SEND Enjoyment in innovation
Education Today hears from regular SEND columnist Dr FREYA SPICER-WHITE, Chief Clinical Officer at Outcomes First Group.
As a clinical psychologist specialising in SEND, I see how technology is reshaping classrooms at a pace that would have seemed unthinkable even a decade ago. Immersive rooms, virtual reality (VR), and AI-enabled tools are becoming increasingly integrated into both mainstream and SEND learning environments. A 2023 meta-analysis of VR use in elementary education showed that pupils learning through virtual environments achieved significantly higher academic outcomes than those taught through traditional methods. Similarly, research examining VR-enhanced engagement has demonstrated that digital tools can meaningfully increase cognitive engagement, motivation and participation, all core contributors to learning.
These findings point to something important: immersive and interactive technologies are not merely innovative for innovation’s sake. They hold genuine potential to strengthen learning experiences for many pupils, including those with SEND, who often benefit from structured sensory input, high predictability, and environments that scaffold attention and emotional regulation. I saw this in action recently at Skylarks Options Autism School where I observed a pupil fully engaged in an immersive room lesson about Tudor Kings and Queens. The pupil was moving to each portrait, engaging in an interactive quiz (and getting the answers correct) and he was, most importantly, enjoying himself.
Enjoyment remains one of the most crucial psychological mechanisms underpinning long-term educational success; other factors include emotional safety, curiosity and meaningful engagement. Recent research has reinforced this principle. A study by Laine and colleagues (2023) found that primary pupils exploring environmental studies by “wandering” through 360-degree virtual countries showed greater cognitive and emotional engagement, as well as increased inspiration in their learning. This effect emerged not because the technology was impressive, but because it enhanced pupils’ sense of agency, immersion, and joy. This aligns with broader evidence showing that immersive VR experiences heighten emotional involvement, focus and knowledge mastery among school-aged learners. Findings from VR science lessons similarly show improvements in academic achievement, motivation, and reduced cognitive load, demonstrating how immersive environments can support deeper conceptual understanding.
These insights extend meaningfully to SEND contexts. Pupils with complex needs often require learning environments that reduce unpredictability, offer clear visual pathways, and allow for controlled sensory exploration. Immersive rooms and VR platforms create the possibility of safe, predictable, multi-sensory learning, enabling pupils to rehearse skills, practise regulation strategies, and explore content in ways not easily achievable through traditional teaching alone. Evidence shows that VR can be especially effective for learners with additional needs, increasing behavioural, cognitive and affective engagement when used intentionally.
This new technology requires thoughtful implementation, staff confidence and pedagogical clarity. Research has also highlighted challenges: teachers need training, digital literacy varies, and not all pupils benefit equally from immersive experiences. The most impactful learning environments will therefore be those in which educators integrate technology because it enhances enjoyment and engagement, not because it appears more high-tech.
Innovation and using technology in our classrooms is at its best when it honours the fundamental truth at the heart of education, which is simply that children learn most effectively when they enjoy learning.
20
www.education-today.co.uk
The Canopy Cwtch and the power of collaborative EBSNA support
SENCo LUCIE O’BRIEN discusses how Tudor Grange Academy Worcester is addressing EBSNA.
The challenges surrounding Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA) have become increasingly present at a national and local level. Persistent absenteeism now affects over 20% of learners and SEND is disproportionately represented in these figures. But numbers cannot capture the
lived experience of young people who desperately want to attend school but feel unable to do so, nor the emotional toll this takes on families and the dedicated professionals working tirelessly to support them each day. As a SENCo, I have often felt adrift; treading water in isolation and trying anything to reduce the barriers to attendance. As thresholds for wider SEND and health services are high, our systems and spaces have become increasingly overwhelmed by growing needs and many young people have sadly become entrenched in patterns of non-attendance.
Recognising this, at TGAW we began to think more strategically. Collaborative problem-solving (across leaders and staff with expertise and responsibility in SEND and attendance including the DSL, Family Support Worker, PP Champion, Family Thrive practitioners and Attendance Welfare Officer) shifted the experience from isolated effort to collective responsibility. Drawing inspiration from colleagues across the community, alongside guidance from Educational Psychologists and pedagogical research into EBSNA, we set out to design our own buoyancy aid; something to keep both young people and staff afloat during these turbulent times. And thus the Canopy Cwtch was born. Inspired by the Welsh term for a ‘cuddle’, the Cwtch aimed to offer warmth, belonging, and a daily point of respite for our EBSNA students. Crucially, this sanctuary existed not only as a physical space but as a relational one, echoing the growing national evidence that emphasises the importance of early, regular and relationship-centred support in reducing escalating emotional barriers to attendance. We chose to staff the intervention with highly trained, warm, non-judgemental members of the SENDi team, recognising that this is what was required to bridge the gap between home and school at this stage.
Implementation began in Autumn 2025, after a cohort of at-risk students was identified through our Single Point of Access (SPA) meetings. These learners were displaying early avoidance behaviours such as frequent visits to our medical area, increased use of regulation spaces, lateness, and reduced lesson attendance. The intervention took place each morning from 08:30–10:00am, purposefully focusing on the part of the school day that typically triggers the highest levels of anxiety. Sessions were held in the calm, cosy environment of the ‘Book Nook’ and were facilitated by a Family Thrive practitioner alongside our Family Support Worker. During this time, students engaged in reflective EBSNA-focused and Thrive based activities, supporting them to reflect on their own risk and resilience factors and to gradually build strategies for managing their emotional responses to the school environment. The intervention had a clear positive impact: it helped to identify underlying needs requiring further assessment or health involvement, strengthened the evidence base for a small number of EHCNa applications and offered families much-needed reassurance. Families reported smoother mornings and a sense of relief that their child had a structured, nurturing space that they could access. For some of our highest need students at risk of non-attendance, the consistency of staffing allowed them to build genuine, stable relationships for the first time.
One continued challenge is in quality assuring this project as EBSNA progress cannot be meaningfully reflected through attendance percentages alone, and traditional metrics often failed to capture emotional development. Moreover, some students have become heavily reliant on the intervention, creating more complex reintegration journeys than anticipated. As a next step in reducing this barrier, we have developed a model in which students from Cohort One act as peer leaders for Cohort Two, supporting graded exposure back into lessons, boosting their confidence, and maintaining the relational heart of the intervention.
Reflecting on this journey, the most significant learning has been the importance of collaborative working; EBSNA is too complex and emotionally charged for any one professional to hold alone.
March 2026
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
