Reports Part of series: Neurodiversity in Mainstream Schools Grant Programme reports
Mapping effective targeted approaches for students with SEND, key elements for yielding success
This project provides an analysis of over 500 studies to identify which specific components of targeted interventions most improve outcomes for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The researchers conclude that improving outcomes for pupils with SEND depends not on doing more, but on doing the right things well. By focusing on evidence-informed components such as explicit teaching and feedback, and considering context, schools can make meaningful progress in improving outcomes for all learners. Effective practice depends less on combining multiple strategies and more on selecting and implementing the right approaches well.
Key findings are:
Implications for policy and practice:
Professor of Developmental Psychology and Education at UCL Institute of Education
Jo Van Herwegen is an associate professor at the Institute of Education in UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, and is a director of the Child Development and Learning Difficulties lab. Her research focuses on improving educational outcomes,...
Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at Birkbeck, University Of London
Michael S. C. Thomas is Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at Birkbeck, University of London. Until 2026, Michael was the Director of the Centre for Educational Neuroscience. He is currently Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department for...
Professor of Psychology and Special Needs at UCL Institute of Education
Julie Dockrell is Professor of Psychology and Special Needs at UCL Institute of Education.
Associate Professor of Developmental and Cognitive Psychology at UCL Institute of Education
Rebecca Gordon is Associate Professor of Developmental and Cognitive Psychology at UCL Institute of Education and Director of the Mind, Action and Development in the Environment Lab.
Professor of Early Childhood & Primary Education at University College London (UCL) Institute of Education (IOE)
Dominic has made a leading contribution to study of curriculum and pedagogy, including national curricula, for more than 25 years. Dominic’s main research is on effective teaching of reading and writing. His influential theory The 'Double Helix...
Research Fellow at UCL Institute of Education
Hiruni D. Aluthgamage is Research Fellow at UCL Institute of Education in the Department of Psychology and Human Development.
Researcher at Birkbeck, University Of London
Samara Banno is a researcher and academic in intelligent modelling and artificial intelligence applications in human cognition and healthcare. She has held a Daphne Jackson Trust Fellowship at Birkbeck, University of London in the Department of...