One of the most frequent questions we’re asked is, ‘How can I adapt my curriculum to help my children with SEND?’. The Government figures for the 2023/24 academic year showed more than 1.6 million children had Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), an increase of 101,000 from 2023. With such high numbers, it is no surprise that questions about the curriculum and SEND are increasing in frequency.
Changing mindset
It is also noticeable that the trend in most schools is towards adapting the curriculum rather than differentiation. Schools are increasingly looking for ways to adapt their curriculum and teaching methods so that SEND children can access the same broad learning experiences without making them feel different from their classmates.
However, not all schools and parents are ready for such a change in mindset about what it means to be responsible for children with special educational needs. For example, such an approach will mean that no longer will children with SEND be given ‘different’ and often more ‘basic’ work but will be able to access the same learning experience as their peers, but with the added scaffolding of different resources and adult support.
Ofsted
In a recent BBC article, Ofsted’s chief inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, recognised that special educational needs and disabilities are the ‘biggest issue’ affecting schools in England. He claimed the inspectorate had a duty to support the government in its plans to provide for SEND children.
He said the new report card inspection system, planned to be introduced in November, would ‘recognise’ the work done by schools to be as inclusive as possible for the increasing number of SEND children in mainstream education.
At the recent National SEND and Inclusion Conference (March 2025), Sir Martyn said, ’When Ofsted put curriculum front and centre in our approach, the dial shifted. We saw schools and other providers really prioritising substance. Making sure they always had a clear idea of what children should know and by when. The importance of curriculum remains we must not lose sight of that. But I now want to do the same for inclusion.’
The Curriculum and Assessment Review
Similarly, the recent interim report from the Curriculum and Assessment Review states that the new national curriculum ‘will ensure that the curriculum appropriately balances ambition, excellence, relevance, flexibility and inclusivity for all children and young people’. It also clarifies that their research shows that the current curriculum is not working for all children, especially those with SEND and that this will be addressed.
Curriculum adaption and support for children with SEND using Maestro
So, while we wait to see what the review and new Ofsted framework brings, how can schools adapt their curriculum to meet the needs of children with SEND?
1. Tech that supports adaption
At Cornerstones, adaption is key. As our curriculum is housed on our platform, Maestro, adapting digital content is just a small part of the bigger picture. But let’s start with that. Using the tools on Maestro, teachers can make adaptions at every level of their planning. This includes long-term plans, topic and project structure and individual lesson plans. As all team members can share and view planning, teachers can also invite support assistants or SEND leaders to adapt to individual or group learning.
2. Curriculum Framework
As the curriculum is built on a robust skills and knowledge framework, teachers can see how learning should progress at every level of interaction. For example, teachers can see prior skills and knowledge that the children should have achieved and assign these skills and knowledge to lessons if the children need to revisit or consolidate.
3. Assessment
Assessment for learning is never more critical than when teaching children with SEND. Teachers need to know where the children are, where any gaps are, and what support they need to access to achieve the planned curriculum content. Maestro’s gap analysis and live learning assessment make this easier than ever. Learning groups can be created to make the tracking, understanding and support of individuals possible.
4. Use of authentic, quality imagery
All of our resources use only the best imagery. Why is this so important for children with SEND? Not only does it provide visual cues for those who have lower reading levels, but it also makes curriculum content accessible. For example, in a lesson about the Shang Dynasty, using real artefacts rather than drawings means children with poorer reading skills can observe an actual artefact rather than read about it. Teaching methods in our lesson plans also support accessibility.
5. Use of video
Teaching videos are embedded throughout the topics, projects, and lesson plans we provide, and they are handy for teaching complex concepts, especially to children with SEND. The visual animations and narrations show and explain how things work and provide visual and audio support for all children. For example, our science video on the circulatory system is highly praised, as is our excellent design and technology video on how CAMs and levers work. There are hundreds of such videos as part of our curriculum, including skill and activity demos, stories and real-life film footage.
6. Teaching strategies
We’re also mindful of adaptable teaching strategies. For example, offering practical hands-on ways for children with SEND to access the same learning as their peers. Examples include picture cards for sequencing timelines and events, narrated presentations for low-level readers and a range of templates for scaffolding children’s responses. We also suggest different ways for children to work and build confidence in our lesson plans. For example, they can work in pairs, small groups, or as a whole class. Moreover, we’ll suggest alternative ways of presenting learning, for instance, through drama, role-play and other creative outcomes rather than always expecting a written response.
7. No AI (yet)
Now, this might be a controversial point. But at Cornerstones, we don’t use AI. We tried it and tested its integrity (read our blog Generative AI in Primary Education for more information). But it was just not good enough. Simple errors (an image of the Titanic with three funnels when it has four) and silly mistakes (Captain Birdseye is not a famous historical explorer) slip through the net without stringent human checking. So, we research everything. We check and double-check our content. We use experienced staff to consider how children with different needs might access and experience the activities and ensure we’re not presenting any child with misinformation. Accuracy is essential for all children, but when children are challenged with SEND, let’s at least make sure what we give them is correct. However, as AI advances, we’ll look at how it could be integrated into Maestro to support lesson or resource adaptation.
8. Expert support
At Cornerstones, our primary school advisers are there to support any school or teacher who needs help with using the curriculum or Maestro’s functionality to meet the needs of their SEND children. And it’s not just for the short term either, but for the entire term of your licence with us. Whether you want to help adapt your long-term plans and individual lessons or assess specific groups or individuals, we are here to help.
9. Choose appropriate resources
While we offer whole school support for children with SEND, we also provide Quick Teach for teachers wanting individual support. On Quick Teach, teachers can search and find lesson plans and resources for a range of topics of the national curriculum. You can also search those topics by year groups, so if you’re in Year 5 doing a science topic on plants, then you could also search that topic for Y4, Y3 and so on to support those children who have SEND.
Summary
SEND and inclusion have always been crucial for primary teachers and leaders. And while there has never been enough funding or support for us to do everything we know we need to do for all children, especially those that face additional challenges, teachers often go above and beyond to help all children succeed.
Now, with additional focus on accountability for inclusion, at Cornerstones, we are doing everything we can to support the design, development, adaption and assessment of your curriculum.
If you want to see how we can help you improve and develop your approach to SEND and inclusion in the curriculum, then simply book a free consultation with one of our curriculum advisers, who would be happy to support you with your enquiry.
