Research School Network: Beyond the ‘Easier Worksheet’ Unlocking Inclusion Through Universal Approaches
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Beyond the ‘Easier Worksheet’
Unlocking Inclusion Through Universal Approaches
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by Staffordshire Research School
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John Marsh
Deputy Headteacher, Southfield Community Primary School
John is the Deputy Headteacher at Southfields Community Primary School, a Voice 21 Centre of Excellence in oracy. He leads on Teaching & Learning and Curriculum, bringing a strong interest in cognitive science and the practical application of research to improve teaching and learning. With over a decade of teaching and leadership experience across a range of settings in Coventry and Warwickshire, John brings valuable practical insight into how evidence-informed approaches can make a difference in the classroom.
In schools serving diverse communities like ours at Southfields, where language acquisition and socio-economic barriers intersect, creating a genuinely inclusive environment is a daily priority. Yet, inclusion in mainstream classrooms is often mistakenly reduced to creating an ‘easier worksheet’ or simplifying learning expectations for pupils who find learning hard.
True inclusion is not about lowering expectations; it is about delivering robust daily teaching that enables every pupil to access ambitious learning. In the Education Endowment Foundation’s (EEF) Guide to Inclusive Teaching, it explicitly states: ‘ if teachers are unable to manage classroom adaptations without compromising the quality of universal provision, overall learning might fall.’
Five Universal Pillars of Inclusion
Research shows that effective teaching for pupils with additional needs shares the same core elements as effective teaching for all learners.
Building on this, the EEF identifies five key universal approaches:
Explicit Instruction: Breaking complex concepts into small, manageable steps, using clear examples, and checking regularly for understanding. This approach is strongly supported by cognitive research into instructional design (Rosenshine, 2012).
Feedback: Providing specific, clear, and actionable feedback tailored to learning goals, allowing pupils opportunities to respond and improve. Formative feedback remains one of the most powerful levers for pupil progress (Teacher Feedback to Improve Pupil Learning, EEF).
Scaffolding: Utilising temporary visual, verbal or written support paired with metacognitive prompts, which are systematically faded to foster pupil independence over time.
Positive Relationships: Setting high expectations, knowing pupils’ contexts and ensuring every child has a supportive staff connection.
Calm Classroom Environments: Establishing predictable routines, clear expectations and consistent responses to behaviour that foster emotional safety and focus.
Mastering these five fundamentals across a whole school reduces the need for reactive interventions and creates an environment where all pupils can thrive.
Call to Action…
Inclusive teaching starts by implementing these core practices consistently well. To evaluate and refine your whole-school or classroom universal provision, engage with the EEF’s scenario-based training resources:
As a profession, there seems to have been a collective search for inclusive practice which calls for additional adaptations. This guidance invites us to look at the challenge from a different perspective – that of ensuring our universal offer and expectation is strong initially rather than looking for additionality.
Take this question to your next team meeting: “Which of these five universal pillars, if strengthened across our classrooms, would make the greatest impact on our most vulnerable learners this term?”
