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.


