SEND training for schools: speech, language and communication - sense-making session facilitator guidance
Table of contents Aims to summarise and clarify the key ideas from the Speech, Language and Communication (Slc) evidence summary to explore the implications of an understanding of Slc for inclusive teaching practice, including practical strategies for supporting all pupils to reflect on current practice and identify areas for development in relation to Slc and inclusion to set manageable goals for applying new learning in practice to ensure that staff understand that inclusion within schools is not solely about helping pupils to access the curriculum; it is also about helping them to develop as individuals to build staff buy-in around how creating a system of inclusion can support all pupils to have a positive experience of school to foster a collaborative environment where staff feel confident to share experiences, discuss challenges and celebrate progress Feel free to add into the box below any additional aims that you would like to achieve from this session: Facilitator instructions Potential adaptations Facilitator checklist This checklist catalogues steps that you may wish to work through in order to prepare for the delivery of this session, and future sessions.
Content knowledge Speech, language and communication sense-making session Introduction Areas of Development: Replacing the ‘Areas of Need’, these are focused on promoting the development of children and young people and consider their strengths as well as things they find difficult. The five ‘Areas of Development’ are currently proposed as (Department for Education (2026), Fig. 5) Executive function: skills for organising, planning, remembering and managing tasks.
Speech, language and communication: understanding and using language to interact and learn.
Social and emotional: building relationships, managing feelings and social interaction.
Sensory: processing and responding to sensory information (such as sight, sound, touch).
Motor and physical: movement, coordination and physical health needs.
Note: The final Areas of Development are subject to change - DfE is considering feedback from SEND reform consultation and recommendations from the Expert Panel.
Reflection: Which areas of development do you think staff will be most familiar with? How familiar are they likely to be with the focus area for this session (Slc)?
As the facilitator, what considerations do you think you will need to make when presenting this part of the session, how will you approach this?
Consolidate understanding The check for understanding questions in this section focus on knowledge associated with the following areas: the barriers to pupil learning presented by Slc needs, linked to how we learn the classroom practices that put high demand on Slc the patterns in behaviour that teachers and teaching assistants might see if pupils are experiencing challenges with Slc and the reasons for these patterns Speech, language and communication Receptive language refers to how well a person can take in, make sense of and interpret the words and sentences they hear or read. This skill is essential for everyday communication and underpins much of what happens in the classroom. For pupils, strong receptive language skills mean they can follow conversations, understand stories and grasp the meaning of new vocabulary as it is introduced.
In every lesson, pupils are expected to listen to instructions, respond to questions and make sense of explanations. If they do not fully understand what is being asked of them, it becomes difficult for them to
participate in activities or complete tasks accurately. Clear receptive language skills allow pupils to follow routines, engage with learning and respond appropriately to what is happening in the classroom.
When pupils struggle with receptive language, they may find it challenging to keep up with classroom discussions or group work. They might miss key points, misunderstand what is expected, or forget important details. This can lead to confusion, frustration and lower confidence, as well as gaps in learning if they are unable to access the full content of lessons.
Receptive language skills are closely linked to working memory. Working memory supports the ability to hold information in mind while using it to complete a task. If a pupil’s working memory is limited, they may find it harder to follow multi-step instructions or keep track of complex explanations. Supporting both receptive language and working memory can help pupils access learning more effectively.
Working memory The simple model of memory explains that we only learn what we pay attention to. Information first enters working memory for active processing, before being stored in long-term memory and linked to existing knowledge. Forgetting can happen at any stage, but regular practice and connecting new information to what we already know can help strengthen and retain learning.
Working memory is essential for thinking and learning, as it allows us to temporarily hold and actively process information (Miyake & Shah, 1999; Baddeley, 2003). Working memory manages and manipulates this information as well as holding
it. However, its capacity and duration are limited and influenced by factors such as task complexity, motivation, and prior knowledge (Atkinson & Shriffin, 1968; Baddeley, 1992; Miller et al., 2017; Weinstein, 2017).
Pupils with Slc needs may struggle to process and retain information in their working memory when faced with complex or language-heavy tasks, which can increase cognitive load.
Reflection: What are two key takeaways about speech, language and communication (Slc) that you want staff to understand during this section?
In what ways might you encourage staff to apply these insights to their current pupils or classes, and what strategies could you use to prompt meaningful discussion?
As the facilitator, what aspects of this section do you anticipate might be most challenging to deliver, and how will you approach these challenges?
Build understanding The check for understanding questions in this section focus on knowledge associated with the following areas: The inclusive teaching strategies that can support all pupils, particularly those with Slc needs.
Universal Offer Central to a stronger inclusive mainstream system is a universal offer built on high quality, inclusive teaching and whole-school practices that enable all children, including those who face barriers to learning and participation, to achieve and thrive.
All schools have been asked to publish an Inclusion Strategy, and it is recommended for most schools that activities that support the universal offer are prioritised within this strategy (Department for Education (2026).
For children whose needs cannot be met through the universal offer alone, targeted support should be provided to enable them to achieve and thrive. Beyond the universal offer, children and young people can access Targeted, Targeted Plus, or Specialist support, depending on their needs. Support will be flexible, allowing children to move between layers as their needs change.
Inclusive teaching Within the Universal Offer, high-quality, evidence- informed teaching is the most effective way to support all pupils, especially those with additional needs or from disadvantaged backgrounds, as strengthening universal classroom practices benefits everyone and is particularly important for pupils facing barriers to learning (Eef, 2026).
Inclusive teaching practices and strategies support all pupils to develop their Slc. Inclusive teaching is rooted in universal approaches such as:
explicit instruction scaffolding effective feedback positive relationships calm classroom environments (Eef, 2026) These teaching practices are adaptable to individual needs and are especially valuable for supporting the speech, language and communication development of all pupils, including those with Slc needs, by providing clear structure, targeted support and a flexible, needs-based response.
Universal approaches for all pupils and adaptations should form part of a school’s Universal Offer. Further information on this can be found in the Eef’s Inclusive Teaching Guidance which draws on both universal approaches and adaptations to reduce barriers to learning.
Inclusive teaching does not rely on specialist knowledge of specific diagnoses (Eef, 2026). A diagnosis can offer useful information, but it does not necessarily determine the most effective support for learning. Pupils with the same diagnosis may have different strengths and needs, which can change over time. A needs-based approach enables teachers and teaching assistants to respond flexibly and effectively, supporting all pupils, including those with complex needs who may or may not have a formal diagnosis.
It is important to recognise that adaptations and additional support can be effective or ineffective, and that ineffective support or adaptation can hinder learning. For example, oversimplifying tasks in ways that reduce pupil thinking can limit learning. Likewise, if teachers are unable to manage classroom adaptations without compromising the quality of universal provision, overall learning might fall.
High-quality teaching will always combine a number of strategies to support pupil learning. Making decisions about which strategies or approaches to use, when and for what purpose is an essential feature of successfully supporting pupils’ needs. Some strategies, or combination of strategies, can achieve multiple purposes over time. These purposes are: Reduce barriers: some strategies and teaching practices reduce immediate barriers, for example by providing visual supports such as diagrams or picture cues. These help pupils access learning when speech, language, and communication difficulties might otherwise make it challenging to understand the content.
Long-term development: some strategies and teaching practices can be used across the curriculum to deliberately develop pupils’ speech, language, and communication over time.
Reflection: Which inclusive teaching practices and strategies do you want staff to recognise as familiar or already embedded in their own work? How might you help them reflect on what makes these approaches effective in different settings?
How will you support staff to identify a practice or strategy they could use more often? What prompts or activities could you use to help them plan how to introduce it in their teaching?
In what ways might you encourage staff to consider adapting these strategies for particular pupils, subjects or lesson contexts? What factors could influence how effective these adaptations are?
As the facilitator, what aspects of this section do you anticipate might be most challenging to deliver, and how will you approach these challenges?
Analyse and reflect Key ideas explored in the examples in this section: Pupils’ responses to questions or instructions can indicate the Slc difficulties they might be experiencing, including challenges with expressive and receptive language, working memory and recall.
Teachers can use specific strategies to support pupils in accessing and engaging with questioning.
Teachers and teaching assistants can employ strategies to help pupils develop their Slc skills over the longer term.
Reflection: What strategies do you want staff to recognise for supporting pupils and reducing language demand? How might you encourage them to consider which pupils may still need additional support, even with these strategies in place?
How will you guide staff to identify and plan an adaptation for their next lesson? What could you suggest they look or listen for to evaluate whether access and learning have improved?
As the facilitator, what aspects of this section might be most challenging to deliver, and how will you approach these challenges?
Glossary Some selected terms used within the slide deck and this document are included here for reference. Some staff will be familiar with these terms, but others may not. In the latter case, you might consider explicitly providing some of these definitions alongside the slide presentation.
High expectations: maintaining ambitious goals for all pupils while adapting support so that barriers to learning are reduced and pupils can access challenging content.
Universal approaches: evidence-informed classroom approaches applied consistently to support the learning and participation of all pupils, regardless of individual needs or backgrounds.
Inclusive teaching: high-quality teaching that anticipates and reduces barriers to learning so all pupils can participate, learn and develop, including pupils with Slc needs.
Explicit instruction: a clear, structured approach to teaching in which the teacher explains, models and checks understanding so pupils know what to do and why.
Working memory: the limited-capacity memory store that is used to temporarily hold and actively process information while thinking, learning or following instructions.
Speech, language and communication (Slc): distinct but connected areas of development: speech is producing sounds and words; language is understanding and expressing meaning; communication is exchanging messages with social partners using language and other cues (facial expression, gesture, tone of voice).
Receptive language: a person’s ability to understand spoken or written language (vocabulary, grammar,
discourse), including questions, instructions, explanations.
Expressive language: a person’s ability to express ideas, knowledge or responses through spoken or written language (vocabulary, grammar, discourse).
Cognitive load: the total amount of mental effort being used in working memory at one time; it can increase when tasks are complex or language heavy.
Scaffolding: temporary support that helps pupils access learning and gradually develop independence, such as prompts, models, sentence frames or visual cues.
Visual cues: visual prompts that support pupils to understand, remember or respond, such as pointing, images, diagrams, gestures or written key words.
Vocabulary retrieval: the process of finding and producing a known word when it is needed; pupils may understand a word but struggle to recall it quickly.
References Department for Education. (2016). Eliminating unnecessary workload around marking: Report of the Independent Teacher Workload Review Group.
Department for Education. (2026). SEND Reform: putting children and young people first.
Department for Education. (2026). Developing an inclusion strategy using the inclusive mainstream fund.
Education Endowment Foundation (2026). The Eef Guide to Inclusive Teaching.
Willingham, D. (2008). Ask the cognitive scientist: What will improve a student’s memory?. American Educator. Winter 2008-2009: 17-25.
Appendix A: Working memory A simple model of memory This model, adapted from the work of cognitive psychologist Daniel Willingham (2008), offers a clear overview of how we learn and remember.
The process begins with attention. We only learn what we focus on, so it’s important to minimise distractions and direct attention to the content we want pupils to remember. Once information is attended to, it enters working memory, which is the part of the brain where we actively think about and process new information. For example, when solving a maths problem, working memory holds the numbers and operations as we work towards an answer.
If new information is processed successfully, it moves into long-term memory. Here, it connects with existing knowledge in what are called schema, which are mental networks that help us organise and retrieve information. For instance, knowledge about castles might be linked to their history, types and features.
Long-term memory does more than store information, it also supports thinking. When we recall facts or skills we have practised, such as times tables, we draw on prior knowledge to solve problems more efficiently.
However, forgetting can occur at any stage. Information in working memory is fragile and easily lost if not rehearsed or connected to existing
knowledge. Even information stored in long-term memory can fade if it isn’t used regularly. For example, we might forget how to do long division or recall scientific formulas if we haven’t practised them recently. Despite this, forgetting is a natural part of learning. With the right strategies, such as regular practice and connecting new information to what we already know, we can strengthen memory and make learning more lasting.
Working memory Working memory is essential for processing information and is a key part of how we think and learn (Miyake & Shah, 1999). It is used whenever we carry out tasks that involve holding and using information at the same time, such as reading, mental arithmetic, or following multi-step instructions. Working memory acts as a central link between our thinking, memory, and perception, allowing us to temporarily store and manage information as we work with it (Baddeley, 2003).
The distinction between short-term memory and working memory is that short-term memory refers mainly to the temporary storage of small amounts of information, while working memory includes both this temporary storage and the active processing or manipulation of information (Atkinson & Shriffin, 1968; Baddeley, 1992; Miller et al., 2017).
Working memory holds information for a short period, usually between 15 and 30 seconds (Weinstein, 2017). Unlike long-term memory, which can store information for years, working memory is temporary. The capacity of working memory is limited and depends on several factors, including the complexity of the information, our motivation, and how much we already know about the topic. Working memory is responsible for several tasks at once, such as focusing attention and
processing different types of information. Because of this, its capacity can be difficult to measure and will vary from person to person and task to task.
Implications for learning Understanding working memory and the simple model of memory has important implications for learning, particularly for teaching pupils with Slc difficulties. Since working memory is limited in both capacity and duration, pupils can easily become overloaded when asked to hold and process too much information at once, especially if instructions are complex or language heavy. For pupils with Slc needs, this challenge is even greater, as they may need more time to process spoken information and may struggle to retain and manipulate language in working memory. This can lead to increased cognitive load, which refers to the total amount of mental effort being used in the working memory at any one time.
Key ideas Learning is lasting change: true learning means pupils can recall and use knowledge over time, not just immediately after teaching.
Working memory is limited: pupils can only process a small amount of new information at once. Overloading working memory leads to confusion and forgetting.
Long-term memory is where learning is stored: for knowledge to be retained, it must move from working memory into long-term memory, where it can be recalled later.
Attention is essential: pupils must pay attention to lesson content for it to enter working memory and be learned. Minimise distractions and focus attention on
key ideas.
New knowledge builds on prior knowledge: pupils make sense of new content by connecting it to what they already know. Identify and activate relevant prior knowledge.
Recall strengthens memory: regularly revisiting and using knowledge helps pupils remember it in the long term. Plan opportunities for retrieval and practice.
References Atkinson, Rc. & Shiffrin, Rm. (1968). Human memory: a proposed system and its control processes. In: Spence, K.W. & Spence, Baddeley, A. (1992). Working memory. Science, 255(5044), 556-559.
Baddeley, A. (2003). Working memory: looking back and looking forward. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 4(10), 829-840
Cowan, N. (2001). The magical number 4 in short-term memory: A reconsideration of mental storage capacity. Behavioural and brain sciences, 24(1), 87-114.
Cowan, N. (2008). What are the differences between long-term, short-term, and working memory?. Progress in brain research, 169, 323-338.
Cowan, N. (2019). Short-Term Memory Based on Activated Long-Term Memory: A Laming, 1992
Miller, G. A., Eugene, G., & Pribram, K. H. (2017). Plans and the Structure of Behaviour. In Buckley, W. (Ed.). Systems Research for Behavioural Science (pp. 369-382). Routledge. https://
doi.org/10.4324/9781315130569 Miyake, A., & Shah, P. (1999). Models of working memory: An Introduction. In Miyake, A., & Shah, P. (Eds.), Models of Working Memory. Mechanisms of Active Maintenance and Executive Control. (pp. 1-27). Cambridge University Press.
Norris, D. (2017). Short-term memory and long-term memory are still different. Psychological Bulletin, 143(9), 992–1009. https://doi.org/10.1037/ bul0000108Ruchkin et al., 2003
Weinstein, Y. (2017, April 13). How long is short- term memory? Shorter than you might think. Learning Scientists.
Appendix B: Classroom examples and analysis Primary example and analysis Miss Jones’ year 5 class have been working on their foundational knowledge of the water cycle. Miss Jones is asking them quick-fire questions about the definitions of condensation, evaporation and water vapour. This is a questioning approach she uses frequently in her classroom. She supports this high-demand questioning with positive reinforcement and high energy levels and her pupils remain focused throughout. Miss Jones is targeting her questions at pupils she knows have struggled to remember previous content, this includes a pupil called Rebecca. She has already asked one pupil ‘What is condensation?’, they have correctly responded ‘When water vapour touches something cold, it cools down and turns back into tiny drops of liquid water’. Later in the questioning sequence she asks Rebecca this same question: What is condensation?
Rebecca: Water Miss Jones: Condensation is when water vapour touches something cold, it cools down and turns back into water. Rebecca, what is condensation?
Rebecca: Water vapour cools down and turns into water.
Miss Jones: Great, what do we call it when water vapour cools and becomes water?
Rebecca: I don’t know.
Miss Jones: Condensation is when water vapour touches something cold, it cools down and turns back into water [pause], what is it called when water vapour cools down and turns back into water?
Rebecca: C- Miss Jones: *waits for around six seconds, nods in encouragement* Rebecca: Condensation.
Miss Jones: Well done for sticking with me Rebecca, good work. I’ll be coming back to ask you again in a minute.
Reflection: How did Miss Jones’ questioning support Rebecca to respond to her questions successfully?
What might Rebecca’s response suggest about her receptive language, expressive language, working memory, or vocabulary retrieval?
Analysis In this scenario Miss Jones employs several inclusive teaching strategies to support her pupils, including Rebecca. There were several purposes behind the approach she took in this scenario. The primary aim of questioning was to check pupils’ understanding of the key knowledge. However, the specific strategies she used with Rebecca served additional purposes: Helped Rebecca demonstrate her understanding, allowing Miss Jones to assess how securely her learning of ‘condensation’ was.
Supported the development of her confidence, and contributed to improving her speech, language and communication skills over time.
Let’s break down how Miss Jones uses these strategies when questioning Rebecca here:
Miss Jones’ questioning supported Rebecca by providing sufficient processing time which supports her to manage the cognitive load of holding multiple pieces of verbal information in her working memory. This, alongside encouragement, means that Rebecca has the opportunity to process the question and makes it more likely that she will give a correct answer as opposed to panic and respond quickly and inaccurately.
Miss Jones ‘flips’ her question about the definition of ‘condensation’ to check Rebecca’s knowledge of the word and its definition, this supports her to see that Rebecca has not securely learnt this key term as well as recognise that she is finding processing the question challenging. By flipping the question Rebecca is able to see a model of the sentences that the key word and definition can appear
in in their correct format, giving her an opportunity to experience high-quality classroom-talk.
Miss Jones carefully phrases her questions to ensure economy of language and allow Rebecca to focus just on the key knowledge: ‘condensation is when water vapour cools and turns back into water’. This sentence is also in the format of ‘subject-verb/ object’ (water vapour – cools/liquid water) which is an easier sentence structure to understand.
Additional questions you may want to consider with colleagues:
How is Miss Jones using strategies that will support Rebecca to access the learning in this lesson but also support her speech, language, and communication development over time?
How could Miss Jones further reduce language demand while maintaining high expectations?
Secondary example and analysis (geography) Miss Lowes’ year 8 class have been working on their foundational knowledge of erosion processes in a river. Miss Lowes is asking them quick-fire questions about the definitions of attrition, abrasion, hydraulic action, and solution. This is a questioning approach she uses frequently in her classroom. She supports this high-demand questioning with positive reinforcement and high energy levels and her pupils remain focused throughout. Miss Lowes is targeting her questions at pupils she knows have struggled to remember previous content, this includes a pupil called Insha. She has already asked one pupil ‘What is attrition?’, they have correctly responded ‘material hitting together and breaking down’. Later in the questioning sequence, she asks Insha this same question: ‘What is attrition?’
Insha: Rocks Miss Lowes: Attrition is when rocks hit together and break down in the water, Insha, what is attrition?
Insha: Rocks hit together and break down.
Miss Lowes: Great, what do we call it when rocks hit together and break down?
Insha: I don’t know.
Miss Lowes: Attrition is when rocks hit together and break down [pause]. What is it called when rocks hit together and break down?’
Insha: A- Miss Lowes: *waits for around six seconds, nods in encouragement* Insha: Attrition.
Miss Lowes: Well done for sticking with me Insha, good work. I’ll be coming back to ask you again in a minute.
Reflection: How did Miss Lowes’ questioning support Insha to respond to her questions successfully?
What might Insha’s response suggest about her receptive language, expressive language, working memory, or vocabulary retrieval?
Analysis In this scenario, Miss Lowes employs several inclusive teaching strategies to support her pupils, including Insha. The primary aim of questioning was to check pupils’ understanding of the key knowledge. However, the specific strategies she used with Insha also: helped Insha demonstrate her understanding, allowing Miss Lowes to assess how securely she had learned the term ‘attrition’
supported the development of Insha’s confidence contributed to improving her Slc skills over time Let’s break down how Miss Lowes uses these strategies when questioning Insha: Miss Lowes’ questioning supports Insha by providing sufficient processing time. This, alongside encouragement, means that Insha can process the question and makes it more likely that she will give a correct answer, as opposed to panicking and responding quickly and inaccurately.
Miss Lowes ‘flips’ her question about the definition of ‘attrition’ to check Insha’s knowledge of the word and its definition. This supports her to see that Insha has not securely learnt this key term, as well as recognise that she is finding processing the question challenging. By flipping the question, Insha is able to see a model of the sentences where the key word and definition can appear in their correct format, giving her an opportunity to experience a model of high-quality talk and talk for writing in this subject.
Miss Lowes balances simple and developmental language to ensure clarity and allow Insha to focus just on the key knowledge: that attrition is when rocks hit together
and break down in the water. She also considers sentence structure. The sentence is in the format of ‘subject-verb/object’ (rocks-hit together/break down) which is a more accessible sentence structure to understand.
Additional questions you may want to consider with colleagues:
How is Miss Lowes using strategies that will support Insha to access the learning in this lesson but also support her speech, language, and communication development over time?
How could Miss Lowes further reduce language demand while maintaining high expectations?
Secondary example and analysis (Pe) Mr Miller’s Year 7 class are learning the forehand technique in tennis. The pupils are set up in their routine position for a model; a semi-circle with their backs to the sun, so all pupils can see and hear and Mr Miller has sufficient safe space to model. All pupils have placed their equipment on the floor to limit distraction. Mr Miller demonstrates the technique several times and then uses questioning to check for pupil understanding. Mr Miller is targeting his questions at pupils he knows have struggled to remember more complex techniques, this includes a pupil called Evan. He has already asked one pupil “What is the first part of the forehand technique”, they have correctly responded “racket back, side on, watching the ball”. Later in the questioning sequence, he asks Evan the same question: “What do we do in the first part of the forehand technique?”
Evan: Watch the ball Mr Miller: That’s the one of the three things we need to do, you’re right. We need to bring the racket back, we need to be standing side on, and to be watching the ball. What are the three things we need to do?
Evan: Racket back, stand side on, watch the ball Mr Miller: Great, remind me how we should be standing?
Evan: Don’t know Mr Miller: We stand side on, have the racket back, and we watch the ball. Where should our racket be?
Evan: Back Mr Miller: Great. Now let’s put it together. What are the three things we need to do in the first part of the forehand technique?
Evan: Racket back….errr *Waits a few seconds, changes foot position, pointing to his feet then his eyes* Evan: Racket back, stand side on, watch the ball Mr Miller: Well done Evan. *Mr Miller models the position again for the pupils* Reflection: How did Mr Miller’s questioning support Evan to respond to his questions successfully?
What might Evan’s response suggest about his receptive language, expressive language, working memory, or vocabulary retrieval?
Analysis In this scenario, Mr Miller employs several inclusive teaching strategies to support his pupils, including Evan. The primary aim of questioning was to check pupils’ understanding of the key knowledge. However, the specific strategies he used with Evan were also: Helped Evan demonstrate his understanding, allowing Mr Miller to assess how securely he had understood the term first part of the forehand technique.
Supported the development of Evan’s confidence.
Contributed to improving his Slc skills over time.
Let’s break down how Mr Miller uses these strategies when questioning Evan:
Mr Millers questioning supports Evan by providing sufficient processing time. This, alongside encouragement, means that Evan can process the question and makes it more likely that he will give a correct answer, as opposed to panicking and responding quickly and inaccurately.
Mr Miller rephrases his question about the forehand technique to check Evan’s knowledge of the components of the skill before practical application. This supports him to see that Evan has not securely learnt this key process, as well as recognising that he is finding processing the question challenging. By rephrasing the question, Evan is able to see a model of the sentences where the key components of the skill can appear in their correct format, giving him another opportunity experience a model of high- quality talk in this subject.
Mr Miller balances simple and developmental language to allow Evan to focus just on the key knowledge: that the first part of the forehand technique in tennis involves racket back, side on body position and watching the ball.
Mr Miller also provides a visual cue, by pointing to his feet and eyes to scaffold the question and support Evan’s response.
Additional questions you may want to consider with colleagues:
How is Mr Miller using strategies that will support Evan to access the learning in this lesson but also support his speech, language, and communication development over time?
How could Mr Miller further reduce language demand while maintaining high expectations?
Developed in partnership with Timings | Section | Overview 5 mins | Introduction | Reminder of the areas for development and the aims of the session.
30 mins | Consolidate understanding | Speech, language and communication Check for understanding: used to check knowledge covered in the evidence summary. Key knowledge: consolidates and builds on key concepts in the evidence summary (working memory)
30 mins | Build understanding | Inclusive teaching Inclusive teaching: practices for supporting all pupils, particularly with Slc development
30 mins | Analyse and reflect | Opportunity to analyse an example that situates some of the inclusive teaching strategies in practice. There are different scenarios to choose from. Select the scenario that is closest to or most appropriate for your context: primary science, secondary geography, or secondary Pe.
10 mins | Reflection | Choice of two different reflection tasks.
Potential adaptations | Suggestions General | You may wish to add your name or the name of your school or college to the bottom of the first slide. Note On Language: Throughout this, and other resources, we have made choices about the names we use to refer to people, places and ideas (such as ‘teachers’ and ‘pupils’). You may be accustomed to using different terms within your own setting. Please feel free to change any of these terms where you feel that doing so would be appropriate and helpful. (A quick way to do so is to use Ctrl+F, ‘Replace All’.) Session timings | Timings of individual slides (e.g., 2 minutes) and a running timing in minutes (e.g., [4]) are provided based on a 60-minute session. However, the session is intended to be flexible enough to adapt this to slightly longer or shorter times as required (e.g., 75 mins or 50 mins). For shorter sessions, you may need to limit optional slides and consider the use of time provided for reflection activities – for example, considering the length of discussion time and how many responses you elicit. For longer sessions, you might offer more of the optional slides and extend the time available for reflection and discussion – for example, taking more contributions from teachers and explicitly drawing out the suggested key points as they are raised by the teachers themselves. It might be that you would prefer to deliver this content over several, shorter sessions in which case you can adapt the deck accordingly. For example, you might cover a session via three 20-minute slots, rather than in a single one-hour slot.
Consolidate understanding Slide options | In the section: Consolidate understanding, there are optional slides related to: the simple model of memory and learning challenges for working memory what pupils with Slc difficulties might find challenging It is suggested that you select and use these slides dependent on whether you feel that your staff would benefit from the further support with some of the concepts being discussed in this section (namely, working memory).
Build understanding Slide options | In the section: Build understanding, there are optional slides related to: an example response to a check for understanding on the link between Slc difficulties and appropriate teaching practices and strategies discussion on inclusive teaching It is suggested that you select and use these slides depending on whether you feel that your staff would benefit from the further support with some of the concepts being discussed in this section or where the content might speak more directly to the priorities you have in your setting.
Analyse and reflect Slide options | This section provides classroom examples that demonstrate inclusive teaching strategies in practice.
Before you begin, please note that there are three versions of this section: Primary Secondary geography Secondary Pe Each version is designed to reflect the unique context and needs of these subjects. You can choose the version that best matches your staff’s focus and the priorities of your setting.
We recommend selecting the examples that will be most meaningful for your team. Consider which scenarios will support staff to reflect on their practice and address the priorities in your setting or phase. You might also wish to adapt an example, so it better fits your own context or the needs of your audience. There is one optional slide related to: A discussion on how teachers can reduce language demand and maintain high expectations.
Reflection question Slide options | Towards the end of the session, there are options for different reflection activities – you could use one of these or edit/replace the questions to reflect the priorities, strengths and challenges in your own context. The options suggested are: option 1: reflect on current practice with a specific group of pupils in mind option 2: reflect on current practice within the context of a specific lesson staff have recently taught
Preparing your staff | To help staff get the most from the session, consider sharing the following pre- read expectations in advance: Allocate time for staff to read the separate ‘Speech, language and communication evidence summary’ before attending the session. If you plan to use the classroom example in the
analyse and reflect section, allocate time for staff to read this in advance too, so that session time can be used for discussion and application. You may want to send the evidence summary and classroom example together, along with a small number of questions (found in the slide deck) for staff to consider before the session.
Task | Status (Tick for complete) Prior to delivery… | Prior to delivery… I have read the aims of this session I have read the instructions on how to deliver the session I have read the section of the guidance on the content knowledge of the session and completed the reflection questions I have established the context within which I will be delivering this session (such as the allotted time, and how this session will relate to other PD) I have considered the prior knowledge and range of experiences of those I will be delivering to I have considered the range of roles of those I will be delivering to, and how I can ensure that all staff feel motivated and able to contribute I have considered the best route to take through the session I have considered how to group or pair-up staff where they will be discussing and reflecting with one another I have identified what I think will be the trickiest parts of the session to deliver, and I have either scripted these or practised delivering the existing scripts I have planned how I might get feedback on the session once it has been delivered Where staff are required to have read a pre-read or attended another session prior to this one, I have ensured that the pre-read has been shared and/or the session has been delivered Having delivered the session… | Having delivered the session… I have reflected on what went well I have reflected on what I might do differently for future sessions I have recorded these insights so that I can use them to support my planning of future sessions