This edition of the SecEd Webinar features a best practice discussion about how teachers can create an inclusive classroom and implement adaptive teaching, especially for our students with SEND.
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An Inclusive Classroom: Adaptive teaching and interventions:
Click here to watch this webinar on catch-up

 

The webinar, which took place on January 23, asked how we can provide equitable access to an ambitious curriculum for all students.

Not all students are equal. Some have additional and different needs, some have lower starting points and/or gaps in their prior knowledge that makes it harder for them to access our curriculum and keep pace with their peers.

To feed all students the same diet of schooling is therefore to perpetuate these differences and to deepen existing disadvantages. Rather, we need to do more for those who start with less.

But what does “more” look like in practice? If it’s adaptive teaching, what’s the difference between this and traditional differentiation? If it’s additional interventions and support, how can we make a success of them while also ensuring they won’t promote learned helplessness?

In this webinar, we discussed how teachers can make a success of adaptations and interventions so that students with SEND and other additional and different needs are helped to access our curriculum and achieve. In short, we asked the panel to exemplify inclusive teaching.

As well as taking questions from the live audience, the webinar tackled key questions including:

  • What is inclusion? What’s the difference between equality, equity, and inclusion?
  • Who do we need to include who are currently excluded?
  • Why are these learners sometimes excluded and in what way? What barriers to access do they face? 
  • How can we include these learners?

  • What’s the best way of overcoming these barriers? 
  • How can we avoid perpetuating learned helplessness and ensure all learners become increasingly independent over time? 
  • What does this look like in practice?
  • What part should quality first teaching play? 
  • What’s the difference between differentiation and adaptive teaching?
  • What are the features of effective adaptive teaching? 
  • What are the features of effective additional interventions? 
  • Which interventions work best? Which tend not to be so effective? 
  • How should we select learners for additional interventions and support?
  • What role should TAs play in this process and how can we ensure they are knowledgeable and skilled to play this part well?

The webinar was hosted by Matt Bromley, an education writer and advisor with more than 20 years’ experience in teaching and leadership including as a secondary school headteacher. Matt's experts were:

  • Dr Pooky Knightsmith, a passionate ambassador for mental health, wellbeing and PSHE. Her work is backed up both by a PhD in child and adolescent mental health and her own lived experience of PTSD, anorexia, self-harm, anxiety and depression.
  • Bukky Yusuf, a senior leader, science teacher and consultant. Bukky has undertaken a number of leadership roles within mainstream and special schools. As part of her commitment to increase diverse leadership within education, she participates with several initiatives and organisations including roles as an ambassador for Leadership Matters, a network leader and coach for WomenEd & BAMEEd, and a steering group member of the #teacher5aday wellbeing initiative. She co-edited The Big Book of Whole School Wellbeing (2021). 
  • Sara Alston, an experienced SENCO and safeguarding lead who also works as a SEND, inclusion and safeguarding consultant and trainer. Sara is the co-author of The Inclusive Classroom; A new approach to differentiation (Bloomsbury Education, 2021).
  • Gareth March has taught physics at Southend High School for Boys since 2009. During this time he has been Leader of Physics and held a number of pastoral leadership roles – he is currently the school’s Director of Inclusion and Support. Gareth has also worked with local special schools to develop programmes which blend specialist and mainstream provision. This passion for inclusion has led the school to develop an Autism Resource Base, the first of its kind in the area.

 

  • The SecEd Webinar is produced every half-term and offers best practice, advice, tips and ideas for the secondary school. Aimed at senior and middle leaders, classroom teachers and wider school staff, the webinar is free and you can register to receive notifications ahead of every edition by going to www.bigmarker.com/series/the-seced-webinar1/series_summit