Inclusion of SEND students
in STEM subjects
Headline figures from
the 2022/2023 academic
year show that over 1.5
million pupils in England
have special educational
needs (SEN). Pupils with
special educational needs
and disabilities (SEND) have
varying challenges when
accessing learning, often
forming specific barriers
to science, technology,
engineering and maths
(STEM). Therefore, it’s
important that we take an
inclusive approach to STEM
subjects at every level.
It’s important that this inclusive
approach begins from the
earliest point. As facilitators
of learning, we must ensure
that STEM is made accessible
and enjoyable, from the
early years onwards. The
Education Endowment
Foundation in 2020 released
a guidance report which
included five evidence-based recommendations
to support pupils with
SEND in mainstream
schools.
Below are these
five recommendations and
how they can be applied to
practical STEM subjects at all
stages of learning.
1. Create a positive and
supportive environment
for all pupils without
Inclusion of SEND students
in STEM subjects
exception.
All students,
including those with SEND,
need to feel safe within the
practical environments where
STEM learning is often carried
out. To feel able to investigate,
they need to feel supported,
allowing them to learn from
mistakes, which is key to
understanding of the world
around them.
2. Build an ongoing, holistic
understanding of your
pupils and their needs.
This
is invaluable to carrying out
practical work safely. This can
range from understanding
that children with autism will
need extra support during
practical activities that may
result in sensory overload, to
students with speech and
language disorders needing
scaffolded talk opportunities
when discussing and
articulating their findings.
3. Ensure all pupils have
access to high quality
teaching.
As we know,
there is no single teaching
strategy that will work for
every student. This point in
relation to STEM is about
knowing the subject you’re
teaching, helping to engage
SEN students, and combining
this with my previous two
recommendations.
4. Complement high quality
teaching with carefully
selected small-group and
one-to-one interventions.
Although this is not always
possible, being able to carry
out one-to-one interventions
with SEN students can go
a long way in building that
supportive and positive
environment, where they
feel safe to freely investigate
and learn. Selected small
groups are also invaluable
to practical learning, where
SEND students can be placed
with responsible individuals
who will support them on their
learning journey.
5. Work effectively with
teaching assistants (TAs).
Again, this will depend on
the availability of teaching
assistants within your setting.
However, TAs are invaluable
to practical learning when
deployed effectively. They
have the benefits of already
having the positive relationship
with SEND students and can
also support with the safe
running of investigations, inside
and outside the classroom.
When working with TAs, it’s
important to ensure they are
well prepared. No matter how
challenging the practical is, it’s
always good practice to work
with them before a practical
session, so they’re clear on
how it runs and how to work
together to support the specific
needs within the classroom.
This article was first published in the summer issue of CACHE Alumni's quarterly member magazine, Aluminate. CACHE Alumni members get access to a range of benefits which include Aluminate, video resources, e-learning, events and lifestyle discounts through our member benefits scheme, CACHE-Back. Membership starts at zero cost, with fully funded memberships available because of our relationship with NCFE. Sign up today to get immediate access to our full range of benefits and resources.