Today, more than (SEND), representing an unprecedented 18.4 per cent of our school population.
This reflects a steady and significant increase: the number of pupils requiring SEN support has grown by 4.7 per cent just since 2022, and by 24.9 per cent since 2016.
For those of us who teach, those statistics are reflected in the wonderful complexity of the classes looking back at us every day. On average, five to six pupils in every group will have SEND, typically with four receiving SEN support and one or two with an education, health and care plan (EHCP).
Unique SEND profiles
Within one classroom, you might need to support a child with developmental language disorder who struggles to follow multi-step instructions; a learner with autism who finds social interactions challenging; one with dyslexia who needs extra support with reading; another with dyscalculia who requires concrete materials to grasp mathematical concepts; a pupil with a visual impairment who needs all their resources printed differently; a child with ADHD who struggles with focus and attention; and a pupil with attachment disorder who needs consistent emotional support to feel secure in the classroom.
And this assumes each child has only one SEND need. But these categories aren’t neat boxes, they’re more like overlapping circles.
A child with autism might also have dyspraxia, while another with ADHD might struggle with speech and language difficulties. Each combination creates a unique profile of needs requiring individualised support strategies.
What’s crucial to understand is that these diverse needs don’t just affect academic progress, they impact how children experience and engage with school life itself.
We often see their struggles manifest through changes in behaviour when appropriate support isn’t in place or when they’re facing particular challenges. This might present as withdrawal; a usually chatty child becoming quiet and isolated, or developing anxiety about coming to school.
For others, frustration and overwhelm might emerge as disruptive behaviour. In some cases, we see more challenging behaviours that require immediate intervention, such as damage to classroom resources or physical aggression.
Addressing these behavioural challenges must be a priority, not just because they disrupt learning for others, but because they signal that a child’s needs are not being met.
SEND and behaviour
It’s a delicate balance, requiring us to be both responsive to the individual child and protective of the wider classroom community.
Each year as a class teacher you get a unique mix of needs in the class that you teach. Take a hypothetical, but realistic primary classroom. You could have four pupils with EHCPs, three children with autism spectrum condition, one pupil who is EAL with low English proficiency and two with dyslexia. Some of these pupils will need support for challenging behaviours, some will need high levels of academic support, some will need high levels of emotional support. Class profiles are not static, and it is not uncommon for new pupils to join mid-year.Â
This can mean that suddenly all your carefully crafted plans need rethinking. You may need to re-assess how you employ additional support from teaching assistants, change seating plans, shift the amount of support individual pupils receive and make adaptations to whole class teaching. As teachers, we are not just managing individual needs in isolation - we are constantly adjusting and balancing support for a dynamic mix of learning differences, language needs, and social-emotional requirements.
It’s a reminder that we’re not just managing individual needs in isolation, we’re constantly adjusting and balancing support for a dynamic mix of learning differences, language needs and social-emotional requirements.
So, what is most effective when managing the complex tapestry of needs in our primary classrooms?
While there’s no magic formula, I’ve found that success rests on several key foundations.
1. Understand your pupils
First and foremost, it is important to really know and understand every child. This goes beyond understanding their formal diagnoses, it’s about recognising their unique strengths, their triggers, what makes them light up with enthusiasm and what causes them to shut down or become dysregulated.
This deep understanding doesn’t happen overnight; it’s a constant process of observation, reflection and adaptation as new challenges arise and existing strategies need tweaking.
2. Create genuine relationships
The next fundamental step is to build genuine relationships. I’ve learned that you can have access to every specialist resource and intervention available but without those key relationships, children simply won’t thrive.
This is particularly true for our pupils with SEND, who often experience higher anxiety levels and lower tolerance for uncertainty than their neurotypical peers.
When a child feels truly seen, understood and supported by the adults around them, they’re more likely to take risks in their learning and push through challenges.
3. Prioritise predictability
Creating predictability through clear routines and consistent expectations forms another crucial pillar of support.
This is particularly vital for our neurodiverse learners who might find change overwhelming or struggle with perceived unfairness. In my classroom, we invest significant time at the start of the year establishing and practising routines for everything from lining up to transitioning between activities.
4. Be skilled in scaffolding
One of the most powerful tools in our teaching arsenal is skilled scaffolding, but it’s essential to recognise that different pupils often need different types of support to reach the same goal.
For instance, when working on a longer writing task, I might provide sentence starters for a pupil with dyslexia, while breaking the same task into smaller chunks with movement breaks in between for a child with ADHD.
The key is understanding that scaffolding isn’t about lowering expectations; it’s about providing the right temporary support to enable success.
5. Seek support
Finally, I’ve learned the importance of knowing when to seek expert support. The range of SEND we encounter in today’s classrooms is vast, and we can’t be specialists in everything from dyscalculia to pathological demand avoidance.
Leaning on your Sendco, leadership team and external agencies isn’t just helpful, it’s essential. Some of my most effective strategies have come from collaborating with occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and colleagues in specialist settings who have deep expertise in specific areas of need.
Kirsty Simkin is Sendco at Reach Academy Hanworth Park in London
