Broadening the notion of educational success with research into the necessary adaptations of retrieval practice in SEND/SEMH schools
10 min read
KELLY WOODFORD-RICHENS, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH, SOLENT ACADEMIES TRUST, UK
SARAH JONES, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, REDWOOD PARK ACADEMY, UK
HARRIET LEADBEATER, HEAD OF LEARNING: PERSONALISATION & INCLUSION, REDWOOD PARK ACADEMY, UK
ZOE STEVENS, COMMUNICATIONS LEAD, REDWOOD PARK ACADEMY, UK
Introduction
Most UK schools are on a journey to embedding cognitive science pedagogies – notably retrieval practice – into their teaching and learning expectations. This is based on years of research providing good evidence that the testing effect, through effective retrieval practice, leads to better educational outcomes (EEF, 2021a; Müller and Cook, 2023). Both reports identify the need for more evidence across different phases, subjects and settings. As a multi-academy trust comprising five special schools, the applicability of the research for children with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) and complex learning difficulties is particularly important.
We
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