Adapting Mainstream Provision to Meet a Changing Profile of Needs

More pupils are arriving at secondary school with needs that look like a referral to alternative provision waiting to happen. What can your school do first?

The speaker leads a trust of alternative provision and special schools, where every pupil on roll came from mainstream. His schools have used these approaches in the mainstream schools they support, too. Personal best targets measure each pupil against their own record, not the class, so a pupil at 30% attendance has a target they can reach. Attendance, conduct and relationships come first, because grades follow more easily once those improve. And the window of tolerance helps staff see when to ease off before a pupil tips into fight or flight.

There's a warning about inclusion units too. A room full of worksheets that never tackles why a pupil is there won't get them back to class.