Blog Post

Adaptive Teaching: Empowering SEN Students for Success 

Adaptive teaching is a pedagogical approach that tailors educational experiences to meet the diverse needs of all students, particularly those with Special Educational Needs (SEN). By anticipating and responding to individual learning requirements, adaptive teaching can support an inclusive environment where every pupil can thrive. 

Unlike traditional differentiation, which often involves creating separate tasks for different ability groups, adaptive teaching emphasises flexibility within the classroom. Teachers modify their strategies to ensure all students work towards the same learning objectives, providing support as needed without lowering expectations. This approach promotes a growth mindset and prevents the capping of potential.  

Adaptive teaching offers many benefits, particularly to those with SEN. These include: 

Enhanced Engagement and Participation: Adaptive teaching strategies, such as scaffolding and the use of visual aids, make learning more accessible and engaging for all, but particularly SEN students. This inclusivity encourages active participation and reduces feelings of isolation or shame. 

Improved Academic Outcomes: By providing tailored support, adaptive teaching helps close attainment gaps, enabling SEN students to achieve their full academic potential. This approach ensures that no pupil is left behind.  

Development of Social Skills: Inclusive classrooms that employ adaptive teaching support the building of improved social interactions among students. SEN pupils benefit from collaborative learning opportunities, incidentally enhancing their communication skills and building peer relationships. 

Cultivation of Independence: Adaptive teaching encourages self-directed learning, empowering SEN students to take ownership of their education. This autonomy builds confidence and prepares them for future challenges. 

To successfully integrate adaptive teaching, you will need to look at: 

Assessing Individual Needs: Regularly evaluate each student’s strengths and areas for development to inform instructional planning. 

Flexible Lesson Planning: Design lessons that can be easily adjusted based on student responses and understanding. 

Collaboration: Engage with teaching assistants, specialists, and parents to create a fully inclusive support system for SEN students. 

Ongoing Professional Development: Attend workshops and training sessions to stay informed about effective adaptive teaching practices. 

Embracing adaptive teaching not only enhances the educational experience for SEN students but also enriches the classroom dynamic as a whole. By committing to this approach, you can ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to succeed. 

At the upcoming SEND Leadership Conference on 4th March 2025, Beccie Hawes, CEO and Head of Service for Cadmus Inclusive, will deliver a keynote titled “Adaptive Teaching for Pupils with SEN: What is it and How Do You Do It?” With extensive experience across mainstream and specialist settings, Beccie will provide practical strategies for implementing adaptive teaching in schools. Her session will equip delegates with tools to create supportive and effective learning environments for SEN pupils. 

SEND Green Paper

05/10/2022

In order to make any sort of real difference, the ambitions set out in the SEND Green Paper must become a reality. Every child and young person, must have access to a high-quality education that is driven by high aspirations and inclusion. The continued inequalities between learners with SEND and their peers must be addressed. We all share the vision for a stronger national system to support children with SEND and their families, but it can only be through real change that improvements in attainment, attendance, exclusion numbers, family satisfaction in provision, preparation for adulthood, mental health and ultimately success in higher education, employment and independent living can become a reality.  

The Paper recognises that the postcode lottery around securing an education, health and care Plan (EHCP) must be urgently addressed. The EHCP process needs to be more flexible with less red tape. Parents and carers must be supported to make informed decisions. These proposals to strengthen accountability across the education, health and care systems, supporting it to be more transparent and consistent, will bolster confidence – they need to move beyond the proposals stage. Parents/carers will need a great deal of ongoing reassurance that they will no longer be gaslighted or beaten into submission by an unfit system. 

We welcome the aspiration to resolve the inequalities in funding for pupils with SEND, and those with additional needs. These inequalities currently lead to the ‘postcode lottery’ of vital therapeutic services – regular, ongoing assessments, speech and language therapy, and mental health support for example. We welcome this aspiration to make the right services available at the right time for all. 

On paper, the reforms set out by the proposals in the Green Paper show that they have the potential for developing an inclusive system, with inbuilt early intervention. A system that will provide similar services to all irrespective of type of school or postcode and which will be based purely on meeting individual need. For this reason alone, it can be seen as positive, but the reality lies with the implementation. Whatever happens, parents need to be (feel) supported rather than feeling that they are constantly battling and being gaslighted by the very systems that should be leading lights for their children.