SEND training for schools: guide to materials
Guide to Materials
Release 1
Primary and Secondary schools
Table of contents
Overview 1
Components 2
What will be available in the full release? 4
9 What will be available in the first release?
Planning professional development 10
Suggested sequence of materials 11
Examples of use 12
Overview
This guide explains the purpose of the professional development materials available in this training package. You will also find suggested ways in which the materials might be used most effectively to support professional development.
The training package aims to support teachers and teaching assistants to: > build confidence and expertise in inclusive teaching practices
create positive, supportive and inclusive learning environments understand and effectively respond to individual needs >
Release of materials
New materials will be added in early 2027. To be notified when new material is available and to provide feedback, you can use our feedback form.
Components
There are a variety of components in the suite of materials. They have been designed with different purposes in mind whilst remaining flexible and adaptable to different settings. Please note that not all components are part of the first release of materials.
Slide deck for introduction sessions
Materials to support live sessions, designed to help staff build greater knowledge and understanding of the challenges pupils face in the classroom.
Facilitator guide for introduction sessions
Preparation documents for facilitators that can be used alongside slide decks to support facilitators to understand the key content and structure for a session.
Guide
Evidence summary
Self-study resources designed to focus on how inclusive teaching can support pupils across a range of developmental areas.
Evidence
Slide deck for sense-making sessions
Materials to support live sessions, designed to help staff reflect on their own practice in relation to areas of development and inclusive teaching.
Sense-making
Facilitator guide for sense-making sessions
Guide
Preparation documents for facilitators that can be used alongside slide decks to support facilitators to understand the key content and structure for a sense-making session.
Components
Spotlight
Spotlight
Self-study resources designed to focus on how to implement inclusive teaching strategies in context. These resources support staff to work through carefully guided practice activities.
Case studies
Resources exemplifying how inclusive strategies are being applied in real-life settings.
Case Study
What will be available in the full release?
Planning and evaluating training
Guide to planning Guide to monitoring and evaluation Guides, templates and assessment tools Planning template Self-assessment tool ** Selected examples of materials.
Introduction to SEND reforms and inclusive teaching
Facilitator guide Supporting every child to achieve and thrive Slide deck Facilitator guide What is inclusive teaching?
Slide deck Facilitator guide Inclusive teaching and areas of development Slide deck
Area of development 1: Speech, language and communication
Facilitator guide Introduction to speech, language and communication Slide deck Evidence summary Speech, language and Facilitator guide communication Sense-making session
Area of development 2: Social and emotional
Facilitator guide Introduction to social and emotional development Slide deck Evidence summary Social and emotional Facilitator guide development Sense-making session
Area of development 3: Executive function
Facilitator guide Introduction to executive function Slide deck Evidence summary Facilitator guide Executive function Sense-making session
Area of development 4: Motor and physical
Facilitator guide Introduction to motor development Slide deck Evidence summary Facilitator guide Motor development Sense-making session
Area of development 5: Sensory
Facilitator guide Introduction to sensory development Slide deck Evidence summary Facilitator guide Sensory development Sense-making session
Inclusive teaching strategies
Facilitator guide Introduction to spotlights Slide deck A selection of spotlight resources ** Full list to be released later.
Explicit instruction A selection of spotlight resources ** Full list to be released later.
Scaffolding A selection of spotlight resources ** Full list to be released later.
Feedback A selection of spotlight resources ** Full list to be released later.
Positive relationships
Inclusive teaching strategies
A selection of spotlight resources ** Full list to be released later.
Calm classroom environments A selection of spotlight resources ** Full list to be released later.
Adaptations and additional support
Case studies
Resources exemplifying how inclusive strategies are being
** Full list to be released later.
applied in real-life settings.
What will be available in the first release?
Introduction to SEND reforms and inclusive teaching
Facilitator guide Supporting every child to achieve and thrive Slide deck Facilitator guide What is inclusive teaching?
Slide deck Facilitator guide Inclusive teaching and areas of development Slide deck
Area of development 1: Speech, language and communication
Facilitator guide Introduction to speech, language and communication Slide deck Evidence summary Speech, language and Facilitator guide communication Sense-making session
Planning professional development
Situating professional development within school improvement
Professional development is most effective when it sits at the heart of your school improvement priorities. By aligning training with your wider goals, you can address the needs of your pupils and staff and drive lasting change. The materials in this suite are designed to support you in this, drawing on the best available evidence about what works in teaching. Before you begin, take time to plan and reflect on your priorities around SEND and inclusion and how this package of materials might help you with these goals.
Tailoring professional development to your context
Every school is different and will have its own structures and expectations around professional development. We encourage you to use this package flexibly - there is no single ‘right’ way to engage with them.
You know your staff best. Effective professional development starts with understanding your staff’s current knowledge and expertise. This helps leaders, professional development leads and facilitators adapt support and approaches to meet their needs.
Select, adapt and sequence materials to fit your context and your staff. Work through the content at a pace that fits your participants, taking longer to explore key ideas where needed.
Useful resources
A number of well-established, evidence-informed tools are available to help you plan, tailor and evaluate professional development in your school/setting. We recommend starting with the EEF guidance documents on professional development, linked below.
References
Education Endowment Foundation (2021). Effective Professional Development. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/effective-professional- development
Education Endowment Foundation (2021). A Balanced Approach to Professional Development. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/effective-professional- development/a-balanced-approach-to-professional-development
Education Endowment Foundation (2021). Ensuring a Balanced Professional Development Design. https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/documents/guidance/Effective_PD/Ensuring-a-balanced-PD-design.pdf
Suggested sequence of materials
The materials in this package can be used flexibly according to individual settings’ needs. This is a recommended, but not essential, sequence for delivering the materials included in the first release. Below are some examples of how you might make use of materials that are already available. As more materials as released there will be greater flexibility and choice in how you select and tailor them to your context.
Examples of use
Scenario 1
A leader uses a series of twilight sessions to deliver the first four introduction sessions. The leader uses the facilitator guides and slide decks to prepare the sessions. These sessions take around one hour each and are delivered across three half-terms. Following the four introductory sessions, the leader gives their staff time to engage with the first evidence summary as part of their professional development time. In the fourth half-term, the leader brings all staff together for the sense-making session linked to the evidence summary staff have engaged with.
Half-term 1 Supporting every child to
- -
achieve and thrive Facilitator preparation 1-hour, twilight session
Half-term 2 - - Facilitator preparation 1-hour, twilight session What is inclusive teaching?
Half-term 3 Inclusive teaching and Facilitator preparation 1-hour, twilight session - - areas of development Half-term 4 - - Introduction to speech, language and communication Facilitator preparation 1-hour, twilight session Staff engage with evidence summary as self-directed study during professional development time Speech, language and communication Half-term 5 - - Facilitator prep Sense-making session
Examples of use
Scenario 2
A leader uses a full day assigned to professional development to deliver all introductory materials. The leader uses the facilitator guides and slide decks to prepare the sessions. This is followed by staff engaging with the evidence summary in smaller groups in the weeks that follow. Staff are given time to engage with the evidence summary before meeting in subject groups for the sense-making sessions, which are facilitated by subject leads.
Facilitator preparation time Leader uses guides to prepare for introductory sessions
Supporting every child to achieve and thrive What is inclusive teaching?
Leader uses a full day workshop to cover all introductory sessions
Inclusive teaching and areas of development Introduction to speech, language and communication Staff engage with evidence summary study in small group sessions spread across several weeks Speech, language and communication Staff meet in subject groups for sense-making sessions, facilitated by subject leads
Examples of use
Scenario 3
A leader is deciding how to use these materials to build on a year of professional development focused on inclusion. Since staff spent time last year exploring these topics and reading government explainers, the leader judges the initial introductory session to be too repetitive. Instead, the leader uses the facilitator guides and slide decks to deliver targeted sessions on ‘What is inclusive teaching?’ and ‘Inclusive teaching and areas of development’ during weekly staff meetings over a half-term. Afterwards, staff work in pairs to complete the speech, language and communication evidence summary as self-directed study. The leader chooses this over the introductory session to align with staff starting points. Staff then meet in cross-phase groups for a sense-making session, using the facilitator guide and slide deck, to discuss how they are applying inclusive strategies and to share examples from their own classrooms. These sessions are facilitated by year group leads.
Leader opts to skip first introductory session
Supporting every child to achieve and thrive What is inclusive teaching?
Leader uses guides and slide decks to deliver targeted sessions during weekly staff meetings spread across a half-term
Inclusive teaching and areas of development Leader opts to skip this introductory session Introduction to speech, language and communication Staff work in pairs to cover the cover evidence summary as part of self-study Speech, language and communication Staff meet in cross-phase groups for sense-making sessions, facilitated by year group leads Developed in partnership with © Crown copyright 2026 This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3.
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