Experts are warning teachers against ineffective “inclusive” accommodations that actually interfere with the learning of students with special educational needs.
The Education Endowment Foundation has developed guidance to help schools support pupils with additional needs and improve the quality of learning for all pupils. This comes ahead of schools being required to publish an inclusion strategy by the end of December.
The guide includes a section that aims to “debunk” misconceptions about inclusive education. This cautions against the belief that “the more adaptations teachers make, the more students learn.”
SEND teacher guide
The guidance highlights that some pupils will require adaptations and additional support to access high-quality teaching. However, he cautions that more adaptations alone may not mean more learning.
The EEF states that “distinguishing between effective and ineffective adaptations is one of the most important challenges of inclusive teaching practice.”
And he warns that “some well-intentioned approaches may reduce cognitive demands, lower expectations, or inadvertently limit students’ opportunities to think deeply and develop independence.”
Interventions for inclusion
The guidance states that effective adaptation may often involve increasing the intensity of high-quality learning, “rather than changing its fundamental nature.”
The recommendations were published as the government has made promoting inclusion in mainstream schools a central goal of its planned special educational needs reforms.
The statement said all school staff will receive new training on SEND and inclusion and it is expected that an inclusion framework will be established in every secondary school.
Group of Experts
The DfE has also appointed a panel of experts to develop new national inclusion standards against which schools will be judged.
The EEF guidance emphasizes universal approaches that benefit all pupils but is said to be particularly important for those with additional needs.
These include clear instruction, effective feedback, scaffolding that gradually develops independence, positive relationships between teacher and students, and a calm, predictable classroom environment.
The guide also contains a two-part framework covering universal approaches and adaptations, as well as additional support.
Adaptive learning
The final category includes classroom adaptations, small group instruction, individualized support, and targeted interventions used where needed to give students access to high-quality learning.
Professor Becky Francis, Executive Director of the WEF, said: “As the focus on inclusion grows, teachers and school leaders are looking for practical, evidence-based guidance. Our guidance is designed to help schools meet this need.
“Inclusive learning is one of the most powerful ways to achieve equality in education. As the leadership shows, this is not a niche issue or an issue specific to SEND, but a whole-school approach that benefits every student while helping those who need it most.”