← Back to tools Universal Approaches Strong classroom practice that matters most for pupils with additional needs
0 / 10 Teachers use explicit instruction (model, guide, independent practice) consistently Explicit instruction is one of the practices the EEF's new Inclusive Teaching guide highlights as especially important for pupils with additional needs, not just generally useful. Classroom environments are calm and predictable A calm environment benefits every pupil, but the guide is clear it matters most for pupils with additional social and emotional needs specifically. Clear routines and expectations are established and followed Predictable routines reduce the cognitive load of simply working out what's supposed to happen next, which matters more for some pupils than others. Teachers provide specific, actionable feedback, not just grades The guide's own emphasis is on feedback that draws on what a teacher actually knows about a pupil's starting point, not generic praise or correction. Scaffolding is used and gradually removed as pupils progress Scaffolding that never comes off stops being support and starts being a ceiling. Metacognitive strategies are explicitly taught, not assumed Teaching pupils to think about their own learning is one of the higher-impact practices the guide references, and it has to be taught directly, not picked up incidentally. Teachers know each pupil's starting point before planning adaptations Feedback and adaptation are only as good as the accuracy of what a teacher actually knows about where a pupil currently is. The environment accounts for sensory needs, not just academic ones Universal provision includes the physical and sensory environment, not only teaching technique. Teachers have had SEND-specific training in the last 12 months Often the first thing to lapse in an international setting without a Local Authority requiring it. TAs are deployed strategically, not just as permanent 1:1 shadows The guide's own guidance on TA deployment is about boosting attainment through evidence-based strategies, not defaulting to constant 1:1 presence.
Adaptations & Additional Support Targeted support that should build on, not queue behind, universal provision
0 / 11 There's a clear graduated response process: assess, plan, do, review A planning process grounded in an actual assessment of need, not a generic escalation ladder. Interventions are linked to classroom learning, not run in isolation Support that never connects back to what's happening in lessons tends to stay separate from the learning it's meant to improve. Intervention outcomes are tracked, not just attendance at the session Turning up to an intervention isn't the same as the intervention working. There's internal expertise to deliver structured interventions Where external experts are scarce and expensive, this becomes the actual delivery mechanism, not a nice-to-have. There's a process for early identification, not just waiting for a teacher to flag a concern Identification that depends entirely on one busy teacher noticing something tends to catch problems later than it should. Parents are genuine partners in the process, not just recipients of a report The guide names this explicitly as something schools, families, and policymakers all want more of. Provision is reviewed and adjusted based on data, not just at an annual review Ongoing monitoring is what lets a school notice when a priority needs adjusting before a whole year has passed. Tasks are adapted without being oversimplified to the point they remove the thinking required The guide is explicit that this specific failure mode, adaptation that removes the challenge rather than reshaping it, can actively hinder learning. Support decisions aren't made on the basis of a diagnosis label alone Pupils sharing a diagnosis can have very different actual needs, and the guide is direct about this. There's a sustainable, ongoing plan for staff training, not a single September session Professional development that happens once a year tends to fade well before the next one. There's a peer network or community of practice for SENCOs, internal or external Something most UK SENCOs have built in through Local Authority networks, and something international SENCOs usually have to build deliberately instead.
Inclusive Teaching Audit
Built by a practising SENDCo · OMNIA Inclusion
https://www.omnia-inclusion.com/tools/inclusive-teaching-audit
OMNIA was built by a practising SENDCo specifically for schools without the infrastructure this guide assumes.
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