When leaders monitor provision for pupils with SEND, they visit classes. They speak to pupils. They listen to parents and they look at data. They also look in books.
It’s quite right that leaders look in books, but what are we looking for? And how might we unintentionally promote the wrong practices for pupils if we get this wrong?
By the book
I suggested in a recent blog that some of the best inclusion may be invisible.
When it comes to book looks, highly visible proxies for success might include:
- A pupil having different work than their peers
- A pupil working to different learning outcomes than their peers
- Evidence of scaffolds that other pupils don’t have access to
- Work being scribed by an adult
While all of these may be useful sometimes, they can all be harmful if used when not needed. Over-reliance on these aspects could mean that no one is asking:
- Could the pupil access the same work if the teacher input looked a bit different?
- Has a ceiling been placed on what is considered possible for this pupil?
- Might this pupil feel stigma at being given written scaffolds that others don’t have access to?
- Does the lesson support this pupil to work with maximum independence?
These are questions that teachers consider all the time. But they become tricky when people know their practice is being scrutinised.
If leaders are looking in books for evidence of ‘progress over time’, and if what they look for is highly visible ‘additional and different’ supports for pupils with SEND, teachers might stop considering the questions above. They might, quite understandably, prioritise evidencing provision over the quality of the provision itself.
Balancing the books
While evidencing progress can be problematic, it’s also key. And so that might mean schools ensuring that every leader has the right proxies of successful practice.
In terms of a book look, the table below suggests what leaders might look for, in 4 areas:
- An appropriately challenging curriculum
- Evidence of effective scaffolding
- Quality of pupil response
- Miscellaneous
Within those areas, some of the things listed below are hard to spot. They’re certainly not as easy to evidence in books as a student having different topics, different outcomes, additional written scaffolds and close adult support.
But they might just be the right proxies. And developing leaders’ ability to use the correct proxies to truly understand provision, including through evidence in pupils’ books, might just be another step along the way to truly inclusive schools.
| Areas of focus | Potential evidence |
| An appropriately challenging curriculum | Topics that align. In the vast majority of cases, pupils with SEND will be learning about the same topic/content as their peers, even if the learning intentions are different. High expectations. It should be clear in books that pupils with SEND are expected to work hard, required to think deeply and supported in a way that maximises their independence. |
| Evidence of effective scaffolding | Scaffolding and resources: Clear, temporary scaffolding (e.g. writing frames, word banks, visual prompts) supporting independence. Accessibility of tasks: Tasks chunked; appropriate writing expectations (e.g. pupils with fine motor difficulties). Use of technology/adaptations: Evidence of recommended accommodations (e.g. laptop, speech-text software) Appropriate task setting: Levels of accurate task completion suggest that the work is the right level of difficult for pupils |
| Quality of pupil response | Effort and presentation: Work shows pride and effort; pupil understands expectations. Progress over time: Evidence of securing and retaining knowledge/skills over time, taking on previous feedback and experiencing meaningful curriculum success. Engagement: Notes/responses suggest active involvement (e.g., annotations, corrected errors, questions). |
| Miscellaneous |
Gary Aubin is Director of SEND for Whole Education. He is the author of The Lone SENDCO, The Parent’s Guide to SEND and The SENCO as Leader.
