Research School Network: Adaptive Teaching: Reasonable Adjustments Adaptive Teaching and Reasonable Adjustments: Practical Strategies for Inclusive Classrooms
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Adaptive Teaching: Reasonable Adjustments
Adaptive Teaching and Reasonable Adjustments: Practical Strategies for Inclusive Classrooms
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by Staffordshire Research School
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Amy Stafford
Founder, Inspire Inclusion
Amy Stafford is a SEND and Inclusion Consultant and founder of Inspire Inclusion. With over ten years’ experience in SEND across Early Years and primary settings, she supports schools and trusts to develop effective, inclusive and sustainable SEND practice.
Teachers and leaders often say, “We already do adaptive teaching,” and in many ways they’re right — classrooms are full of responsive decisions, subtle adjustments and flexible support. But the term is often blurred with reasonable adjustments, meaning conversations jump straight to individual provision rather than strengthening what happens for the whole class. In busy classrooms with pupils starting from different points and bringing a wide range of needs, it’s understandable that adaptive teaching feels like something reserved for a few. In reality, it’s an inclusive, evidence‑informed approach designed for all pupils.
The EEF’s Guide to Inclusive Teaching (2026) is clear: high‑quality everyday classroom practice is the foundation of inclusion. Universal approaches — explicit instruction, modelling, scaffolding, and well‑structured routines — benefit all pupils and are particularly powerful for those with additional needs. The SEND Guidance Report reinforces this, stating that “pupils with SEND have the greatest need for excellent teaching.” When universal provision is strong, schools rely less on high‑cost, high‑time targeted intervention. Additional support still matters, but it is used only when genuinely needed, not as a default response.
In short, inclusive teaching begins with what happens for everyone. Strengthening universal provision helps more pupils succeed in the classroom and ensures that targeted support is focused where it will have the greatest impact.
Classroom Strategies
These practical, high‑impact strategies strengthen universal provision and exemplify adaptive teaching — not individualised reasonable adjustments. Each aligns with evidence from the EEF SEND Guidance Report and the Teaching & Learning Toolkit.
Teach Vocabulary — Explicit vocabulary instruction is strongly supported in the SEND report and helps reduce cognitive load for pupils with language or memory needs.
Use Visuals — Tools like now and next boards, task steps, and checklists reduce uncertainty. Visual supports are recommended in the SEND report as part of effective scaffolding.
Reduce Load — Cutting excessive copying, simplifying instructions, and chunking tasks aligns with cognitive strategies shown to improve working memory demands.
Dual Coding — Combining verbal explanations with diagrams or models reflects evidence from the Toolkit on metacognitive and cognitive strategies.
Provide Scaffolds — Structure strips, sentence starters, and graphic organisers support idea generation. The SEND report emphasises scaffolding as a temporary support that should be gradually removed.
Model Thinking — Modelling aloud is a core element of explicit instruction, identified in both the SEND report and the Toolkit as a high‑impact approach.
These strategies come to life when we see them applied across a whole school.
Classroom Example
At a school I previously worked with, pupils often struggled to regulate their emotions after lunch, leading to repeated requests for adult support. Rather than increasing targeted intervention, the school strengthened universal provision by introducing a whole‑school “Get Back to Green” routine — a simple visual toolkit used by every pupil, every day.
Each pupil had the regulation card on their desk, with strategies such as “123 count to 10,” “take deep breaths,” “use fidgets,” “think of a calm place,” and “hand breathing.” Adults modelled each strategy explicitly and rehearsed them with pupils. Over time, pupils began choosing strategies independently, using the visuals as prompts rather than relying on adults.
The moment of change: Within weeks, transitions back into learning were smoother, incidents of dysregulation reduced, and pupils were more confident in managing their emotions. This routine worked because it strengthened universal provision rather than adding more targeted intervention — a core principle of adaptive teaching.
Why Teachers Love It
Strengthens Provision: Simple tweaks — modelling aloud, breaking instructions into steps, revisiting vocabulary — improve clarity for everyone.
Same Learning Goal: Visual supports, worked examples, and scaffolded frames maintain high expectations and reduce the need for individualised tasks.
Builds Independence:Tools like now and next boards, structure strips, and the “Get Back to Green” routine help pupils regulate, organise, and manage learning themselves.
Reflection
Adaptive teaching isn’t an add‑on — it’s the foundation of strong universal provision. Small, evidence‑informed adjustments can transform access to learning for all pupils and reduce the need for unnecessary targeted support. Perhaps the most powerful step teachers can take this week is to choose one strategy, model it explicitly, and embed it consistently.
