SEND is changing. So should our approach to teaching.

I recently had the pleasure of talking about SEND and inclusion on the No Running in the Corridors podcast

One of the ideas I challenged was the notion that:

No diagnosis = no support.

I understand why that thinking exists, but from what I’m seeing in schools, I don’t believe that is the case.

A quick look back to better understand where to go

Over the last 20 years, things have changed a lot. Diagnosis and formal assessment have become closely linked to accessing funding, specialist support and, in some cases, an Education, Health and Care Plan. Now resources are more scarce, the distinction between identifying a need and proving a need in order to secure resources becomes blurred.

So yes, we are applying for more diagnoses than previously. However, I wouldn’t say that schools aren’t inclusive because of this.

In fact, I’m seeing the opposite.

I’m seeing more schools and trusts thinking seriously about how they can welcome and support children with SEND. Schools have adapted because they have had to. More children with increasingly complex needs are being educated in mainstream settings, and schools are finding ways to make it work.

Many are moving towards a much more professional understanding. This is due to a wide range of excellent CPD on offer around restorative practice, trauma-informed practice, and the understanding that behaviour is communication.

Teachers are getting better at spotting patterns. They notice the child who struggles when there is a visitor to school, the child who becomes overwhelmed by a sudden burst of clapping in assembly, the child who hates being cold-called.

I’m seeing some great whole-school inclusive strategies, like the use of visual timetables, wait time and positive framing. And I’m sure we’ve all seen or tried the use of fidgets, ear defenders and wiggle spots for individuals.

But for some students, it’s still not quite enough, and this is why I’m excited for the next step in our country’s journey to support SEND.

The Government’s SEND reforms set out a vision of a more inclusive mainstream system, with a new Universal Offer based on high-quality teaching and support for all. The proposed approach places adaptive teaching, inclusive curriculum design and early support much closer to the heart of everyday mainstream practice. (GOV.UK)

The new Inclusive Mainstream Fund is intended to help schools develop inclusive practice by understanding the needs of their cohorts and removing commonly occurring and predictable barriers to learning. Schools are being asked to develop an Inclusion Strategy, and the published guidance explicitly identifies high-quality adaptive teaching and curriculum designed for all learners as one of its seven principles of inclusion. (GOV.UK)

I think this is an important shift and where I think more teaching and learning leads and send leads will be working more closely together in the future. 

The thing that I think is going to make the biggest difference isn’t simply when a teaching assistant sits beside a child, or when a student sees a speech and language therapist (SALT) every six weeks. And much to leadership’s dismay, it isn’t a policy of strategies or a one-off training session.

I think the thing we need to focus on is improving teaching

Of course this needs to be done alongside applying for EHCPs if you need additional funding because a student needs something vastly different. Some will still need a teaching assistant to monitor, reassure, escort etc. Some will need targeted interventions. Some will need specialist support and other professionals. Some children will need highly individualised provision.

Good inclusive teaching doesn’t remove the need for any of these things.

But the foundation has to be what happens in the classroom every day. And this doesn’t rely on a diagnosis. 

It’s hard getting better at it

If we want mainstream inclusion to really work, inclusive practice can’t sit at the edge of teaching. It has to sit at the heart of it.

This is where I think we need to think carefully about professional development for SEND.

I’ve done it myself. Us headteachers love a quick fix. It is relatively easy to put teachers on courses with lots of information about different needs and good strategies. You’ve organised the training, produced an inclusion strategy and sent out the policy, you’ve done your bit right?

All of those things have their place and still need to happen. But this isn’t a quick fix.

Hearing someone talk about something isn’t the same as being able to do it well. Teachers are dealing with their children, not a generic group of children with SEND. What works beautifully in one classroom might be completely inappropriate in another.

I once observed a colleague (who was incredible in many ways and you’d gladly offer to cut off your right hand to have her as your deputy) who was a phase leader at the time on a routine culture check in but stayed a bit longer to observe a child who her coachee was struggling with. Just staying an extra 10 mins, she cleverly picked up on the fact that this student seemed to be seeking an extra pencil. His wandering and fussing was due to an unmet need: he liked to hold two pencils at a time. She stayed, she observed, she gave feedback.

I think SENDCOs and Heads need to think about developing inclusive practice in the same way that Quality of Education Leads develop other aspects of teaching. For me and many others, that strategy is built on: regular low-stakes observation coupled with live feedback and modelling, alongside responsive coaching, quality incremental feedback and deliberate practice.

Everyone benefits from inclusive teaching

When we improve teachers’ ability to notice barriers and adapt their teaching, we aren’t only helping the child with a diagnosis. We’re helping those without a diagnosis and everybody else in the classroom as well. .

Clearer explanations help everyone.

Better checking for understanding helps everyone.

More thoughtful scaffolding helps everyone.

A calmer classroom helps everyone.

Better modelling helps everyone.

Giving children time to think helps everyone.

Designing a curriculum that anticipates difference helps everyone.

Inclusive teaching is good teaching

The difference is that some children experience the consequences of poor adaptation much more severely than others.

So if we want more children to be successful in mainstream classrooms, we need to get really good at helping teachers respond to the students they are teaching. We can’t simply teach in the way we always have and add SEND strategies around the edges.

We need to keep getting better at the craft of teaching inclusively.

SEND investment is coming

Of course, some of the new investment will need to fund provision, resources and additional capacity. But I hope some of it will also be used to properly develop the expertise of the people standing in front of children every day.

Because if we want sustainable change, a specialist CPD session is only the start. Teachers will need time to practise and work with coaches (ideally with with SEND experience) who have time to observe and model. Phase leaders and SLT need to prioritise this development and timetable themselves to work alongside teachers and develop practice.

The strategy for phase leaders and SLT to remember is: inclusive teaching is the priority and benefits everyone.

Of course, this strategy is not free. It is an investment of time for both the teacher and the coach. But if our ambition is genuinely to create inclusive classrooms, we need to invest in the people who create those classrooms.

This is the work I love doing in my job: helping them think not just about their inclusion strategy, but about how that strategy becomes everyday practice. Supporting teachers in classrooms, modelling, coaching and using small, deliberate improvements to build expertise over time. It is the part of school improvement I love most.

Because ultimately, it isn’t just about SEND. It’s about helping teachers get better at teaching more children well, with or without a diagnosis.

I believe SEND is the lens through which we improve teaching — rather than a separate thing teachers have to do.

We can’t wait for a diagnosis to tell us how to teach a child. We all need to focus on noticing, adapting and teaching — and then keep getting better at it.