A report by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) finds that support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) who do not attend school full-time is too inconsistent.

A report by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) finds that support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) who do not attend school full-time is too inconsistent. Ofsted.

Pupils enjoying playing with sand At a glance The school expanded specialist places for pupils with speech and language needs using local authority capital funding Academic performance remained strong Success came through purpose-built facilities, experienced staff, and strategic planning that prioritised pupil needs At Waterville Primary School, our motto ‘Being the best you can be’ applies to everyone. Our school serves a diverse community where over 63% of our pupils receive free school meals, and we see every opportunity to support children with special educational needs as part of our mission.  Building SEN speech and language units Our school has operated a successful twelve-place Additional Resource Provision (ARP), specialising in speech, language, and communication for many years. This consistent, highly-trained team provided the foundation for expansion.  Recognising clear progression needs, we proposed twelve additional SEN unit places for pupils with more significant speech, language, and communication needs. Due to our space constraints, our local authority provided capital funding for a purpose-built mobile classroom, featuring a main teaching classroom, break-out space for individual work, toilet and changing facilities, and an enclosed outdoor learning area. The planning phase proved crucial. Working with architects and builders, we prioritised pupil needs above all else. Sensory requirements influenced lighting, heating units, and colour choices, while our resource budget was spent on age-appropriate furniture and materials for 4-9 years olds.  We were fortunate to employ a teacher experienced in establishing SEN units who was re-locating to the North East. Combined with two experienced teaching assistants, our team was taking shape. As headteacher, I resisted interfering during the early stages, trusting appointed staff to build relationships with each other and, most importantly, the children.  Pupils using their numerical skills for an activity Maintaining academic performance with SEN integration Our next challenge involves blending ARP and SEN unit work, enabling pupils to flow between provisions based on need.  As a mainstream school, we are very mindful that pupils with significant needs can sometimes have an impact on performance data. Governors discussed strategies to showcase the school's achievements across our community, ensuring every child's progress is recognised and valued. We’ve implemented measures like limiting both provisions to two pupils per year group, so no one cohort is significantly impacted.   Importantly, with our ARP, pupil outcomes can still be incredibly positive. In my 18 years here as headteacher, our KS2 performance has only ever dropped below national averages twice. Children receiving ARP support have made excellent progress, regularly achieving national expectations.  Overcoming SEN unit implementation challenges Our biggest challenge was finance, though local authority support for both provision and staffing proved invaluable. Performance data concerns were unfounded – creating SEN provision doesn’t necessarily damage performance. Our next steps include inviting local headteachers and SEN coordinators to visit and understand our admissions process, and developing our curriculum offer in this new setting. Our experience demonstrates that with careful planning, appropriate support, and committed staff, mainstream schools can successfully expand SEN provision while maintaining high standards for all pupils. The key lies in viewing challenges as opportunities to truly embody our motto of helping everyone be the best they can be. A pupil learning numerical skills Further links The Schools White Paper will be published in 2026 and will set out the Department for Education's proposed reforms to the SEND system. Read more about today's launch of a national conversation on its future Register your place at SEND regional engagement events happening this month and in January, a partnership between The Council for Disabled Children and the Department for Education Join the Schools Minister, Georgia Gould, and a panel of experts for a series of live online discussions on SEND reform this month and in January The Department for Education has created a toolkit for those who want to organise their own events to speak to young people, families, or education staff – you can find that under 'Related' on the consultation website.

A teacher supporting their students in the classroom At a glance Individual support plans created through engagement with teachers, pupils and wider teams Plans are living documents, regularly reviewed and shared with all classroom staff for consistency Outstanding outcomes achieved: all disadvantaged pupils met expected standards in core subjects Understanding each child as an individual lies at the heart of The Greetland Academy’s pupil premium strategy. This West Yorkshire primary school - part of the Great Heights Academy Trust – has achieved positive outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, well above the national average. Assistant Principal Elkie Bailes shares the strategies that are helping every child thrive. Our school context and pupil premium cohort There are currently 383 children between the ages of 4 and 11 attending The Greetland Academy. Approximately, 13.3% of pupils are eligible for pupil premium funding, considerably below the national average for primary schools. At our school, some pupil premium children face lower attendance and underperform in Maths and English compared to their peers, with gaps widening for those with SEND who make up 41% of this group. Disadvantaged pupils often lack rich experiences outside school, limiting vocabulary and contextual knowledge. Post-pandemic, there was a rise in pupils needing social and emotional support, further impacting learning across the curriculum. While these barriers were common, we know that our disadvantaged pupils are not a homogeneous group. As schools we are rich in data, but we recognised the challenge of joining up this data to develop a full picture of the whole child, their family, and community. Students at the school Our pupil premium strategy: Quality-first teaching and individual profiles At The Greetland Academy, we are united around a belief that all children should reach great heights and fulfil their potential. Evidence shows that high-quality teaching is the biggest lever that we have to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. We have prioritised professional development to ensure all pupils are immersed in a language-rich environment and we offer a range of oral language interventions as part of our targeted academic support to boost reading and attainment.   We have also developed individual one-page plans tailored for each of our vulnerable learners. By engaging with teachers, pupils, and wider teams, we developed bespoke plans highlighting each child’s strengths, needs, current provision, and support strategies. When staff at every level understand the varied needs of disadvantaged pupils and believe in their potential, identification of barriers becomes a tool for empowerment rather than deficit-finding. The plans are shared with all adults working in the classroom, ensuring consistency and enabling staff to provide targeted support that helps every child succeed. These plans are living documents, regularly reviewed and updated by teachers to remain current and effective. Pupil premium impact: 2025 outcomes and pupil voice Early signs of success are evident in the 2025 data. At the end of Key Stage Two, 100% of children eligible for pupil premium funding met the expected standard in Reading, Writing, and Maths, and all Pupil Premium pupils passed the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check. Feedback gathered through pupil voice sessions with school governors revealed that children spoke positively about the opportunities provided by the school and the support they receive in class.   Next steps for sustainability We are now focusing on how we can sustain the approach by normalising use of pupil profiles within existing structures. We are also developing the use of the profiles as a transition tool at entry and exit points. When considering barriers to learning for particular children, we challenge ourselves to think about what we can do differently to help them succeed. These adaptations to our curriculum, our teaching, and wider provision can help all children to achieve their full potential. Find out more Department for Education (DfE) publications   Pupil premium    Pupil premium: allocations and conditions of grant 2025 to 2026    Using Pupil Premium: Guidance for School Leaders    Education Endowment Foundation resources   The EEF Guide to the Pupil Premium     A School’s Guide to Implementation   Teaching and Learning Toolkit     DfE pupil premium webinars   Pupil premium strategy planning webinar: insights from schools (26 September 2024, YouTube video)      Pupil premium expert panel webinar (14 November 2024, YouTube video)      Planning and evaluating your pupil premium strategy insights from schools (8 July 2025, YouTube video)   Selecting effective approaches to maximise the impact of pupil premium (2 October 2025, YouTube video) Pupil premium expert panel webinar (21 October 2025, YouTube video)

Sam Creighton Writing is one of the most magnificent and most challenging skills children attempt at school. It unites imagination, composition, transcription, and motor skills, demanding immense effort from pupils and equally, careful teaching that never compromises on the empowering and enjoyable aspects of writing. What writing for pleasure brings to primary schools At Elmhurst Primary, we have spent years building a curriculum rooted in Writing for Pleasure principles, nurturing young writers through meaningful projects, explicit craft teaching, and authentic publishing opportunities that foster pride and joy in writing. This commitment to recognising children as apprentice writers made the new Writing Framework welcome. Its principles affirm much of the research-informed practice in our classrooms while providing valuable tools for reflection. Benefits of dedicated writing lessons One of its most significant statements is that “writing must be taught separately from reading.” Focused lessons in both subjects have been transformative. In reading lessons, children write about what they’ve read, while in writing lessons we study rich mentor texts. Writing in response to books has value but belongs in the reading curriculum. If children only write in response to texts, they risk being confined to others’ ideas. A genre-based writing approach, with support and freedom to choose own ideas, builds both confidence and competence. How student choice transforms writing quality There is joy when a class produces 30 different explanation text or stories, each applying taught skills but reflecting individual imagination. As one teacher said: “Every piece of writing is as unique as the child who created it. I really get to know each child as a writer and person.” Using framework audits to enhance practice The Framework also provides a lens for reflection. The audits for each section helped us refine our offering, particularly around handwriting and spelling. Daily handwriting now continues through to Year 6, and spelling is taught in short, frequent bursts. Spelling in context is already improving — vital in a school where over 90% of pupils are EAL. For many schools, the Framework represents change. For us, it affirms and energises: a resource that helps balance explicit skill teaching with nurturing children’s will. It reminds us that every child can take pleasure and pride in their writing. Further information Read about the writing framework Find your local English Hub Watch the video recording of the DfE leader’s webinar which covers the key messages of the guidance and Ofsted expectations

Students at Manchester Enterprise Academy Manchester Enterprise Academy (MEA) Central is an eight-form-entry school in inner South Manchester. It is part of the Prospere Learning Trust. Their disadvantaged pupils’ average Attainment 8 score is well above the national average. We asked the school’s principal, Emily Reynard, to tell us more about their approach to using the pupil premium.   Our school’s disadvantaged pupils  Opened in 2017, the school now serves over 1,050 pupils. With 51% eligible for pupil premium funding - significantly above the national average – the school is committed to ensuring every student thrives. Many families experience housing insecurity, financial instability, digital exclusion, and limited healthcare access. We support well above-average proportions of SEND and EAL learners, with a third of pupils entering below age-related expectations. Despite this, outcomes are consistently strong, with excellent destination data and disadvantaged pupils performing above FFT-20 benchmarks.  Moving towards an embedded, inclusive support Our disadvantaged pupils face multiple, overlapping barriers including low literacy, attendance gaps, SEND, and limited cultural capital. One-off interventions are not enough. Early in the school’s journey, information was often fragmented across staff and systems, slowing crucial support interventions. The challenge was embedding whole-school inclusion systems so no student was overlooked. We needed early identification, consistent provision, and clear accountability structures that would hardwire inclusion into every layer of school life. Removing barriers became everybody’s responsibility, not just the job of specialists.  Building an effective evidence-driven strategy  Drawing on Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) research and The Difference’s Inclusion Framework, we developed our own MEA Central model. This codifies provision across five strands: teaching and learning, behaviour and attitudes, language and literacy, safeguarding, and wellbeing. Provision is mapped as universal, targeted, or bespoke, using clear thresholds. Fortnightly Removing Barriers meetings and half-termly Interventions Boards provide rigorous accountability. Our mantras of ‘no barriers or excuses’ and ‘sweat the small stuff’’ translate values into consistent practice, ensuring inclusion is systemic and sustainable.  Students at Manchester Enterprise Academy Implementation: systems that deliver Removing Barriers forms the engine of our whole-school strategy. Leaders meet year teams to review the Inclusion Framework, consider referrals, and assign actions. All provisions are mapped, costed and tracked, ensuring consistency and early intervention. Our Interventions Board reviews data and impact half-termly, examining cost-effectiveness and case studies. Pupil premium funding sustains this infrastructure, enabling targeted literacy programmes, mentoring, and enrichment opportunities. Crucially, the funding supports not just interventions, but the systems guaranteeing equitable and consistent delivery.  Ensuring pupil success through our inclusive approach  Outcomes show the system is working. Attendance gaps are narrowing, literacy interventions accelerate reading ages, and behaviour has stabilised following post-pandemic challenges. Pupil premium progress has risen significantly, surpassing FFT-20 benchmarks. NEET figures remain Manchester’s lowest, while pupil voice feedback evidences stronger confidence and belonging. Staff report greater clarity in supporting need, and families value transparent, inclusive processes.  The key to our approach lies in systematised inclusion. Embedding clear processes, we make support predictable, transparent, sustainable beyond individuals. This creates consistency for staff, confidence for families, and continuity for pupils. Most importantly, it ensures that equity is hardwired into the school’s DNA, leaving a sustainable legacy that will outlast leaders and secure fairness for future cohorts.  Find out more Department for Education (DfE) publications   Pupil premium    Pupil premium: allocations and conditions of grant 2025 to 2026    Using Pupil Premium: Guidance for School Leaders    Education Endowment Foundation resources   The EEF Guide to the Pupil Premium     A School’s Guide to Implementation   Teaching and Learning Toolkit     DfE pupil premium webinars   Pupil premium strategy planning webinar: insights from schools (26 September 2024, YouTube video)      Pupil premium expert panel webinar (14 November 2024, YouTube video)      Planning and evaluating your pupil premium strategy insights from schools (8 July 2025, YouTube video)   Selecting effective approaches to maximise the impact of pupil premium (2 October 2025, YouTube video) Pupil premium expert panel webinar (21 October 2025, YouTube video)

Ark Greenwich Free School Quick summary A link governor talks about their approach to ensuring pupil premium funding makes a difference The governor shares the key areas link they focus on when reviewing strategies Ark Greenwich Free School (AGFS) is a co-educational secondary school in south-east London. According to the 2019 Index of Multiple Deprivation, its catchment includes areas ranked in the 2nd-4th deciles nationally. The school has 600 pupils (42% eligible for pupil premium) and serves high numbers of students with additional learning needs and English as an additional language. Governing boards oversee pupil premium impact by reviewing strategies and discussing grant usage with senior leaders. They scrutinise a school's pupil premium strategy and discuss how the grant is used with senior leaders. We spoke to AGFS' pupil premium link governor about their role in supporting the school's strategy. Identifying key barriers facing disadvantaged pupils  Following years of improvement, AGFS achieved an outstanding Ofsted rating across all areas and is considered “among the highest performing schools in the country” by the Evening Standard. The school has adopted a “Pupil Premium Grant (PPG) first” approach to address key challenges facing disadvantaged pupils:  Low aspirations  Lower levels of literacy and numeracy  Challenges with organisation and completion of independent learning  Limited cultural capital including connections to university and professional careers  Lower levels of confidence and oracy  Reduced parental availability for academic support  Lack of resources for independent study  Reduced school attendance  Our pupil premium strategy details these challenges and outlines how we spend the grant to address them systematically.  At AGFS, outcomes for PPG students are excellent, with a provisional average Attainment 8 score in 2025 of 62.4, compared to 34.9 for the national average of all disadvantaged pupils. This success demonstrates that effective PPG strategies works for everyone, including those children with SEND.  How Pupil Premium Grant Link Governors help drive success  As a PPG Link Governor, my role centres on providing strategic support and challenge to raise the profile, attainment, and progress of students eligible for the Pupil Premium.   Working with our Local Governing Body (LGB), we developed a research-based approach linked to the Sutton Trust. LGB meetings focus on analysing the grant’s impact on targeted groups, examining their attainment, and progress compared to peers, and reviewing their participation in school performances, visits, and extra-curricular activities.   Regular conversations with school leaders explore student needs and optimal spending strategies. Our comprehensive PPG strategy clearly outlines expected outcomes and success criteria, providing an invaluable framework for questioning whether measures are being met. Throughout the school year, I monitor whether our challenge and support approaches are working, using LGB meetings to examine data trends, such as attendance gaps between pupil premium and non-pupil premium pupils. "The Pupil Premium Link Governor role at our school plays a vital role in ensuring all our scholars fulfil their potential not just academically but in all areas of their lives alongside their peers” – Conor McHugh (Chair of Governors) Steps to become an effective Pupil Premium Link Governor  The most effective way to understand your school's disadvantage strategy is spending time in your school. Organise specific visits to meet with the Pupil Premium Lead, reviewing annual activities or discussing performance data to understand whether gaps narrowing.  Additional school visits beyond pupil premium-focused meetings provide valuable context about your school's environment and the specific challenges facing disadvantaged students. While awareness of your school’s demographic composition matters, a high proportion of pupil premium pupils shouldn’t be seen as a barrier to success. AGFS exemplifies strategic thinking in understanding and addressing disadvantaged pupils’ needs. Despite having a high proportion of pupil premium students in 2024-25, the school maintains its outstanding Ofsted rating as one of the highest-performing secondary schools in the country.   "Great outcomes for PPG is about having high standards and not lowering the bar, but providing additional support to meet that bar” – Rhys Spiers  (Executive Principal, Ark Greenwich) Further resources   Department for Education publications   Pupil premium    Pupil premium: allocations and conditions of grant 2025 to 2026    Using Pupil Premium: Guidance for School Leaders    Education Endowment Foundation resources   The EEF Guide to the Pupil Premium     Discussion prompts for governors and trustees to support an effective strategy   A School’s Guide to Implementation  Teaching and Learning Toolkit     DfE pupil premium webinars and blogs   Pupil premium strategy planning webinar: insights from schools (YouTube video) Pupil premium expert panel webinar (YouTube video) Planning and evaluating your pupil premium strategy insights from schools (YouTube video) Selecting effective approaches to maximise the impact of pupil premium webinar (YouTube video)

Francis Ball Quick summary A teacher shares their experience of flexible working arrangements Explores how work-life balance can support professional performance Highlights the importance of supportive school leadership in flexible working Transitioning to the classroom I am in my third year as a history teacher at Barking Abbey School, in East London. My journey began in local and oral history, working with young people to document the stories of elders in their communities. Moving into classroom teaching felt like a natural progression, and I’m truly grateful I made the step. I find the work deeply fulfilling, intellectually stimulating and meaningful. However, like many new teachers, I found the pace of school life a real adjustment. In my previous role, I had more flexibility during the week to regularly engage in hobbies and creative interests. Transitioning into teaching meant adjusting to a new rhythm, one that was rewarding but more structured. Embracing flexible working early in my career It wasn’t until my training mentor mentioned the possibility of part-time teaching that I realised flexible working could be an option - even this early in my career. I was excited by the idea, but also unsure whether it would be viable for me or the school. Fortunately, my school was supportive of my request, and I moved to a four-day week. The impact has been transformative. I've been a drummer for 25 years, and music remains one of my greatest passions. By working four days a week, I now have the time to pursue music seriously - whether practising solo, rehearsing with my band or travelling to gigs. I have since performed locally and further afield. These opportunities were made possible by working flexibly.    Flexible working enhances my teaching This change hasn’t just brought personal fulfilment - it’s also enhanced my teaching. With a more balanced week, I return to the classroom with renewed focus, creativity, and enthusiasm. The two parts of my life now play in harmony rather than competition. Flexible working has enabled me to maintain a high level of professional commitment while nurturing a lifelong interest. It’s proof that rethinking the rhythm of the working week can help teachers flourish - both personally and professionally. I’m proud to work in a school that values this approach, and to be part of a profession that’s increasingly open to new ways of working. Discover more Visit our Flexible Working Toolkit for practical guidance and learn about our funded flexible working programme Discover the support available from our Flexible Working Ambassador Schools