It is beholden on every teacher to afford all the pupils they teach equal access to an ambitious curriculum and to model high expectations of all pupils at all times. After all, to ‘dumb down’ or reduce the curriculum for disadvantaged pupils is simply to double their disadvantage and prevent them from ever catching up with their peers.

However, not all pupils are equal: whether it is a consequence of nature or nurture, or perhaps a combination of the two, some pupils - including some of those with SEND - commence their curriculum journeys with lower starting points and/or different abilities and capabilities to know and do more. So how can teachers deliver an ambitious curriculum for all pupils AND support the learning of those pupils with additional different needs?

In this session, Matt Bromley will cover:

• What is an ambitious curriculum? How can we plan for progression?
• Why are high expectations important, and what do they look like in practice?
• How can we convert the causes of disadvantage (inc SEND) into their consequences and thus move learning beyond labels?
• What does effective differentiation look like, and how can we avoid learned helplessness?