The best available research evidence suggests that there are five approaches – a ​‘five-a-day’ – that teachers should consider adopting for pupils with SEND. These five teaching approaches are likely to broadly support all pupils, while particularly supporting many pupils with SEND.

For schools looking to review the evidence and consider its relevance for pupils with SEND, there are a range of resources below on the overall ​‘five-a-day’ approach, as well as helpful exemplification and tools to discuss in your school and setting teams.

The following Evidence into Action podcast episode provides additional detail about this approach for staff who want to learn more:

2. Cognitive and metacognitive strategies

Cognitive strategies are skills like memorisation techniques or subject-specific strategies such as methods to solve problems in maths. They may involve teaching ways for pupils to think about and remember content. Evidence points towards mnemonic devices and graphic organisers as effective cognitive strategies.

Metacognition refers to the ways in which pupils monitor and purposefully direct their learning. Supporting pupils with SEND to approach their learning metacognitively – in how they think about what they need to do, how they need to do it and what personal qualities they need to show – is likely to have a positive impact on pupil learning.

4. Flexible grouping

Research suggests that teachers should allocate pupils to groups flexibly based on the individual needs that they currently share with other pupils. Such groups can be formed for an explicit purpose and disbanded when that purpose is met. To be successful, teachers need to know their pupils well and embed formative assessment as part of their ongoing practice. This is likely to be a more positive experience for pupils than creating permanent streams or sets.