Rebecca Stott
Director of Education, Twinkl
Innovations like AI can bring real progress as the Government and schools seek to close the attainment gap.
Lost amid the noise of the election, the Department for Education (DfE) updated its risk report in July to warn the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system was ‘very likely’ to become financially unsustainable. With a rising number of pupils with special educational needs, and Ofsted pushing to close the attainment gap that widened during the pandemic, educators are under mounting pressure. According to a recent TeachFirst survey, 85% report that ‘SEND pupils are not receiving adequate support.’
“Teachers are facing a ticking SEND time bomb of growing demand and shrinking resources,” comments Rebecca Stott, Twinkl’s Director of Education. “With limited fiscal levers to pull, Government and education leaders need to prioritise edtech, and AI in particular, in their strategies to improve inclusion outcomes.”
Tailored learning
Edtech empowers learners with SEND to access educational content independently, in a way that suits their specific needs. For example, Twinkl’s Phonics and Maths Web Apps guide learners through curriculum-linked content. Elsewhere, AI is being used to drive better literacy outcomes, as outlined by a National Literacy Trust report where 56% of young people agreed that AI prompts improved their reading and writing skills.
Teachers are facing a ticking SEND
time bomb of growing demand
and shrinking resources.
With complex speech and language difficulties rising post-COVID, edtech is also boosting communication development. Solutions such as Twinkl’s nasen-assured Symbols app give learners with SEND the power of everyday communication through the use of clear symbols.
School strategies
Despite the growing benefits of edtech, a recent YouGov study showed that 61% of educators feel that they need more training on how to harness AI effectively before having the confidence to use it in the classroom.
“Edtech, including AI, should underpin the majority of school plans when it comes to SEND improvements,” adds Stott. “However, schools need to put in place clear strategies to guide change — from identifying the best solutions to ensuring staff are trained on the safe and useful integration of AI.”
