Improving the teaching of pupils with special educational needs

Successive research studies carried out by Professor Brahm Norwich at the University of Exeter have addressed the development of policy for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN), shaped professional understanding of how best to teach pupils with SEN, and generated a resource to support teacher-educators and teacher trainees in meeting the needs of pupils with SEN.

The research has driven a fundamental re-appraisal of how children with SEN should be taught, showing that many children with SEN do not require specialist teaching, but rather an intensification of the same general teaching methods used for non-SEN pupils.

The research has resulted in the creation of a practical training tool for SEN teaching and a teacher-training tool designed on this basis has been disseminated nationally to teacher training providers.

Testimonials indicate that the tool has contributed directly to improving the quality of teaching for pupils with SEN.