ABSTRACT
New legislation and national guidance in 2014 changed the landscape of educational provision for pupils with any sort of ‘additional’ or ‘special’ needs. The vast majority of learners, including those with ‘moderate’ or ‘mild’ learning difficulties, weak communication skills, dyslexia or social/behavioural needs, rarely attract additional resources; they are very much accepted as part of the ‘mainstream mix’. Pupils with more significant special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) may have an education, health and care plan. High quality teaching meets the individual needs of the majority of children and young people. Successful schools are proactive in identifying and addressing pupils’ special needs, focusing on adapting the educational context and environment rather than on ‘fixing’ an individual learner. In many cases, pupils’ individual learning needs will be met through differentiation of tasks and materials in their lessons; sometimes this will be supplemented by targeted interventions such as literacy ‘catch-up’ programmes delivered outside the classroom.
