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Bullying is a public health priority but to date, there is a lack of evidence‐based anti‐bullying programmes or interventions designed for use in special schools. KiVa is a successful anti‐bullying programme for mainstream schools currently used in 23 countries. This brief paper outlines the co‐development and adaptation of two KiVa lessons into KiVa‐SEND lessons and their implementation in two special schools in the UK. One school supports pupils with a primary need of Autism, the other supports pupils with severe and complex learning disabilities. Engagement with the lessons was high from both pupils and staff; the content was perceived as acceptable by staff, complementing the curriculum and perceived as suitable for their pupils. Minor adjustments need to be made to ensure all pupils can comprehend and access the concepts. Further development of the KiVa‐SEND programme and testing its potential effectiveness to reduce bullying and associated negative outcomes in special schools is now warranted. Key PointsThere is a lack of evidence‐based anti‐bullying programmes for use in special schools. This paper details the piloting of an adaptation of KiVa (a successful, evidence‐based anti‐bullying programme for mainstream schools) for use in special schools.The adaption (KiVa‐SEND) was a co‐design between a couple of special school teachers, and educational and psychological researchers to ensure the materials and approach were in line with school requirements and teaching practices.The KiVa‐SEND lesson engagement was excellent from the 12 staff and 62 learners involved and the materials were deemed acceptable via direct feedback and researcher observations. Suggestions were provided on how to make the materials even more suitable for diverse learning needs.KiVa‐SEND has the potential to be embedded within the special school curriculum and then be tested for its effectiveness at reducing bullying and associated negative outcomes of bullying amongst the special school population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Equals Formal Curriculum English Scheme of Work has been designed for that very small percentage of the school population, perhaps as low as one or two per cent, who have global learning difficulties (GLD) to such a degree that they are consistently working at levels significantly below their age‐related peers for all of their academic lives. The term GLD includes all those in England currently ascribed as having severe learning difficulties (SLD) and many if not most, currently ascribed as having moderate learning difficulties (MLD). Evidence of the difficulties faced by such pupils will become increasingly obvious beyond Year 1 at age 6, because the difficulties are global rather than specific. That is, they are likely to affect all learning, but will be particularly apparent in numeracy and literacy. This paper, the first of two, seeks to clarify why reading and writing are so extraordinarily difficult for this population and posits that the answers lie in challenging perceived wisdoms within the education system's predilections towards (i) regarding phonics as the only solution to reading difficulties (ii) persisting over time (and in the face of evidence to the contrary) with the view that children, young people and adults with GLD can make sufficient progress within phonics teaching and (iii) the use of differentiation of a standardised national curriculum model as being a sufficient answer to global learning difficulties. Clearly the main language used in England is English, but the principles and ideas outlined in this paper should apply in any language which uses a phonic structure when teaching language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of reducing restraint and restrictive interventions in special schools has been recognised across the four nations of the UK. Government guidance for England and Wales, and recommendations produced by Restraint Reduction Scotland, both reference Positive behavioural support (PBS) as an evidence‐based approach that can be used to proactively support pupils with, or at risk of, behaviours that challenge. The Department of Education of Northern Ireland recommends the development of behaviour support plans to support children with special education needs and disabilities. Special schools, however, also have a responsibility to set high expectations for every pupil, to provide access to the respective national curricula and to meet individual needs. School‐wide positive behavioural support (SW‐PBS), originated in the USA in the 1990s in response to a body of evidence that showed improved social and academic outcomes when behavioural interventions were implemented across whole school settings. It is increasingly being adopted in the UK. Drawing upon examples from schools in England and Wales with which the authors are familiar, this paper outlines the rationale for a special schools' model of SW‐PBS and illustrates the ways in which this can be adjusted to meet the specific needs of each setting. Key PointsReducing restraint and restrictive interventions in schools is a high priority across all four nations of the UK.Special schools also have a responsibility to provide children with special education needs and disabilities positive learning environments that maximise learning opportunities and meet individual needs.School‐wide positive behaviour support (SW‐PBS) provides a useful framework to help special schools meet these expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper provides a first person account of participant evaluation research of curriculum innovation in a school serving students with profound learning difficulties. It describes how the aspirations of the school leadership team to introduce science, combined with advisory support, overcame the initial anxiety of teaching staff about teaching an unfamiliar subject. The staff position was transformed and they gave a very positive evaluation of their experiences of teaching science, due to the impact of the subject on their students. The introduction of a distinct and inclusive model of science into the curriculum was ultimately found to have significant benefits for both students and staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The face of Modern Foreign Language education (MFL) in Scotland is changing. A major policy shift in Scottish education in 2012 set out the aspiration that all students up to the end of third level education in Scottish schools would have the opportunity to learn not one but two languages, in addition to their mother tongue. Over the last 20 years, there has been, concurrently, an undertaking by the Scottish government, in a series of policy documents, committing to provision that will ensure that students with additional support needs (ASN) receive equality of access to a broad and balanced education. This paper draws upon policy documents and published research in the area to review the extent to which the vision of language learning of all has been made available to students with ASN and the documented benefits associated with MFL education for those with ASN. Drawing upon case studies of inclusive MFL pedagogies, it identifies successful strategies that can be deployed by teachers. It then considers some of the mechanisms by which the current gaps in provision have arisen and proposes possible remedial steps, drawing on both an analysis of policy and case studies of effective practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the development and use of a tool designed to support educators to use a broad range of professional knowledge to enable inclusive literacy teaching that delivers social justice and narrows the attainment gap associated with poverty. The tool encourages teachers to formally recognise and act on a wide range of evidence about students as learners and to design their literacy curriculum and teaching according to this evidence. The research operationalised a Capabilities approach to inclusion and a design experiment methodology, working with 48 schools, 650 teachers and 12,783 students. A paired sample T‐test showed a significant improvement in standardised age scores and that the 'tail of underachievement' shortened for all social groups. Goodman and Kruskal's gamma showed a weakening of the relationship between poverty and attainment. This gives cause for cautious optimism that attainment gaps associated with economic disadvantage can be narrowed if educators act on a wider range of evidence in literacy teaching, and if education researchers develop and trial tools to support them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An editorial is presented on science technology, mathematics, and engineering (STEM) subjects. Topics include providing essential context for inclusive teaching recognising the fundamental role of curriculum areas as an organising principle of school and teaching life; and curriculum specialisation being one of the facets where many teachers constructing the professional identity.

With increasing concerns in the UK about the positive mental well‐being and flourishing of children, this research, using drama and creative writing with primary school teachers, children and a theatre company, looks at the links between creative processes and children's well‐being. This pedagogy applies a capability approach and we use this lens to examine children's critical reflections on the project. Interview data highlight the link between agency, social imagination and subjective well‐being. The study offers some concrete examples of the ways in which creative processes can move beyond an outcome‐based understanding of the curriculum by offering a legitimate space for children to explore their values and develop competencies which are crucial for well‐being in the 21st century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports a case study, carried out to determine how successfully one school's provision was preparing its learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to move into some form of employment. Data were obtained from the principal stakeholders: staff, parent/carers and students. This was generated by questionnaires and observations of learning in the classroom, as well as the school's assessment data. Interviews with staff from other post‐16 providers were used to give examples of good practice in other contexts. The study found that although much good practice was evident, there were opportunities to improve the preparation of students [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the use of a range of co‐teaching models when teaching mathematics. The approaches suggested have potential for all students, but in this instance their importance as a pedagogical approach with students with special educational needs (SEN) in inclusive classrooms is considered. The study was based in the first‐year mathematics classroom of an Irish, urban, mainstream, post‐primary, girls’ school. This article highlights the findings from the teacher's perspective and presents their reflections on a range of co‐teaching approaches. The potential and challenges of these are considered in the context of schools generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teacher and support staff perceptions of science learning, and specifically engagement with science outreach, by pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) were ascertained through questionnaires. The responses indicated that science is seen as serving distinctive learning purposes when undertaken by learners with SEND. Staff who accompanied SEND pupils to science outreach events expressed more positive views about separate outreach events for SEND pupils than other respondents, in line with current policy expectations of differentiated classroom practice. The desire for different provision for SEND learners also appeared to be associated with the staffs’ pastoral concerns about their pupils and their reluctance to let their pupils ‘fail’. The data suggests that, despite policy and legislative reform in the UK, curriculum science is still viewed primarily as a means to career progression for an able minority, rather than as an educational and cultural entitlement for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]