Adaptations and additional support

a. What adaptations or additional support might also be needed by some pupils?

b. How do we know that they help rather than hinder learning?

Pupils learn at different rates and to succeed some pupils will require adaptations or additional support that builds on universal approaches. Teachers should not be making assumptions about pupils’ learning rates based on their socio-economic background or SEND status.

Pupils can benefit from different types of additional support, including one-to-one or small group interventions delivered by teachers or teaching assistants and specialist support delivered by external experts, as well as from classroom adaptations made by teachers.

For some pupils, adaptations and additional support might only be needed for a short time, while for others they may be needed on an ongoing basis.

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.

For adaptations or additional support to be effective, they should be considered alongside and integrated into universal provision. This means building adaptations into whole-class planning and ensuring that additional targeted support is linked to classroom learning.

In addition, although existing evidence can be used to identify principles about adaptation and additional support that are more likely to be effective, significant evidence gaps currently exist related to supporting pupils with specific additional needs.

For these reasons, it is essential to monitor the impact of adaptations and additional support carefully and not assume positive effects on learning.

The list below summarises evidence related to adaptations and additional support that might help some pupils with additional needs. It is not designed to be exhaustive, and is anticipated that decisions about additional support and adaptations are based on an ongoing assessment of the needs of individual pupils.