Between January and March 2022, we piloted adaptations to our Topical Talk programme to make it more accessible for SEND students. Over the course of three months we:

• Created and published a series of SEND-appropriate teaching resources to enable young people to join discussions about the news. These have been downloaded over 3,000 times.
  
• Consulted teachers working with SEND children and integrated their feedback to make our teaching resources and online learning site more accessible.
  
• Trained SEND teachers to facilitate high-quality discussions about the news.

"The structure and accessibility of the resources have allowed students to venture forward in their thinking and it’s been noticeable even after a few weeks. They are tackling things they would have been frightened to tackle – the concepts and the understanding they have now has been beyond anything I have seen them be able to get to with other resources." - Denise Jackson, Laleham Gap

OUR KEY TAKE-AWAYS FROM THE PILOT:

1. SEND specialist schools and teachers are in a very good position to bring topical discussions into the classroom to develop media literacy. For example, they often have more curriculum flexibility.
2. A focus on inclusion benefits media literacy programmes as a whole, making them more impactful for all students, not just those with identified SEND needs. 
3. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to adaptation, so supporting teachers to adapt for their particular students is critical.
4. It’s particularly important to provide structured support with online learning.