This episode of the podcast asks how classroom teachers and teaching staff can best support the learning, progress, and wellbeing of their neurodiverse students, offering practical insights and ideas.
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Our expert panel offer a range of advice, ideas, and tips based on their extensive experience within SEND education.

We define neurodiversity and discuss what makes a learner neurodiverse and the kinds of conditions the term covers while also busting some myths.

We discuss how we can support the wellbeing of these learners in our classroom, including examples of best practice and practical tips.

Likewise, we discuss general teaching tips and approaches to support the progress of neurodiverse learners, touching upon pedagogy, common adjustments, adaptive teaching, and the classroom environment.

We talk advice for supporting specific neurodiverse conditions and we also hear about one school’s Autism Resource Base and how that has been established and works in practice.

We finish with some recommendations for further reading, resources, and support for our work to support this cohort of students.

This episode is hosted by Bukky Yusuf is a senior leader, science teacher and an educational coach who is also a long-standing member of the SecEd editorial board. Here guests were:

  • Catrina Lowri is a neurodivergent teacher who has worked previously as a SENCO and advisory teacher. Catrina is the founder and director of Neuroteachers, an educational consultancy, training and coaching company and Catrina specialises in supporting schools with neuro-inclusion.
  • Amjad Ali is a teacher, trainer, TEDx speaker and senior leader. He currently works four days a week in a start up secondary school and offers CPD/INSET on his other day. Amjad has spent his teaching career working in challenging, diverse schools. He is a qualified SENCO and also trained as an Advanced Skills Teacher in Teaching and Learning. Amjad has worked as a play worker and teaching assistant in Young Offender Prisons. He is a co-founder of the BAMEed Network.
  • Gareth March is director of inclusion and support at Southend High School for Boys in Essex. Gareth has been closely involved in establishing the school's Autism Resource Base and is also working to establish a ‘neuro-ambassadors’ programme. Gareth has previously written for SecEd: www.sec-ed.co.uk/authors/gareth-march 

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For details about The SecEd Podcast, or to suggest future topics, email editor Pete Henshaw at editor@sec-ed.co.uk