clear very quickly that they also have ‘Sensory and Physical’ difficulties that are not recorded specifically in their EHCP. Student X struggles to remain seated or focus for any length of time without opportunities for physical movement or regulation. The need for regular breaks is recorded on their school passport and so resources were introduced to support Student X with sensory processing throughout all lessons, as they were learning. I found the information in the Education Endowment Foundation’s Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools Guidance Report (EEF, 2022) very useful, especially their recommendation to gain a detailed understanding of individual children and their suggestion to ‘shift focus’ proactively from reported conditions to meeting learning needs as displayed by students in-situ within the classroom:

‘The key question is not - What is most effective for pupils with dyslexia?

The key question becomes - What does this individual pupil need in order to thrive?’

I also referred to sensory processing strategies for sensory integration (Koomar and Kranowitz, 2007) and continued to use Colourful Semantic strategies (Bryan, 1997) and Widget software visual symbols to support Student X with their cognition and communication needs, alongside all other students in the group.

Strategies in Action

As mentioned, Student X struggles to remain seated or focus for any length of time without opportunities for physical movement or regulation. Student X benefits from a range of sensory integration strategies to support both their proprioceptive and vestibular-seeking behaviours.

To decrease fidgeting, and support with sustained seating, I introduced Student X to a pogo ball, bungee cord and sloping air cushion. The most successful of these resources has been the pogo ball and student X will actively seek one of these devices before he sits down at the start of each lesson.

These devices allow students to move their feet and legs, therefore promoting proprioceptive regulation, whilst focusing on teacher input. Student X also likes to use a sloping air cushion and this supports improved posture whilst seated at the desk, especially for writing. The bungee cord was over-stimulating for Student X and failed to assist with sustained seating. Sometimes, when student X is expected to listen for longer lengths of time, standing at their desk on the pogo ball is also useful for short-blasts of heavy work and regulation.

Student X also benefits from regular movement breaks around the classroom and handing out resources for the teacher works well as a quick strategy for them within most lessons. Student X now actively asks to hand out resources as a self-regulation technique. They also benefit from regular opportunities to complete quizzes or to scribe on the class interactive board. At the end of most lessons, Student X enjoys spinning on a saddle stool for vestibular input. They also enjoy opportunities to use the class spinning dish during similar activities.

Student X struggled to make progress in their previous English group. It was therefore important for me initially to create a positive and supportive environment for them where they would experience explicit instruction to support their learning. I also wanted them to succeed and so I tried to use strategyfocused vocabulary to encourage them to share their ideas orally and increase their motivation. Student X has reported weak vocabulary skills and working memory skills (EHCP, Section B). To support their developing fluency in literacy, I therefore introduced them to Colourful Semantics and Widget visual resource grids and word banks. These speech and language-based resources, developed by SaLT therapists, are designed to support with both oral and written sentence construction. Initially, student X was unable to write a meaningful four-part sentence without grammatical errors or word omission. Using colourful semantic resource grids, and similarly colour-coded visual word banks, student X was quickly able to verbally share and record four-part sentences, following direct adult modelling of examples. Student X is continuing to make progress using these resources and can now use slightly modified grids to create compound sentences with given subordinate conjunctions.

Student X has reported weak fluency in word reading, grammar and phonics. To support with word reading and comprehension, I use modified versions of texts that are re-written using Widget software. This was particularly effective for Student X when completing a recent study of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Using these visual support aids, Student X was able to follow text and demonstrate his understanding by verbally recalling the answers to who, what, where and when questions. Student X was also able to quickly scan modified texts in order to retrieve answers to comprehension questions independently. Student X is now confident enough to answer direct questions in front of his peers and is able to recall simple events, including character plots, discussed in previous lessons.

Daily, synthetic phonics ‘Do Now’ starters have also helped support Student X with their fluency in both word decoding and segmenting. In last term’s test, Student X’s assessment score improved from a baseline of 21 out of 60 (Phase 5 CVC – CVCVC) words spelt correctly to 50 out of 60 spelt correctly at the end of the term.

The student also benefits from regular movement breaks around the classroom and handing out resources for the teacher works well as a quick strategy for them within most lessons.

On reflection, I have enjoyed trailing a range of strategies with student X and observing the progress he has made in class. I feel that the self-regulation strategies have massively helped student X to make progress with both their cognition and learning and communication outcomes by giving them the strategies to focus, especially on the direct teacher input. These strategies have been used for all pupils, without exception, to create a positive and supportive environment for the entire class.

This year I have also been fortunate enough to have the support of an LSA to support the class within most lessons. The effective deployment of this supporting member of staff has been invaluable and has given all pupils, including student X, the opportunity for more strategy-focused direct feedback, direct reassurance and targeted questioning throughout each learning activity. Student X has also benefitted from opportunities for movement breaks, with this additional member of staff, when he has been heightened or struggled to focus. This effective deployment of staffing has given student X opportunities to regulate away from the group to encourage better outcomes for all.

On reflection, I have learnt that it is important to make ongoing decisions about student needs that are not necessarily based on their EHCP documentation. Student X needs change and EHCP outcomes are not necessarily the only needs that a student may present with in the classroom. We must remember to reflect upon the students we teach and feel empowered to make our own decisions to provide for them so that they can continue to thrive within our classrooms. It is also important for staff to disseminate these modified needs and outcomes, within annual review documentation and meetings, for informed future planning and pupil outcomes.

Name:

Tamsin Jackson

Chosen area of SEND: Cognition and Learning

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has an EHCP and has a weak auditory short-term memory. From the outset I identified that there were times when he did not understand the language used during teacher input and he was often unable to follow more complex instructions. This impacted on his ability to maintain focus and regulate his behaviours despite his eagerness to achieve and his generally positive attitude towards learning.

Research

• Bromley, Matt. Adaptive teaching explained: what, why and how? www.sec-ed.co.uk

• Education Endowment Foundation. 2018. Metacognition and Self-regulated Learning / Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools /Scaffolding ‘The 5-a-day Principle’.

• Luthuilier, Aurélie. Implementing MARSEARS. The Language Gym. Accessed 24/5/22.

• Sherrington, Tom. Kitchen Pedagogy: Five Ways to Check for Understanding. Accessed 18/4/23.

• Teacherhead.com. wwwWalkthrus.co.uk: High Expectations are Key to Everything. Accessed 16/1/23.

• Willingham, Daniel. Why Don’t Students Like School?

Strategies in Action

IDENTIFY WHAT STUDENT X KNOWS:

X joined my class mid-term. I examined X’s learning journey and where he was by using classcharts / passport / evidence from the support team. I then considered how best to help him move forward, anticipating possible barriers and planning to address them whilst continually assessing and reviewing the effectiveness of strategies employed and adapting when necessary.

CHECK UNDERSTANDING:

This is crucial to student X’s progress. I keep teacher input short, clear and chunked with repetition of key instructions/information supported by actions and/or visual material. The same format of ‘starter slide’ is used every lesson to establish a secure routine and embed the basics. To check for understanding I regularly ask X to repeat or relay to another pupil/the class. I avoid questions like ‘Do you know what to do?’ and ‘Any questions?’. I have built ‘Think Time’ into my lesson plans. This has allowed X to relax and plan his response calmly. Repetition of prior key learning with knowledge retrieval activities are integrated into the lesson. The regular whole class language games have encouraged X to now ‘have a go’ and his recall is gradually improving over time.

SCAFFOLD / MODEL / RESPOND:

I provide A3 laminated Vocab Mats for the current topic as well as mini lesson-specific vocab sheets

The use of visual material, labelled drawings and actual props all help provide clues as new language is introduced.

There have been moments of immediate success when the strategies employed have worked well with student X.

On one occasion, during the Free Time topic, I ‘live modelled’ an example of writing and the class listened to me thinking aloud. We then worked to produce a similar one together. Lastly, they were given the opportunity to create their own paragraph. I provided additional levels of support / scaffold material as needed but did not differentiate the task itself. Student X used a framework with sentence starters and was able to produce a short paragraph.

The knowledge retrieval games have been successful and X has gained confidence. Carefully targeted questioning has meant that X can contribute positively, albeit at a basic linguistic level.

As X’s independent use of support materials grows, I will be able to reduce the level of teacher intervention. I hope to move towards a situation where X starts to develop his proof-reading, reflection and self-assessing. I would like X to act on advice willingly and not view it as negative. It is taking time to achieve this.

Although X finds it difficult to work with his peers, the inclusion of ‘Think Time’, ‘Think, Pair, Share’ and ‘Task Roles’ has had some success. X recently worked with a partner to plan and execute a vocab exercise and enjoyed the experience. As the task was working well, I extended the time-limit and asked the pair to present their work to the group, adapting my lesson plan to best meet the pupils’ needs.

During a recent ‘live’ modelling of answers to questions about school subjects I gave the group ‘Think Time’ to consider how the answers could be further developed. We then amended my answers on the board, developing and extending them according to pupil suggestions. X was able to make a simple suggestion about the inclusion of a connective and a time of day. X went on to use the mini support sheet to create his own answers in full sentences.

Future lessons could include the ‘live’ deconstruction of pupil answers of excellence from this class and not just rely on teacher generated examples.

Although, at first, X was reluctant to use the support materials/frames when working on a written task, he is now generally happy to do so. I now have to gradually wean him off them and convince him that he will need them less as he makes progress.

It is rewarding to see the positive strides X is making and how his previous assertion that he could not ‘do’ Spanish, reiterated very vocally every lesson, is now rarely heard in class.

The SEND Code of Practice makes it clear that ‘teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of the pupils in their class, including where pupils access support from teaching assistants’.

In order to make the best use of teaching assistants, the EEF recommends:

• TAs should not be used as an informal teaching resource for low attaining pupils.

• Use TAs to add value to what teachers do, not to replace them.

• Use TAs to help pupils develop independent learning skills and manage their own learning.

• Ensure TAs are fully prepared for their role in the classroom.

• Use TAs to deliver high quality one-to-one and small group support using structured interventions.

• Adopt evidence-based interventions to support TAs in their smallgroup and one-to-one instruction.

• Ensure explicit connections are made between learning from everyday classroom teaching and structured interventions.

Furthermore, the EEF provide a useful framework to support TA’s interactions with pupils:

Self-scaffolding: TA observes that the pupil is working independently and does not intervene.

Prompting: TA uses wait time (10 secs) to see if the pupil can get started, asks a prompt question such as ‘Can you remember what Mr T said you need to do first?’, or gestures to a useful resource such as a model on an interactive white board or a word-bank on a table.

Clueing: TA uses a statement, ‘The ruler will help you’, or question, ‘How could the ruler help you?’, to give one piece of information at a time to support accessing the task. Several clues may be needed.

Modelling: TA demonstrates the next step the child needs to complete and then asks the child to take this step. ‘I am using the word-bank to find a word to help me describe my character …’

Correcting: The TA provides answers and requires no independent thinking. Occasionally it is appropriate to do this, however, TAs should always aim instead to model and encourage pupils to apply new skills or knowledge first.

Work effectively with teaching assistants

Name: Fiona Ryan

Chosen area of SEND: Communication and interaction

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has an EHCP and has been diagnosed with ADHD and ASD. I have taught this student previously which has allowed me to develop a good relationship with them. This student has a range of needs that affect their ability to interact with their peers and access their lessons.

I have been adapting my teaching to support their needs over the years and I am always looking for ways to improve.

Research

I used the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF, 2022) to research effective adaptive teaching strategies to support Student X. With my prior teaching experience of this student, I was drawn to the following strategies:

• Explicit instruction Effective deployment of TAs

Explicit instruction was important to make sure they fully understood the expectations of a task, as well as ensuring they felt secure in the classroom situation.

Reflecting on the past year, I think my teaching strategies have been successful for Student X. Explicit instruction was important to make sure they fully understood the expectations of a task, as well as ensuring they felt secure in the classroom situation. It is part of their passport plan to help them cope

The TA was used in an unconventional way this year. They sat far away from Student X, to give them a chance to work and learn independently. This set up was vital to foster resilience and self-regulation. The TA was there to support Student X in terms of their additional emotional needs, but let them thrive mathematically. Student X is proud of their mathematical ability, so it was important that the TA was deployed in this way to help keep that confidence and sense of achievement. The TA who worked with Student X had a very good understanding of their needs and was fully supportive in working in this way.

There were a few core peers who sat with Student X, and over the year have shown an enormous amount of empathy and care towards them. They have been integral in allowing Student X to flourish and I believe they have also grown and matured as a result of the experience. This helped develop the inclusive environment and positive relationships I aim for in my classroom. I believe the good relationship I have with Student X has also supported the inclusive environment. Student X will always chat to me outside the classroom and tell me about their day, and as a result over the years has become more and more comfortable in talking to me about issues inside the classroom.

Looking back, I didn’t always get the level of challenge quite right and there were one or two instances of student X struggling to access the material. However, the other strategies put in place did mean that Student X had a supportive classroom environment that meant they could overcome the challenge and still make progress.

Name: Helen Davis

Chosen area of SEND: Sensory and/or physical needs

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

iStudent X has an EHCP and has been diagnosed with ADHD, development coordination disorder, ASC, dyslexia, and a visual impairment. I have taught student X over a few years to which adaptations, amendments and changes in my teaching have had to be made to suit their SEND needs. Regular checks on classcharts help to make sure all needs have been met.

Strategies within Physical Education (PE) were vital for student X to help with engagement, social and physical elements that they would encounter.

After a few practical lessons where group activities were implemented, I decided that this approach did not suit the needs of student X. As time went on, it was better suited for student X to complete tasks within smaller groups with LSA support overseeing the activity set, having regular check ins with me.

Throughout the years of teaching student X, we had many hurdles to jump, especially on some occasions it proved difficult when the necessary equipment for the range of sporting activities we have to offer were not suitable for student X’s needs. Adaptations had to be made so that student X could participate and accommodate their needs the best we could.

However, this meant that pre planning of lessons became imperative and equipment could be ordered in beforehand so student X had full access to the lesson. It was clear that when this was put in place student X’s whole attitude to learning changed as clearly this made a difference.

Due to pre-planning this meant that student X and the LSA were sent a brief learning aim of the lesson and what would be expected for the upcoming week and activity that was to be undertaken.

Gradually, student X’s passport was updated so this was something that needed to be checked on a regular basis to suit their individual needs. Task plans and breaking information into chunks were best suited for student X. All these elements link to the STEP framework and could be easily broken down or challenged if found too easy.

Pre-planning of lessons became imperative and equipment could be ordered in beforehand so the student had full access to the lesson.

It was clear that when this was put in place,

their whole attitude to learning changed.

Critical Reflection

Having reflected on student X’s EHCP and SEND passport on classcharts, keeping myself updated was imperative in the development and access to the PE curriculum for this student. Understanding the needs of the student and ways to approach different sporting activities was important when delivering lessons.

Having regular check ‘ins’ with the LSA was hugely helpful in supporting student X, it helped in finding out which elements they felt helped with their own engagement and what else we could look at to stretch and challenge to make progress.

Student X made it clear from the beginning that working within smaller groups were better suited for their engagement and learning which in turn then helped social skills develop. Student X found their voice gradually and found that a coaching role helped with confidence levels, depending on the sporting activity. On the odd occasion, student X did have to work within a larger group but knowing that a coaching role could be put in place, this luckily didn’t disengage their engagement.

Pre-planning also helped massively as we had the opportunity to work with the SEND department and order in specific colour balls and specialised equipment that student X could use and fully engage with depending on the sporting activity.

One barrier that I came across was that one particular ball that was ordered in specifically for a rounder’s rotation had a bell placed within it, so that student X could hear and see it. Unfortunately, it had to be white in colour as the better yellow colour option was not available. This particular ball also when thrown is supposed to ring as a bell is attached inside, but this did not work as it rang at the last minute which was of no help to student X so we adapted and used a yellow tennis ball instead which helped them progress within the lesson.

I found using the STEP framework very useful when developing and supporting teaching and learning for student X as lessons and ensured this student had access to the PE curriculum

References

The PE Hub - https://thepehub.co.uk/step-in-pe/ NHS (2010). Green exercise and mental health.

Name: Julia Doughan

Chosen area of SEND: Communication and Interaction

Details your chosen learner and outline their context in your lesson:

Student X has an EHCP and has a diagnosis of ASC alongside mild dyslexia. Prior to joining my class, he has spent a lot of time in a nurture group which meant that he received the majority of his lessons in a small group setting and was taught by an SEN specialist. As a consequence, he was new to me and new to a classroom environment where he would be expected to work alongside a wide range of students in a more socially challenging situation.

Research

I found the materials provided by the Education Endowment Foundation in their document, Special Education Needs in Mainstream Schools (EEF 2020) to be useful. In particular, the strategies outlined for ‘building a holistic understanding of your students and their needs’ and the need to ‘create a positive and supportive environment for all students without exception’. Another EEF document, Making Best Use of Teaching Assistants, was also useful.

Strategies in Action

I took time at the beginning to familiarise myself with the student’s SEN Passport and EHCP as well as speaking to the TA who had worked with them before to better understand his specific needs. I always make efforts in my lessons to be welcoming and friendly with the aim of fostering an inclusive and safe environment where students feel able to approach me if they do have difficulties. However, in this case, I understood that, given this student’s profile, they would not find it easy to let me know if they were struggling with the work. Therefore, I made a point of checking in frequently to see how they were getting on and ensuring that he had the scaffolding available to enable them to access the work. I also used the expertise of the TA and their more established relationship to offer support at the beginning until student X felt comfortable enough to accept support from me

Apart from communicating with me, one of the main difficulties as I saw it, would be their ability to answer verbally and to take part in speaking activities with other students. Speaking is a key part of learning a language and, students who are unable to practice this skill are likely to have poorer outcomes than others. This meant that it was imperative that they had the same opportunities as their peers. To enable this, I decided to

Small tweaks can make an enormous difference to our SEND students and do not have to add significantly to our workload.

Though the changes I implemented were fairly small, they were quite powerful in enabling this student to access all aspects of the work and particularly the elements that I knew would be a challenge such as speaking. Getting to know them and their specific needs was, obviously, important at the beginning but what was crucial was acting on what I discovered and implementing a plan for action, albeit fairly low-key and straightforward. I think this demonstrates perfectly how small tweaks can make an enormous difference to our SEND students and do not have to add significantly to our workload.

Critical Reflection

Additionally, the strategies that we use to facilitate engagement and access for these students are valid for all our students in as much as they help to