New SEND Teacher Training: Practical Classroom Tips for Monday

How do you support SEND pupils in a mainstream classroom when you have thirty other children to teach and very little time?

You do not need to read hundreds of pages of policy to find the answer. The key is using small, high-impact changes to your daily teaching habits. These changes help pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) without creating extra workload for you.

Recently, the Department for Education launched a major update to help teachers with this exact challenge. In this guide, we break down these new resources into three practical strategies you can use in your classroom on Monday morning.

The massive overhaul of SEND training: What is changing?

On 25 September 2026, the government announced the Biggest ever overhaul of SEND teacher training begins. This initiative represents a major step toward supporting every teacher to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND.

As part of this, the government published new Guidance: SEND training for schools: supporting every child to achieve and thrive. These first-of-their-kind training materials are designed for both teachers and teaching assistants. They focus on practical, evidence-based techniques to improve learning outcomes for all pupils.

Instead of treating SEND support as an extra task, this new approach embeds inclusive teaching directly into everyday classroom practice.

3 inclusive teaching strategies you can use on Monday

You do not need to wait for a school-wide training day to start using these principles. Here are three simple adjustments you can make in your classroom tomorrow.

1. Scaffold your instructions, do not just scaffold the task

When pupils struggle to start a task, it is often because they have forgotten the instructions. Working memory can easily become overloaded in a busy classroom.

• Write a simple checklist on the board. Break the task down into three short steps. Keep them visible throughout the lesson.
• Use visual icons alongside your words. A simple drawing of a pencil next to "Write" or a book next to "Read" helps pupils process the instruction quickly.
• Ask a pupil to repeat the first step back to you. This checks their understanding before they begin working.

2. Introduce "low-stakes" retrieval practice

Pupils with learning differences like dyslexia often need more opportunities to retrieve knowledge from their long-term memory.

• Start the lesson with a quick, two-question quiz. Keep it ungraded and low-stakes so there is no anxiety around it.
• Use mini-whiteboards for quick answers. This allows you to scan the room instantly and see who needs extra support, without anyone feeling singled out.
• Give extra processing time. After asking a question, wait at least ten seconds before calling on anyone to answer.

3. Provide dual-coding support

Dual coding means presenting information using both words and pictures. This gives pupils two different pathways to understand and remember the content.

• Use diagrams, mind maps, or timelines. Do not rely solely on long blocks of text on your slides.
• Keep slides clean and simple. Avoid busy backgrounds, decorative fonts, or unnecessary animations that can distract struggling readers.

Moving beyond 'one size fits all' worksheets

Supporting SEND pupils does not mean creating different worksheets for every child in your room. That approach is exhausting for you and can make pupils feel isolated from their peers.

Instead, focus on flexible ways for pupils to show what they know. If a pupil struggles with writing, could they use a speech-to-text tool? Could they draw a diagram or label a picture instead of writing a full paragraph?

When we make our classrooms more flexible, we also build a stronger sense of belonging. When pupils feel they belong, their attendance and engagement naturally improve. If you want to explore this link further, read our article on School Absence and Reading Difficulties: The Hidden Link.

Where to find the official, free training resources

If you want to look at the official materials yourself, they are completely free and open to all schools. You can find the full suite of training modules on the GOV.UK website under Guidance: SEND training for schools: supporting every child to achieve and thrive.

These resources are excellent for staff meetings, personal professional development, or for SENCOs looking to support their teaching assistants.

For daily reading practice, technology can also offer valuable support. Our app, Lexy, is a multisensory structured literacy tool designed to help pupils practice phonics and build reading fluency. It is not a replacement for specialist teaching, but it is an easy way to provide targeted practice in the classroom. You can learn more about how it fits into your school day on our Lexy for Schools page.