October is here, which means our Focus of the Month turns once again to SEND in mainstream education.
We explored this topic across the STEM Community last year and it generated some brilliant conversations, ideas and examples from members. So this October, we want to build on that rather than simply start again.
Over the next few weeks, we'll be looking at what inclusive STEM education really means in practice. How do we make sure pupils with SEND can participate fully in science practicals? How do we adapt without lowering expectations? What barriers might exist in our classrooms, labs and workshops that we have simply become used to? And, importantly, what can we learn from each other?
Why now?
There is a lot happening around SEND and inclusion. The Government has announced a major programme of SEND professional development for teachers and education staff, backed by £200 million of investment. The ambition is to strengthen knowledge and confidence across the workforce and make inclusive practice part of everyday teaching. That is a welcome focus, but there is an important STEM question sitting within it. Supporting a learner with SEND in a practical science lesson, D&T workshop or other practical STEM environment can bring different considerations to supporting the same learner in a more traditional classroom setting.
Think about the environment of a busy science practical. Pupils might need to move between workstations, handle specialist equipment, follow several instructions at once and work alongside others. There might be noise, bright light, smells, heat or unfamiliar materials. For some learners, any one of those things could become a barrier to taking part. That is why STEM Learning, alongside CLEAPSS, the Association for Science Education, the Design & Technology Association and the National Society for Education in Art and Design, has argued that subject-specific support needs to form part of the developing national approach to SEND training.
Inclusive teaching matters across the curriculum, but what inclusion looks like can change depending on what we are asking pupils to do.
Inclusion does not mean lowering expectations
This is something we want to explore throughout October. Inclusive STEM should not mean deciding that a pupil cannot take part in an activity because of their additional needs. Instead, we should be asking what the barrier is and what we can reasonably change to remove it.
That could mean thinking differently about equipment, instructions or positioning within a room. It might mean considering sensory demands before a practical begins, breaking a complex activity into manageable stages or giving pupils different ways to demonstrate their understanding. Often, relatively small changes can make a significant difference. And good inclusive teaching frequently benefits far more pupils than the individual learner an adjustment was originally designed to support.
Building on last year's conversation
Last October, members shared some fantastic examples of how they were supporting learners with SEND in STEM. We talked about adaptive teaching, practical work and creating environments where pupils feel confident participating. We also explored some of the wider issues surrounding inclusion. (See the Autumn Bulletin for last year's blogs) One of those was the idea of double disadvantage, looking at what happens when SEND and socioeconomic disadvantage overlap. It raised important questions about access, opportunity and whether some young people face multiple barriers to seeing STEM as something that belongs to them.
We'll be returning to that conversation later this month. We'll also be taking a closer look at practical STEM. What does reasonable adjustment look like in a laboratory or workshop? How do we balance accessibility and safety? And what support do teachers and technicians need to make those decisions confidently?
Over to you
As always, Focus of the Month works best when the Community gets involved.
So we're starting October with a few questions:
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What works particularly well for learners with SEND in your STEM classroom?
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Are there adaptations you now use with everyone because they worked so well?
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What are the biggest barriers to making practical STEM genuinely inclusive?
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Where do you feel you need more support or subject-specific guidance?
If you contributed to our discussion last year, we'd also love to know whether anything has changed in your practice since then. Throughout October we'll be bringing together resources, research, practical ideas and expertise from across STEM Learning and the wider sector. But we'd also like to hear what is happening in your classrooms.
Join the conversation and let's spend October building a bank of ideas that helps more young people access, participate in and enjoy STEM: https://community.stem.org.uk/discussion/send-in-mainstream-stem-what-works-in-your-setting