High-quality adaptive teaching is our most powerful tool for securing pupil progress. However, some children and young people will require additional, targeted support to thrive. Carefully selected interventions, designed to complement, not replace, high-quality teaching can play a vital role in a school’s provision for pupils with SEND. These may focus on teaching specific skills, building emotional resilience, or addressing barriers to learning.
Supporting children and young people with SEND effectively requires a balanced approach that integrates:
- Evidence-Based Practice (EBP): Interventions and strategies grounded in rigorous research and proven impact.
- Practice-Based Evidence (PBE): Insights and adaptations developed through practitioner experience and contextual understanding. In effective practice, educators may develop or adapt strategies as a result of observation, ongoing monitoring, and reflective practice, tailoring their approaches to what works best for individual pupils in specific contexts. This approach is particularly important when working with children and young people whose needs do not align neatly with established interventions, and who may require more bespoke or flexible support.
By combining these two strands, educators can ensure that their support is both informed and adaptable, rooted in what works, and refined through reflective practice.
In each section of the guidance, we highlight carefully selected examples of evidence-based and evidence-informed interventions that have demonstrated impact in improving outcomes across areas of need. These are drawn from robust research and practitioner expertise, and the accompanying database signposts key messages distilled from current research (for example, insights into effective strategies for literacy, communication, and emotional regulation).
Ultimately, the key to supporting children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) lies in the thoughtful monitoring, tailoring, and ongoing evaluation of interventions. Whether drawn from academic research or practitioner knowledge, interventions must remain responsive, effective, and aligned with the unique needs of each child. This dynamic approach ensures that support evolves as pupils’ needs change, and that provision remains both inclusive and impactful.