Supporting SEND Students: SEND Training for Teachers in Every Classroom

Create inclusive classrooms that support the learning of everyone, including students with SEND.

This SEND CPD workshop gives teachers practical, evidence-informed strategies to support students with SEND in mainstream classrooms. Designed by chartered psychologists and former teachers, it draws on the latest research and the EEF’s guidance on inclusive teaching, covering adaptive teaching, scaffolding, retrieval practice and cognitive load.

It’s built for whole-staff INSET or a twilight session, in person or online, and tailored to your school. Staff leave feeling more confident supporting every learner, which is exactly what Ofsted now looks for when it inspects inclusion.

This workshop will help teachers to:

  • Feel more confident supporting SEND students
  • Create an inclusive environment that challenges all students
  • Practical strategies to maximise learning for all

Supporting SEND Students – Key messages

The SEND landscape

  • The changing environment
  • A complex and nuanced look at what we mean by SEND
  • Pupil premium, SEND and EHCPs

Retrieval Practice

  • Should you Cold-Call SEND students?
  • Extended wait times and why it matters
  • Low-stakes quizzing

Adaptive Teaching

  • Teaching to the top
  • Helping all students get started on a task
  • Pre-teaching, prompt fading and scaffolding support

Cognitive Load

  • The limitations of working memory
  • Connecting new information to prior knowledge
  • The redundancy effect and maximising visual support

How this supports your inclusion strategy

Every mainstream school in England must publish an inclusion strategy by 31 December 2026. This workshop supports three of the DfE’s seven principles of inclusion:

  • Principle 2: evidence-based support, prioritising early intervention
  • Principle 3: high-quality adaptive teaching, with a curriculum designed for all learners
  • Principle 5: a safe and respectful culture that fosters belonging and participation

Ofsted will also look at whether staff are equipped to deliver your inclusion strategy. Training your whole staff on SEND is one of the clearest ways to show that.

Common Questions about our SEND support workshops

Can we use the Inclusive Mainstream Fund for this training?

If it fits your inclusion strategy, yes. The DfE’s guidance says the Fund can support whole-school approaches and professional development for inclusion and SEND, as long as it aligns with the seven principles. This workshop maps directly to Principle 3 (high-quality adaptive teaching).

Is this SEND training suitable for teaching assistants?
Yes. It’s relevant for anyone working in the classroom, including teaching assistants. For training built specifically for teaching assistants, we have an upcoming course, Teaching Assistants: Maximising Impact.

What will teachers be able to do after the session?

Use adaptive teaching strategies such as pre-teaching, scaffolding and prompt fading; adapt questioning and wait time for students with SEND; reduce unnecessary cognitive load; and create a classroom where every student is challenged and supported.

Ongoing Teacher Training

If you are a Teacher CPD Coordinator, don’t forget the perfect ongoing training for your staff: our Teacher CPD Academy. It’s a one-stop online platform that will help you design and populate the perfect in-house CPD programme effortlessly.

For further inclusivity-focused training, check out our adaptive teaching CPD, focusing on questioning and scaffolding.

Explore our Teacher CPD brochure

FAQ

What can your Teacher CPD workshops help my school’s staff with?

We design our Teacher CPD workshops with a focus on practical, applicable strategies informed by the latest and most pertinent research. More specifically, we don’t tell your staff how to teach – we illuminate research findings, suggest best practices, then help spark and facilitate conversations among your staff about what that looks like in your school.

We specialise in improving Teaching & Learning, using Cognitive Science research. We cover topics ranging from Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction to Cognitive Load Theory, Retrieval Practice to Metacognition, Growth Mindset to Leadership, and more.

How do you tailor your Teacher CPD workshops to my school’s needs?

We provide exactly what you need. Whether you’re after a single, one-hour session or a full day with multiple workshops and coaches, we have you covered.

We are also very aware of the multiple competing goals schools have to balance. So, we are more than happy to help you choose the perfect combo of workshops and figure out timings if you need. All you have to do is get in touch!

What does the process of booking a Teacher CPD workshop with you look like?

Starting from your initial enquiry all the way to the day of the workshop (and even beyond), our team is here to advise you. We will gladly help you pick the perfect workshop for your school and figure out the timings of the day.

We sort out our own travel and accommodation when necessary and turn up early and prepared on the day, armed with all the materials and tools we need. Our coaches pride themselves on being low maintenance and high impact. Nothing is too much trouble – we all turn up to change lives for the better and put in the work to do so.

We are reliable, informative and entertaining, allowing you to relax, enjoy the day and get the full benefit from the Teacher CPD training.

Can you provide Teacher CPD workshops online as well as in person?

Absolutely! We love running Teacher CPD workshops in person, but we understand that this may not always be the most practical solution. So, our workshops are designed to be delivered online too, via the platform of your choice.

This allows us to provide you with the same great workshops, in a format that works for your school. And don’t worry: we have not compromised on the interactive and practical aspects of our workshops for online delivery.

Who designs your Teacher CPD workshops?

Our team is comprised of chartered psychologists, ex-teachers, Teaching & Learning research specialists – and more. We have built our expertise and honed our workshops over 15 years of working with schools all over the UK and internationally.

Who are the coaches who deliver your Teacher CPD workshops?

All our Teacher CPD coaches are highly trained and have a psychology background. We want to make the day as stress-free as possible for you. For us, that means showing up early, with all the tools and materials they need, fully prepared for a day of workshops.

What does a day of InnerDrive workshops at my school look like?

In a nutshell: whatever you want it to look like. We are equally as experienced delivering short, whole-school training as we are full days of small-group training with multiple workshops and coaches. We will discuss the ideal workshop day for your school with you early in the booking process.

However, there is one common thread: our coaches always show up early, fully prepared, arms full of handouts and excited to deliver a great Teacher CPD workshop.

What have other schools thought about working with you?

Our clients have consistently rated our workshops an average of 4.8 stars out of 5, and many of the schools we work with book us year after year. You can read our reviews here, and see a list of the schools we have worked with here.

But if you’re after a more detailed answer to this question, here’s a blog post from a teacher who attended one of our Science of Learning Teacher CPD workshops pulling back the curtain…

What sets your Teacher CPD workshops apart?

We are highly specialised in one area: evidence-informed Teaching & Learning training, rooted in research, designed by psychologists and education specialists, and focused on practicality and applicability.

Over our 15+ years of experience, we’ve learned to truly tailor our workshops to fit each school’s unique needs. We’ll go the extra mile to make sure we deliver the ideal training for your school and make the entire experience stress-free for you, from booking to the day of the workshop.

It is this commitment that has earned us consistently high reviews as well as many schools booking with us again and again.

Get in touch

We would love to help you choose the perfect workshop for your school. If you have any questions or just want someone to give you a call back to book, please fill out this form.

One of our team will get back to you as soon as possible.

+44 208 693 3191
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