What we learnt at HEP’s Inclusion & SEND Conference 2025

SEND and Inclusion is undeniably one of the greatest issues facing the education sector in England. Nationally we are seeing increasing numbers of pupils identified with SEND, alongside growing numbers of pupils with EHCPs, and higher numbers of referrals for mental health support for pupils.

On Thursday 16 January, HEP hosted the annual Inclusion and SEND Conference at Regent Hall, which aimed to tackle some of the issues faced by schools and teachers head-on.

180 delegates from Haringey to South Shields attended. Speakers included David Bartram OBE, Marcia Brissett-Bailey, Gary Aubin, Matt Stone, Lisa McIntyre, John Tomsett and Gerry Robinson.

Rather than waiting for a silver bullet, or for the Department for Education to come up with a plan, the best option for schools is to focus on delivering high-quality teaching. With increasing number of pupils with SEND, delivering high quality teaching for children with SEND in the mainstream will improve the education of all pupils. (Check out the EEF’s Five a Day Principle: high quality teaching benefits pupils with SEND).

Schools need to focus on staff development, knowledge and training with SEND provision at the heart of curriculum experience, supporting all pupil outcomes.

Labelling students as low ability is demeaning and inaccurate, losing the specific in a general label. This needs to stop. And although labels of ‘ADHD’ and ‘Dyslexia’ can be helpful, they should not limit how you teach. We were encouraged by all speakers to challenge ourselves in the way we think. Rather than planning different lessons for pupils with ADHD, think about how we can plan our lessons for pupils who struggle to pay attention in class. This can help improve the learning experience for all across the board, not just for those with specific diagnosed needs.

So often as experts in the field, we can use specialist language when talking to colleagues about SEND. This can be alienating and counterproductive. The workload of a SENDCo is already huge (see an excellent representation used by David Bartram above). SEND support cannot be the sole responsibility of the SENDCo, this would be unfair and unmanageable. To secure excellent SEND outcomes, everyone in school needs to play a role.

SENDCos can and should play a key role in developing teacher practice. They can focus on building knowledge (while managing cognitive load), motivating the team (by presenting information from credible sources), developing teaching techniques (through modelling), and focusing on embedding practice (through providing prompts and cues, as well as encouraging monitoring). SENDCos are brokers of best practice examples, training and resources.

Relationships are the biggest tool we have at our disposal to influence and secure excellent provision and outcomes for our SEND pupils. Creating safe and supporting environments in which pupils and staff feel able to talk about, and share, their experiences is empowering for both teachers and pupils.

David Bartram shared a powerful quote from Chloe in Year 9 that showcased the impact of strong relationships:
“Some of our teachers have SEND as well, such as ADHD like my science teacher. We have conversations about that; the two of us, about the things we find difficult. It’s like we are a family – so we are open about things and it is ok to be different and diverse.”

Pupils and families are so frequently told that they are not meeting expected standards, and for some, this will be the case throughout their full school career. Birmingham’s SEN Toolkits are a resource that empowers teachers to: identify specific skills and gaps, set personalised targets for pupils, plan effectively, support the closing of learning gaps, track small step progress and celebrate success. Measuring progress and showing development is hugely empowering for pupils too. Find out more about the Birmingham SEN Toolkit here.

There are no silver bullets to solve the crisis in SEND provision. High-quality teaching and collective responsibility are key to achieving excellent outcomes for pupils with SEND in schools.

Research from the Education Policy Institute found that which primary school a child attends makes more difference to their chances of being identified with SEND than anything about them as an individual, their experiences or what local authority they live in. Gerry Robinson ended the conference by encouraging teachers and leaders to ‘be curious’. Be curious about your pupils and their experiences, rather than dismissing their needs as behaviour issues. With this approach, we can improve pupils’ outcomes across the board.

Maya is the Lead for Digital and Communications at HEP.