When I work with schools around the country (which I am looking forward to doing more in person this year), it’s always inspiring to ask new teachers what strategies they use in the classroom to support the children experiencing learning difficulties. The range of approaches and enthusiasm in response is a delight.

But it is also very clear that there is a long way to go. We need far more specific research into “what works” to help these teachers build up their knowledge and bridge the gap between the theory and practice for inclusion. It needs to be so much more explicitly explored in their initial teacher training (ITT) experience.

But for that to happen, there is a need for a systemic approach to evaluate the quality of inclusive practice, and to identify the knowledge that must be prioritised as part of ITT, the Early Career Framework and National Professional Qualifications.

The latest edition of David Mitchell’s book, What Really Works in Special and Inclusive Education (2020), is an excellent start. Mitchell’s ambition is to equip teachers with strategies that have proven effective in research, compiling evidence (from education, psychology, health and technology) for 29 teaching strategies. Each is explored in detail.

The importance of research in supporting inclusion for SEND pupils

While evidence-based and knowledge-rich approaches to teaching are much heralded, we don’t often hear of their efficacy for pupils with special educational needs and disability (SEND). Mitchell’s work helps us “tune into” ways that robust research can enhance our teaching for these learners and provides an important guide to professional development priorities for 2021-22.

Teachers returning to the classroom this autumn will need resources that can inform their practice and build their capacity for inclusive teaching. I particularly like that Mitchell advocates for teachers to be critical consumers of the research and also “producers” collaborating with professional researchers to advance the evidence base for good teaching.

Inclusion is genuinely hard to achieve; it must be seen as a continuing professional journey that needs to be managed and supported. When we hear the phrase “we are an inclusive school”, we also recognise that, without the tools and nuanced application in the classroom itself, this can sometimes feel quite a throwaway statement.

Indeed, such claims may well be challenged by the new Ofsted framework that now looks at meeting the needs of children with special needs as an integral part of inspections.

Inclusive education involves more than just placing children with SEND in regular classes and hoping for the best. It means that schools have to build in the process to regularly re-examine what they teach, how they teach and how they assess learner’s performances. Mitchell’s research will help.

Margaret Mulholland is the special educational needs and inclusion specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders

This article originally appeared in the 17 September 2021 issue under the headline “Schools need a systemic approach to inclusive teaching”