Universal approaches

What do we do every day that is especially important for pupils with additional needs?

Many aspects of universal provision are especially important for pupils with additional needs. For example, a calm classroom environment might help all pupils, but be essential for pupils with additional social and emotional needs.

Strengthening and sustaining universal practices that are especially important for pupils with additional needs is likely to benefit all pupils and reduce – though not remove – the need for adaptations or additional targeted support.

This question also reflects the idea that to a great extent good teaching for pupils with additional needs contains the same elements as good teaching for all. A starting point for improving inclusive teaching is focusing on doing those fundamentals consistently well.

Universal approaches give teachers a strong foundation to work from: they are a powerful starting point, not a script. Feedback and scaffolding, for example, are most effective when teachers draw on what they know about pupils’ starting points and anticipate where difficulties are likely to arise.

Many of the practices below include links to interactive CPD resources that support professional learning and reflective discussion.

The list below includes examples of approaches that might be especially important for pupils with additional needs, based on existing evidence. It is not designed to be exhaustive, and is anticipated that schools might select a small number of priorities based on an assessment of their context and the needs of their pupils, which may change over time and differ between schools.