Across all areas of the National Curriculum at Riverside Primary School, Teachers  set suitable learning challenges, respond to pupils’ diverse learning needs, modify the curriculum to remove any potential barriers to learning and assessment for particular individuals or groups of pupils. Teachers have an excellent knowledge of the needs of all pupils in their classes and are able to plan personalised and adaptive teaching approaches which meet the needs of individual pupils. Inclusion is always at the centre of any teaching approach.

History -  Supporting Pupils with SEND

History lessons involve a lot of abstract thought and pupils consider complex ideas. A lot of reading and writing is often required in history lessons. To include pupils with SEN and/or disabilities teachers consider what makes a topic difficult for groups of and individual pupils. It might be, for example, the level of contextual knowledge, the concepts, or the language used.  Staff help pupils with SEN to overcome any barriers to participating and learning, and make any reasonable adjustments needed to include disabled pupils in all aspects of school life.

To make history lessons inclusive, teachers anticipate what barriers to taking part and learning particular activities, lessons or a series of lessons may pose for pupils with particular SEN and/or disabilities. Planned learning experiences consider ways of minimising or reducing  barriers so that all pupils can fully take part and learn. In some activities, pupils with SEN and/or disabilities take part in the same way as their peers. In others, some modifications or adjustments are made to include everyone. For some activities, a ‘parallel’ activity for pupils with SEN and/or disabilities, so that they can work towards the same lesson objectives as their peers, but in a different way.