The Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) landscape in England is bleak. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of pupils with SEND has increased. There is a shortage of places available in specialist SEND provision, and many pupils with SEND are being educated in alternative provision settings which arguably do not meet their needs.…

The increasing complexity of children with SLD and PMLD can make day-to-day teaching challenging and emotionally taxing. Regular opportunities for teachers to reflect upon practice can help teachers make sense of what happens in the classroom and see the relationship between their personal theories, values and beliefs, and their thinking,…

The Rochford Review heralded new arrangements for statutory assessment for children with SLD and PMLD working below the national curriculum standard. New assessment arrangements, the pre-key stage standards and the engagement model, relate to two groups of pupils: pupils 'not yet engaged' and pupils 'engaged' in subject-specific study. This…

This report explores how 1:1 semi-structured interviews were conducted and adapted to gain views from pupils with moderate and severe learning difficulties. The report conveys how interview questions were structured, scaffolded and integrated with multi-sensory activities to support pupils' confidence and ability to respond. By providing these…

The purpose of this study was to investigate Access Arrangements (AA) which allow students with specific learning difficulties (SpLDs), disabilities or medical needs to access assessments by making "reasonable" adjustments, as established by the Equality Act 2010. A review of the literature revealed some problematic issues relating to…

For decades, Blissymbolics (Bliss) has been used as a communicative symbol system for persons with complex communication needs. The linguistic features of Bliss words offer the potential for use with learners with learning disabilities to acquire literacy; however, no formal documentation of this is available. This qualitative study aims to…

Rates of school bullying victimisation have been noted as high as 69% for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) yet there remains neither an anti-bullying programme specifically for use in special schools, nor a standardised definition of bullying. The most frequently used definition is not inclusive of SEND pupils'…

The purpose of this study was to provide a deeper understanding of the challenges early childhood intervention practitioners faced and their commitment to work. Data suggested that participants struggled to manage their roles and responsibilities, the lack of time, resources, and professional support, and growing workloads. In the face of these…

Since 2011, increased responsibility has been placed on English mainstream schools to provide appropriate careers guidance and support to their students to prepare them for a successful transition from school. Disabled students are likely to encounter many barriers in their transitions from formal education settings, and they are less likely to be…

The profile of a student with learning difficulties is described and also the learning context in 2017. Previous models of provision are then described in terms of their aetiology with discussion of strengths and shortcomings. Some influential features of curriculum planning and delivery are identified. A model of provision involving specific…

We provide insight into how multiple visual strategies can be used simultaneously to increase access to and success with challenging mathematics at the secondary level for students with learning disabilities. Drawing on a teaching philosophy based on recognising student strengths and needs, we argue the potential benefits of using visual…

This article examines the current proposed initial teacher education (ITE) qualification framework from the perspective of pre-service vocational post-compulsory lecturers regarding the need to develop SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) inclusive classrooms. Considering the current post-compulsory staffing crisis, general further…

The paper provides a first person account of participant evaluation research of curriculum innovation in a school serving students with profound learning difficulties. It describes how the aspirations of the school leadership team to introduce science, combined with advisory support, overcame the initial anxiety of teaching staff about teaching an…

Teaching Assistants (TAs) (may also be known as Learning Support Assistants or Classroom Assistants) are important members of staff within a school environment. There is guidance on the deployment of TAs; however, little is known about how these recommendations are operationalised in a school setting. The aim of this research was to explore TA…

The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system is in crisis. A major new inquiry has been launched to find solutions, in part exploring how educational settings can become more inclusive through the provision of 'high quality support'. This begs the question--what "is" high quality support? Revisiting how SEND is…