I'm curious about how you think about inclusion.
Inclusion of pupils with special educational needs is a huge challenge in schools right now - due to the deficit in funding, the sheer numbers of pupils with additional needs and the impact that these challenges are having on teacher workload and wellbeing.
So, when you think about inclusion, what do you think about first; the individual student's needs, and how you will adapt your strategies to meet these? Or your inclusive culture?
I believe that 80% of being inclusive is about getting your culture of inclusion and belonging right. If you develop a strategy where everyone feels welcomed, included, seen and valued you will go a long way to making your school and classroom inclusive for all pupils.
If teachers and support staff are already working at building great relationships with pupils and then considering how their teaching strategies and resources will engage and meet the needs of the wide variety of learners in the classroom, they will find including a pupil with SEND less of a challenge. I have witnessed this working effectively many times.
Where a school and classroom has a strong inclusive ethos, pupils who have previously had difficulties in other settings, are able to settle in more quickly. They feel psychologically safe sooner and feel understood and valued. Therefore, their attitude to learning quickly improves. There are already classroom approaches and resources that will support their learning.
I am not denying that staff will still need to make adaptations for individual students, but I would argue that those schools and teachers who do not routinely think about inclusion all of the time, will have a far tougher time. If the basic school and classroom environment isn't inclusive to start with, staff then have to make far more adaptations for the numbers of pupils who join their class. If there are four or five pupils with SEND in the classroom, there is a risk that the number of adaptations required to meet need then becomes unmanageable: like lots of sticking plasters at risk of peeling off.
What do you think?
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