Enhancing SEND support through strengthening adaptive teaching strategies in every classroom

SYM PITSIALIS, SENCO, HENDON SCHOOL, UK HELEN LANGSAM, ASSISTANT HEADTEACHER, HENDON SCHOOL, UK Introduction This case study details our journey to enhancing special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision in our secondary school by strengthening adaptive teaching practices across the school’s faculty teams. It explores how an external SEND review, collaboration with faculty heads and a tailored professional development plan led to significant improvements in teaching practice, confidence and overall SEND support. The initial challenge: Identifying areas for improvement On joining as special educational needs coordinator (SENCo), I recognised that while there was a commendable and long-standing commitment to supporting learners with SEND, there were pockets of practice that would benefit from further development. To assess provision, I collaborated with the local authority for an external SEND review. The review acknowledged that we had strong Quality First Teac