SEND and High Expectations: Busting the Myths

NITE's free professional development series offers short, impactful sessions led by experienced educators to support the professional growth of teachers and school leaders.

Join us for a thought-provoking webinar designed specifically for aspiring and current middle leaders, led by Sonia Mathias, Associate Lecturer on NITE’s MA in Education. This session will challenge common misconceptions surrounding pupils with SEND and explore how maintaining high expectations is key to ensuring equitable outcomes for all learners.

During this session, you will explore what “high expectations” truly look like in practice for pupils with SEND and how these can be achieved through effective scaffolding, adaptive teaching, and strategic leadership. You will consider how curriculum design, assessment, and classroom practice can be inclusive without lowering expectations, and how middle leaders can use data, dialogue, and professional development to drive improvement in outcomes for learners with SEND.

By the end of the session, you will have explored how high expectations and inclusion can coexist to drive meaningful progress for pupils with SEND. You will gain strategies for scaffolding success through effective curriculum adaptation and classroom practice. You will also develop confidence in leading teams to promote aspirational, inclusive practice across your school or department.

Suitable for: Teachers with 1-3 years’ experience - aspiring middle leaders - middle leaders

Facilitator: Sonia Mathias

Sonia has over 20 years of primary teaching experience, in addition to being the SENCo and Inclusion lead in several schools. From schools she moved to a role with her local authority where she led the SEN provision for children aged 0-11, including those with MLD, SLD, SEMH and children with complex medical and physical needs. She joined NITE to write and deliver the SEND Module for the MA in Education and is University Lead Mentor for PGCE trainees both internationally and in the UK with a focus on SEND.