The Inclusive High Quality Teaching Audit Tool is also based on the premise that every teacher is a teacher of SEND and also every leader is a leader of SEND.
It is designed to support the work of leadership teams to ensure that and they ‘have a clear and ambitious vision for providing high-quality, inclusive education and training to all’. (Ofsted Education Inspection Framework, May 2019: 29).
It also reflects the recommendations of the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) that the very best the evidence tells us that teachers should ‘prioritise familiar but powerful strategies, like scaffolding and explicit instruction, to support their pupils with SEND. This means understanding the needs of individual pupils and weaving specific approaches into every day, high quality classroom teaching - being inclusive by design not as an afterthought (p.2)
It also relates to the Teacher Standards (DfE, 2011) which define the minimum level of practice expected of teachers from the point of being awarded qualified teacher status (QTS):
Teacher Standard 1. Set high expectations which inspire, motivate and challenge children and young people: establish a safe and stimulating environment for children and young people rooted in mutual respect / set goals that stretch and challenge children and young people of all backgrounds, abilities and dispositions/ demonstrate consistently the positive attitudes, values and behaviour which are expected of children and young people.
Teacher Standard 2. Promote good progress and outcomes by children and young people: be accountable for children and young people’s attainment, progress and outcomes/ be aware of children and young people’s capabilities and their prior knowledge, and plan teaching to build on these/ demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how children and young people learn and how this impacts on teaching.
Teacher Standard 5. Adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils: know when and how to differentiate appropriately, using approaches which enable pupils to be taught effectively / have a secure understanding of how a range of factors can inhibit pupils’ ability to learn, and how best to overcome these / demonstrate an awareness of the physical, social and intellectual development of children, and know how to adapt teaching to support pupils’ education at different stages of development / have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs; those of high ability; those with English as an additional language; those with disabilities; and be able to use and evaluate distinctive teaching approaches to engage and support them.
