Adaptive Teaching in Secondary Schools

Lynn How is an educational consultant supporting all things SEND (but especially SENCos) with 20 years of primary teaching and SLT experience. She has been an Assistant Head, Lead Mentor for ITT and SENCo.  She loves to write and has published a number of books, including Starting Out as a Primary SENCo: Finding Your First Post, the First Year and Beyond (Bloomsbury).Her particular areas of interest are wellbeing (staff and pupil), SEND, SLCN, children’s mental health, leadership, mentoring and coaching. Recently she started an educational consultancy business for SEND and teacher Wellbeing.

• How To: Adaptive Teaching in the Secondary School1.Introduction – Why Adaptive Teaching Matters in Secondary Education• Define adaptive teaching within the context of subject-specialist teaching and exam-driven curricula and importance of whole school approach. • Clarify how adaptive teaching differs from traditional differentiation and why it is more sustainable and effective in secondary settings.• Explain how adaptive teaching supports diverse learner profiles, increases engagement, and reduces behaviour challenges.• Highlight its role in responsive instruction, curriculum access and teacher workload.• Include an example illustrating a subject teacher adapting a complex topic for a mixed-attainment class.2.Understanding Learner Variability• Outline common differences in cognition, communication, executive functioning, literacy and emotional regulation in KS3–KS5.• Introduce neurodiverse profiles such as ASD, ADHD, dyslexia, DLD and SEMH, with typical secondary-phase presentations.• Explain how adolescence, hormones, peer dynamics and independence influence learning.• Identify early signs that pupils may require adaptive teaching, even if they mask effectively.• Reflection prompt: Which students in my classes consistently struggle to access content, and why might this be happening?3.Foundations of Adaptive Practice• Describe key principles: explicit instruction, scaffolded modelling, structured independence and responsive feedback.• Explain how ongoing formative assessment (with emphasis on accurate access arrangements) informs real-time adaptation during lessons.• Provide examples of adaptive approaches in specific subjects (e.g., maths worked examples, science pre-teaching vocabulary, history writing frames).• Include “try this tomorrow” strategies such as retrieval starters, guided note-taking and visual cue systems.4.Planning and Environment• Outline how to design lessons that stretch all learners without creating multiple versions of tasks.• Explore adjustments to cognitive load: pacing, chunking, sequencing, dual coding and clarity of success criteria.• Explain flexible grouping and targeted support that avoids labelling or fixed ability pathways.• Discuss environmental adaptations around seating, distraction reduction, sensory needs and organisation systems.• Reflection prompt: How effectively does my classroom layout and lesson structure support regulation, focus and independence?5.Working with Support Staff and Families• Clarify roles between teachers, LSAs and specialists during lessons and interventions.• Emphasise the importance of shared language, pre-briefing and debriefing with support staff.• Explore how to communicate realistic, useful information to families without jargon.• Provide examples of how consistent strategies across school and home improved outcomes for a pupil.6.When Adaptive Isn’t Enough• Explain when classroom adaptations need to be supplemented with targeted or specialist support.• Describe how to implement the Graduated Approach (Assess–Plan–Do–Review) within secondary timetabling constraints (tier 1,2,3 of ordinarily available).• Identify what evidence subject teachers should gather before referral or targeted intervention.• Explore balancing whole-class inclusion with subject-specific intervention pathways.• Include a short case study showing a subject area adapting its approach alongside specialist support.7.Reflection and Action Planning• Summarise the core ideas from the guide.• Provide reflection questions such as: What adaptive strategies work best in my subject? Where am I still relying on traditional differentiation? How can I collaborate with colleagues to improve consistency?• Offer an action-planning structure for teachers to identify three changes to trial in their lessons this term.• Reference a downloadable action plan template to support implementation.8.Key Takeaways• Provide 6–8 concise bullet points summarising the most practical, actionable strategies for easy reference and CPD use.