SEND Five-a-day

“To date, technology has been most effective when it is used to supplement or enhance teaching, rather than to replace it” Technology can be a powerful tool when it comes to creating inclusive classrooms. Students with SEND often have the capability to master high - level subject content, however, we know that, often, barriers to learning can prevent access to the curriculum. The small changes we can make through using technology in lessons can help to remove these barriers, resulting in better engagement and motivation; use of technology can also support pupils with the processing, embedding, consolidating, recording and application of knowledge. This can enable students with SEND to access and excel with your curriculum.

Sir Kevan Collins, Chief Executive, EEF states that: ‘The question is no longer whether technology should have a place in the classroom, but how technology can most effectively be integrated.’ To echo Sir Kevan's sentiment, the primary focus for teachers should not be solely on providing every student with a laptop, but rather on effectively utilising digital technology to enhance the learning experience and improve access to the curriculum. Using technology is one of the strands of the Education Endowment Foundation recommended SEND five - a - day approach which states: “The evidence review for this guidance report found evidence that, for pupils with SEND, technology can be a useful tool for supporting teaching. Successful approaches could include using: • instructional apps — apps that provide instruction, modelling, or practice opportunities for a wide range of skills; • non - instructional apps — apps that provide tools to aid learning, such as note taking apps; and • speech - generating apps to augment the communication skills of pupils with communication difficulties.”