Implement, monitor, and sustain

Implementing an effective approach to inclusive teaching requires deliberate planning, sustained support for staff, and ongoing monitoring.

Without a planning process grounded in an assessment of pupils’ needs and focused on the identification of a small set of priorities, it is unlikely that an inclusion strategy will change practice or improve pupil outcomes.

Sustained support for staff is essential. A successful approach will build professional knowledge and confidence, creating a sense of shared responsibility and ownership. All staff should continue to deepen their understanding of effective inclusive practice throughout their careers. However, it is unhelpful to imply that supporting pupils with additional needs requires exceptional expertise beyond the reach of most teachers, or that the support most pupils need is fundamentally different from approaches that benefit other pupils.

Ongoing monitoring helps leaders and teachers adjust inclusive teaching priorities where needed. This is important because additional support and adaptations can help or hinder learning, because the evidence base for supporting pupils with additional needs remains incomplete, and because individual pupils’ needs may change over time.

Monitoring inclusive teaching need not mean creating new systems. Leaders can draw on evidence they already gather, such as from Pupil Premium reviews, to assess whether their teaching priorities are effective and where adjustments are needed.

• Identify potential barriers to successful implementation and consider the school systems and structures necessary to support change, such as teachers having sufficient time to plan appropriate adaptations or access to high-quality CPD.

• Provide social support, including by creating opportunities for teachers to discuss problems, share insights, and provide peer support and assistance.
• Consider the risk of approaches that rely on labels or make assumptions about the support individual pupils will need.
• Recognise that even plausible sounding approaches can fall short and that doing apparently simple things consistently well is not trivial.
• Ensure that professional development is an ongoing process, rather than a one-off event, such as a single training session in September.
• Emphasise the core components of approaches and ensure they are delivered, even when adjusting other aspects of delivery to suit your context.