Research School Network: Seeing the school day: how visuals support inclusion How visual supports can strengthen inclusion, communication and independence for pupils across a primary school.
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Seeing the school day: how visuals support inclusion
How visual supports can strengthen inclusion, communication and independence for pupils across a primary school.
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by Bradford Research School
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Laura Reynolds
Assistant Headteacher and SENDCo at Crossflatts Primary School
Laura leads a key stage, oversees safeguarding as a Designated Safeguarding Lead, and supports inclusive practice as the school’s SENDCO. She has worked across primary education for 20 years — 16 of those within the same community — and brings experience in leadership, SEND, professional development, research engagement, and supporting disadvantaged pupils.
Her work focuses on evidence-informed practice, implementation, and improving outcomes for disadvantaged children, with particular interest in inclusion, wellbeing, and whole-child development. She is committed to ensuring every child feels safe, valued, and supported to thrive, while empowering staff to build meaningful relationships grounded in empathy, communication, and care.
For over 13 years, our resourced provision for children with autism – currently supporting 23 pupils – has shaped practice across our two-form entry primary school. One of the clearest examples of this influence is our consistent use of visuals. Over time, this approach has become part of everyday practice across the school.
What began as a targeted strategy has become a shared language. All classrooms use visual timetables; adults wear visual prompts on lanyards, adapted by 1:1 support staff to meet specific needs; and before trips or changes to routine, we send home visual social stories. Around 9 in 10 of our Education, Health and Care Plans reference the use of visual supports.
Every classroom in our school uses these throughout the day. As each lesson or time period is complete, the visual is removed.
Our use of visuals has developed alongside research that reinforces their value. Visual schedules are recognised as an evidence-based practice for autistic pupils and can support the development of a range of skills across different settings (Knight et al., 2015). More recent work highlights their potential to increase participation and independence by helping pupils understand and follow sequences of activities and tasks (Liang, 2025).
The benefits may extend beyond pupils with identified additional needs. Research exploring pupil perspectives in mainstream primary classrooms indicates that children, regardless of need, can find visual timetables and supports helpful in understanding routines and expectations (Rutherford et al., 2020). This reinforces a principle that underpins our work: strategies designed to support our most vulnerable learners can often enhance learning for everyone.
What it looks like in practice
One example of this can be seen in the visual prompt cards carried by all staff members on their lanyards. These provide simple, consistent symbols and reminders that can be quickly referenced during moments of uncertainty, distress or transition.
Staff report that the prompts help them pause and simplify their language, focusing on key information rather than lengthy explanations. For some pupils, particularly when they are anxious or overwhelmed, this creates calmer interactions and allows them to process what is being communicated more successfully.
Similarly, before educational visits or significant changes to routine, we create visual social stories that are shared both in school and with families at home. These combine photographs, symbols and concise text to help pupils understand what will happen, who they will meet and what is expected of them. Families regularly tell us that these resources reduce anxiety and make transitions feel more predictable, helping children arrive at new experiences with greater confidence.
This social story supported our children with a Christmas event at our school – understandably, big festivals, trips and celebrations can be a challenge for some of our children. We find that using social stories really supports them to manage changes to their usual routines.
Supporting staff as well as pupils
Staff feedback suggests that visual supports also influence how adults communicate. When children are struggling to process their environment or are experiencing distress, our natural instinct is often to increase verbal reassurance and explanation in an attempt to help. Visual supports act as an important reminder to simplify communication, reduce unnecessary language and respond in ways that are more accessible and effective for the child.
This has encouraged valuable professional reflection across the school. Rather than relying solely on spoken instructions, staff increasingly consider which information genuinely needs to be communicated and how best to present it. In this way, visuals support adults as much as they support pupils.
For some children, even a whole-class visual timetable can be overwhelming. In these cases, personalised Now and Next folders provide a more accessible approach by breaking the day down into smaller, more manageable steps. Some children also use these at home as part of their morning routine, helping them prepare for the day ahead. This consistency between home and school is invaluable, enabling families and staff to work together to reduce anxiety and support successful transitions.
Learning through a cognitive science lens
The EEF’s review of cognitive science offers further insight into the value of visuals. The review highlights the importance of managing cognitive load, recognising that working memory is limited and easily overwhelmed.
In practice, a visual timetable does more than outline the day – it reduces the cognitive burden of remembering and interpreting what comes next. For one pupil, this may mean independently transitioning between lessons by checking the timetable rather than relying on adult reminders. For another, a symbol-supported instruction may provide immediate clarity when a verbal explanation alone feels overwhelming. Social stories combine visual and verbal information to prepare pupils for new experiences and reduce uncertainty.
Reflecting and refining
Our use of visuals continues to evolve as we reflect on what is effective, for whom, and in which contexts. Not all visuals are equally useful; clarity, relevance and individualisation matter. At times we adapt, refine or even remove what is not working.
This ongoing reflection is visible in the way 1:1 staff adapt visuals for individual pupils, in how classes actively use rather than simply display their timetables, and in the way we prepare pupils for change through carefully constructed social stories. It is also evident in our willingness to ask challenging questions of ourselves: are our visuals always purposeful? Are pupils actively engaged in their use? Are we balancing clarity with simplicity?
What we are most proud of is not just the presence of visuals in our school, but what they represent. They reflect a culture where specialist expertise informs universal provision, where strategies are shared rather than siloed, and where inclusion is enacted through everyday practice. Over time, the influence of our resourced provision has extended far beyond its physical space, shaping a whole-school approach rooted in the needs of our pupils.
Knight, V., Sartini, E. and Spriggs, A.D. (2015) ‘Evaluating visual activity schedules as evidence-based practice for individuals with autism spectrum disorders’, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(1), pp. 157 – 178.
Liang, Z. (2025) ‘CHECK visual schedules to support individuals on the autism spectrum’, Intervention in School and Clinic, 60(4), pp. 228 – 235.
Rutherford, M., Lahood-Kullberg, B., Baxter, J., Johnston, L. and Cebula, K. (2020) ‘Pupils’ views on visual timetables and labels in mainstream primary classrooms’, Good Autism Practice, 21(2), pp. 11 – 22.
