How Can Schools Support Children with SEND?
Supporting children with SEND can feel increasingly complex for teachers, teaching assistants, SENDCos and school leaders.
Staff want every child to feel understood, included and successful, but they are often working within busy classrooms, limited budgets and growing levels of need.
In this episode of The Muddy Puddle Teacher® Podcast, Sarah Seaman speaks with SEND specialist and inclusion advocate Lorraine Petersen about what meaningful inclusion looks like in everyday school life.
The conversation explores how schools can support children without overwhelming staff, develop positive relationships with parents and carers, and create environments in which children with additional needs can build confidence and independence.
This is not a conversation about finding one activity or strategy that will work for every child.
It is about looking carefully at the child, understanding the barriers they face and making thoughtful changes that allow them to participate.
The episode is suitable for teachers, teaching assistants, SENDCos, school leaders, Early Years practitioners, special-school staff, alternative provisions and anyone who wants to make education more inclusive.
Listen to Supporting Every Learner with Lorraine Petersen
About the Podcast Episode
In this thoughtful episode, Sarah and Lorraine discuss the realities of supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in schools.
Lorraine shares practical insights developed through decades of work with children, families, educators and school leaders.
The conversation considers what inclusion means beyond policy documents and written provision.
It asks whether children genuinely feel seen, valued and able to participate within their everyday learning environment.
The episode also explores the importance of working positively with parents and carers.
Families often hold valuable knowledge about their child’s communication, sensory needs, behaviour, strengths and previous experiences.
When schools and families work together, support is more likely to feel consistent and respectful.
The episode was published on 11 February 2026 and lasts approximately 30 minutes, making it suitable for individual listening or a short staff-development discussion.
Who Is Lorraine Petersen?
Lorraine Petersen is an experienced SEND specialist, consultant and advocate for inclusive education.
Her work has supported teachers, SENDCos, school leaders, children and families across the education sector.
Lorraine is known for helping schools bridge the gap between SEND policy and the practical realities of classroom provision.
Her approach recognises that inclusion is not simply about placing a child within a mainstream classroom.
A child must also be able to access the environment, communicate, participate, learn and develop a sense of belonging.
In this episode, Lorraine provides reassurance alongside practical guidance.
She acknowledges the pressure staff may experience while encouraging schools to focus on manageable changes that make a genuine difference.
What Does Meaningful Inclusion Look Like?
Meaningful inclusion is more than allowing every child to be physically present in the same classroom.
A child can be present but still feel isolated, confused or unable to access the learning.
True inclusion asks whether the child understands what is happening, can communicate their needs and is able to participate in a way that is meaningful for them.
It also considers whether the environment has been designed with different learners in mind.
This may involve adapting instructions, introducing visual support, reducing sensory demands, providing movement or changing how children demonstrate their understanding.
Inclusion does not mean lowering expectations.
It means removing unnecessary barriers so that children have a fair opportunity to learn and succeed.
Schools can explore our SEND Outdoor Learning Hub, Inclusive Outdoor Learning Guide and Outdoor Learning Specialism Courses for further support.
Supporting SEND Without Overwhelming Teachers
One of the important themes within the podcast is the pressure teachers feel when supporting a growing range of needs.
Teachers may be presented with long reports, multiple targets and lists of suggested strategies.
Although this information can be helpful, it can also feel difficult to manage within a class of 30 children.
Effective SEND support often begins by identifying the most significant barrier.
What is making it difficult for this child to join the lesson, understand the instruction or demonstrate their knowledge?
Once the barrier is clearer, staff can choose one or two purposeful adjustments.
A child might need more processing time, a visual sequence, fewer spoken instructions, a different recording method or a planned opportunity to move.
The adjustment should have a clear reason.
Schools should avoid creating complicated systems that increase workload without improving the child’s access.
The aim is not to do everything at once.
It is to notice, adapt, observe and review.
Why Relationships Matter in SEND Provision
Children are more likely to engage when they feel safe and understood.
A trusting relationship allows adults to notice subtle communication, recognise signs of distress and understand what may be affecting the child.
This is particularly important when behaviour is the most visible part of a child’s need.
Behaviour can communicate confusion, anxiety, sensory overload, discomfort, frustration or a need for greater control.
When adults respond only to the behaviour, the underlying barrier may remain.
A relationship-based approach asks what the child may be communicating and how the environment can be changed.
This does not mean that boundaries disappear.
It means that expectations are combined with curiosity, compassion and an understanding of individual needs.
Working Positively with Parents and Carers
Parents and carers know their children in ways that school staff may not.
They may understand what triggers distress, how the child communicates, which routines provide safety and what helps them recover after a difficult experience.
Strong school–family partnerships begin with listening.
Families should not feel that they are repeatedly required to prove that their child needs support.
Equally, schools need space to explain what they are observing and what can realistically be provided.
Communication is most effective when it is regular, respectful and focused on solving problems together.
Schools can share what is working as well as what is difficult.
Positive information helps families understand that staff recognise the whole child rather than only contacting home when something has gone wrong.
Staff should also avoid using professional language without explanation.
Clear communication helps families take part in decisions and understand the support being offered.
Building Confidence and Independence
Children with SEND need support, but support should not unintentionally remove every opportunity for independence.
Adults may step in quickly because they want to prevent frustration or help the child complete a task successfully.
However, constant adult direction can make it harder for the child to develop confidence, make choices and solve problems.
The right level of support will vary.
Some children may need a task broken into very small stages.
Others may need an adult nearby without that adult completing the activity for them.
Visual prompts, familiar routines and accessible resources can allow children to work with less direct support.
Independence does not mean leaving a child to struggle.
It means providing enough support for success while allowing the child to remain an active participant.
How Can Outdoor Learning Support SEND?
Outdoor learning can offer children different ways to access the curriculum.
Movement, practical resources, real objects and larger spaces can help some pupils understand ideas that feel abstract indoors.
A child might demonstrate number through moving objects, develop vocabulary through a real experience or explore a story using physical locations.
Some children may communicate more comfortably while working beside an adult rather than sitting opposite them in a formal group.
Outdoor learning can also create opportunities for heavy work, movement and sensory experiences.
However, the outdoors is not automatically inclusive.
Noise, weather, transitions, bright light, clothing and unpredictable activity may create barriers.
The child’s individual profile must guide planning.
The Muddy Puddle Teacher® approach helps practitioners adapt curriculum lessons so that the outdoor environment improves participation and learning rather than simply changing the location.
Explore our Outdoor Learning Specialism: ASD, Speech, Language and Non-Speaking Learners Course and Outdoor Regulation Resources.
Two Inclusive Strategies to Try
Reduce the Language, Increase the Clarity
Choose one classroom or outdoor routine and review the language adults use.
Long instructions may contain more information than a child can process.
Reduce the instruction to one clear step and support it with a gesture, object, photograph or symbol where appropriate.
Pause after speaking and give the child time to respond.
Avoid repeating the instruction immediately in several different ways.
The aim is to make the information easier to understand, not to reduce the quality of the learning.
Offer More Than One Way to Respond
Think about a question or activity you regularly use.
Does the child have to answer verbally or produce a piece of writing to show that they understand?
Allow children to point, match, order, build, move, select, draw or use their communication system.
A different response method may reveal knowledge that was previously hidden by the demands of the task.
SEND Support Is Not One-Size-Fits-All
Children may share a diagnosis but have very different strengths, needs and experiences.
One autistic child may seek movement, while another may find movement around them overwhelming.
One child with speech and language needs may use spoken words but struggle to understand complex instructions.
Another may understand language well but communicate through symbols or a device.
A strategy that helps one child may not help another.
Practitioners should begin with observation, family knowledge and any relevant professional guidance.
Support should then be reviewed.
Is the adjustment helping the child participate?
Is it developing confidence?
Is it reducing distress?
Is the child becoming more independent, or increasingly dependent on an adult?
The answers may change over time, and provision should change with them.
How Can School Leaders Support Inclusive Practice?
Inclusive education cannot be the sole responsibility of the SENDCo or one experienced teaching assistant.
School leaders need to create the conditions in which staff can understand needs, try adjustments and reflect on their impact.
This might include professional development, shared planning, access to resources and opportunities for staff to discuss individual children.
Leaders should also consider staff workload.
A support system is unlikely to be sustainable if it requires large amounts of paperwork or highly complicated preparation.
Whole-school routines can make inclusion easier.
Consistent visual support, clear transitions, flexible response methods and accessible outdoor-learning resources can benefit many children without singling anyone out.
Leaders can explore our Outdoor Learning INSET Days, Whole-School SEND Training and Ultimate Professional Development Membership.
Using the Podcast for Staff CPD
This episode can be used as a short professional-development activity for a whole staff team.
Ask staff to listen before a meeting or play part of the episode together.
Afterwards, discuss one child or one area of provision.
Staff might consider where a pupil is currently experiencing the greatest barrier, which adjustment is helping and what could be simplified.
The discussion should not become a list of everything the school is failing to provide.
Instead, choose one realistic improvement.
Agree who will introduce it, how it will be observed and when staff will review the impact.
This turns the podcast from an interesting conversation into a practical step towards stronger provision.
Listen to Supporting Every Learner with Lorraine Petersen
In this episode, Sarah Seaman and Lorraine Petersen explore meaningful inclusion, family relationships, teacher workload and practical ways to support children with SEND.
It is an encouraging listen for educators who want to improve inclusion without becoming overwhelmed by the scale of the challenge.
Listen to the Full Podcast Episode
Continue Your SEND Professional Development
The Muddy Puddle Teacher® provides specialist courses, outdoor learning resources and staff training to support inclusive practice.
Our online specialisms cover areas including ASD, speech and language, non-speaking learners, regulation, nurture, behaviour and wider SEND provision.
Ultimate members can access the complete online training library and continue through professional outdoor-learning pathways at their own pace.
You can also access ready-to-use outdoor learning and SEND resources through our membership library.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Lorraine Petersen?
Lorraine Petersen is an experienced SEND specialist and inclusion advocate who supports schools, educators, children and families with practical inclusive education.
What is this SEND podcast episode about?
The episode explores meaningful inclusion, supporting SEND without overwhelming teachers, working with parents and carers, developing independence and turning SEND policy into everyday practice.
How long is the episode?
The podcast lasts approximately 30 minutes and can be used for individual professional development or as part of a staff meeting.
Is the podcast suitable for teaching assistants?
Yes. The episode is useful for teachers, teaching assistants, SENDCos, school leaders, Early Years practitioners and anyone supporting children with additional needs.
Can this episode be used for staff CPD?
Yes. Staff can listen to the episode and use it to reflect on current provision, family partnerships and one practical adjustment they could make for a child.
How can outdoor learning support children with SEND?
Outdoor learning can provide movement, practical experiences, real objects and different ways to communicate and demonstrate understanding. Activities must still be adapted to each child’s sensory, communication and physical needs.
Author
Written by Sarah Seaman PGCE MA
Founder of The Muddy Puddle Teacher®
Teacher for over 19 years
Bloomsbury author
Trainer of thousands of teachers across the UK
