Four principles for embedding high quality teaching in inclusion bases

Teaching approaches must be grounded in knowledge of child development and driven by the best available evidence on how to meet pupils’ needs. Practitioners’ expertise is therefore central because it enables them to make informed decisions about how best to support learning and wellbeing for different pupils and groups.

This article explores four principles for effective teaching and child development, drawing on the experience of two primary schools from United Learning – Hill View and Orchard Meadow – and insights from our community of practice. It also includes a set of structured reflective questions to help leaders consider how the principles apply in their own contexts.

This article is part of our inclusion base insights series, which shares practical insights and reflection questions to help leaders shape effective inclusion bases for their pupils and context.

A note on terminology: you may use different terms to describe inclusion bases, such as enhanced provision, SEND unit, resource base, or nurture room. The schools featured in our case studies also use different terms internally. Throughout this series, we use ‘inclusion base’ for consistency and to reflect the government’s recent guidance.

Introducing inclusion bases at Hill View and Orchard Meadow primary schools

Hill View and Orchard Meadow primary schools in Oxfordshire are part of United Learning, a nationwide trust of over 100 schools. Both schools established inclusion bases so that pupils can access tailored support in a more sustained way, serving pupils with complex needs linked to communication and interaction. Each base offers a robust, ambitious curriculum blending specialist support with as much mainstream inclusion as possible. You can read more about Hill View’s approach to cohort planning in this case study.

Principle one: Champion expert and empowered teaching

Effective provision in inclusion bases starts with teachers who are both highly qualified and deeply invested in their pupils’ success.

At Hill View and Orchard Meadow, specialist special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) teachers lead what they call an ‘enhanced pathway’, taking ownership of the learning experience for every child. These teachers are central to each school’s vision for inclusion, and their expertise is shared across the school through modelling, coaching and collaborative planning. Mainstream colleagues also benefit from this expertise, ensuring that high quality teaching for pupils with SEND extends beyond the bases themselves. For example, staff engage in regular coaching conversations with specialist colleagues as part of the school’s wider coaching programme, allowing specialist expertise to be disseminated throughout the school.

This approach highlights the importance of empowering teachers to lead inclusive practice, with a clear focus on proactive ownership and high standards. Leaders should consider how they build teams of expert practitioners while fostering a culture where SEND is everyone’s responsibility.

Principle two: Apply a sound understanding of child development

Effective teaching is rooted in a deep understanding of how children learn and develop.

Staff at Hill View and Orchard Meadow recognise that pupils progress at different rates and in different ways, and this understanding informs every pedagogical decision. Teachers and teaching assistants adapt approaches to suit each pupil’s developmental stage, ensuring that learning experiences are meaningful and accessible. Lessons are designed to be language-rich environments, a priority stemming from insight into how pupils develop their own communication and language skills. Teachers incorporate sensory breaks and structured routines tailored to individual needs. A sound understanding of how children develop in general, paired with expert knowledge of the specific pupils they work with, is key for these inclusion bases.

Putting a developmental lens on teaching practice does not mean placing less emphasis on academic progress. It means recognising that learning, development and wellbeing are closely connected. Instead, for staff at Hill View and Orchard Meadow, their clear shared understanding of child development allows them to support children in their bases to learn in developmentally appropriate ways, so that improved wellbeing supports academic progress.

The work of Hill View and Orchard Meadow reminds leaders to invest in staff expertise around child development, ensuring that teaching strategies are developmentally appropriate and responsive to individual needs.

Principle three: Harness specialist expertise through collaboration

Meeting the diverse needs of pupils requires both specialist knowledge and effective teamwork. At Hill View and Orchard Meadow, teachers and teaching assistants receive ongoing professional development in areas such as speech and language therapy and autism-specific strategies. Over time, teaching assistants have developed their own specialisms, becoming highly skilled practitioners who complement the work of SEND teachers. For example, several teaching assistants have engaged in training and professional support to develop expertise in delivering speech and language interventions. These teaching assistants then work with mainstream teachers to help them identify needs, adapt their teaching, and embed strategies that support communication, such as visual supports or vocabulary pre-teaching.

Planning and delivery involve regular input from therapists and other professionals, such as speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and educational psychologists. Teachers draw on a deep knowledge of the needs, interests and experiences of each pupil to support the work of these specialists, ensuring that their input is tailored to needs.

This collaboration also ensures specialist expertise is embedded across the school, not confined to the inclusion base. Mainstream teachers draw on the team’s knowledge to improve classroom practice school-wide, and pupils with SEND in the mainstream provision benefit from interventions that are both evidence-based and responsive to individual circumstances.

The schools’ approaches underline the importance of integrating specialist expertise into and beyond the inclusion base. Leaders should consider how they facilitate collaboration with a range of experts and encourage staff to develop specialisms that enhance inclusive practice.

Principle four: Build whole-school expertise

Inclusive practice thrives when all staff are equipped to deliver effective pedagogies across enhanced and mainstream spaces. At Hill View and Orchard Meadow, the impact of the ‘enhanced pathways’ are felt throughout the schools. Mainstream teachers draw on the team’s knowledge of communication strategies and sensory regulation to improve classroom practice across the school, for example by adapting the way they set up their classrooms or deliver instructions. Transitions between the base and mainstream classrooms are intentionally planned, ensuring coherence and continuity for pupils with blended timetables.

This principle highlights the importance of developing whole school expertise, so that every pupil benefits from inclusive, evidence-informed teaching. Leaders should ensure that professional learning and collaboration extend across all staff, supporting integrated experiences for pupils.

Reflective questions for school leaders

The work of Hill View and Orchard Meadow brings four principles for high quality teaching in inclusion bases to life:

• Champion expert and empowered teaching
• Apply a sound understanding of child development
• Harness specialist expertise through collaboration
• Build whole-school expertise

To help school leaders think about how they can apply these principles successfully in their own inclusion base, they can consider the following questions:

Champion expert and empowered teaching

• How do you identify, recruit and retain highly qualified teachers for your inclusion base?
• In what ways do you empower teachers to take proactive ownership of the base's work?
• What opportunities exist for teachers in the base to model, coach and collaborate with mainstream colleagues?

Apply a sound understanding of child development

• How do you support staff to deepen their understanding of child development, both generally and in relation to specific needs?
• In what ways do teachers and teaching assistants adapt their approaches to suit each pupil’s developmental stage?
• How do you use knowledge of child development to inform curriculum planning, lesson design and assessment?

Harness specialist expertise through collaboration

• What systems are in place to provide ongoing professional development in specialist areas such as communication, sensory needs, and autism?
• How do you include regular input from specialists to improve teaching?
• How do teachers and support staff work together to integrate specialist advice into everyday practice?

Build whole-school expertise

• How do you ensure that specialist expertise is not siloed, but benefits pupils across both the inclusion base and mainstream classrooms?
• What professional development opportunities are available for mainstream staff to develop their expertise in SEND?

Ready to make sense of inclusion bases in your own context?

If you’ve found this case study thought-provoking, our Leading Enhanced Provision programme gives you a supportive space to work with peers and expert facilitators to make sense of your own unique context. There are no quick fixes or simple answers – just honest conversations about what inclusion bases mean for you, wherever you are on your journey.

Plus get exclusive access to an in-depth digital school visit, giving you a closer look at how different schools are approaching inclusion bases in practice.

Join us to reflect, connect, and build your confidence in leading inclusion bases.

Learn more about the Leading Enhanced Provision programme and how to register.