"I feel" cards

Children who are unable or unwilling to verbalise their feelings may find it easier to use cards which indicate their current mood. Here are some cards you can downnload and print out to support communication

Action checklist for transition to school

Here is a short checklist of things to consider when supporting children with disabilities as they transition into or within a school.

Activity cards

Using cards as visual aids to support pupils to articulate or understand schedules, activities and timelines can be very effective. Here are a set of cards which describe various activities that can be used in a variety of ways including timelines or as communciation aids.

Activity clock template

Helping children understand how long activities take or when they start and finish is an important way of building their confidence in the classroom. Use this template to support children to understand the schedule in your classroom.

Building Communication Skills

Communication is vital to every person. It enables us to express ourselves to say what we like or dislike, how we are feeling, what we need or want, and to form relationships with people and the world around us. Every person can communicate in some way. The key is working with, listening to and observing to find out exactly how the person would like to communicate.

Building social skills

Social skills are crucial for children to succeed in life. These skills enable a child to understand their own emotions and relate to other people and the world around them.

Communicating with children with disabilities

Communicating effectively is at the heart of delivering inclusive education. Here are a few tips on ways of communicating with and engaging pupils with disabilities

Creating a positive behaviour and behaviour management policy

A behaviour management policy is a great tool to have in your school to support the school comunity's understanding of how to approach behaviour challenges within the school environment

Creating inclusive school rules

School rules are an important part of the day, but these need to be accessible, achievable and understood by all.

Days of the week cards

Using visual aids to support children's understanding of the schedule and strucutre of the week can be an effective way of supporting communication and engagement. Use these cards on timelines or as communication cards.n

Establishing good relationships with parents and carers

Here are a few suggestions on the foundations of building relationships with pareants and carers of children in your class.

Feelings chart

A visual aid to help children express their feelings in a non-verbal way

Fun activities to build communication skills

Here are some fun activities you can use with children to help build their understanding of and ability to communicate.

Gesture cards

Using gestures and signs to articulate common words and needs can support communication with individuals with disabilities who are unable or unwilling to speak

Good parent-teacher communication

The strength of communciation between parents and teachers is very important when working to build inclusive classrooms. Here a a few basic tips to help you.

How to create an inclusive classroom

Inclusive classrooms lie at the heart of accessible education - find out how to make your classroom inclusive

Individual Behaviour Plan

Behaviour plans are important tools which allow you to create expectations and understandings between pupils, parents and the school. Use this template to start to develop a behaviour plan in collaboration with individuals, their circle of support and school staff.

Individual Education Plan template

An Individual Education Plan (IEP) is a comprehensive tool that can be used to understand the needs, develop a learning journey and succeed in realising the potential of pupils with disabilities. Here is a plan that you can use and develop for use in your own classroom to use with your pupils.

Lower Primary: getting to know you classroom activities

Creating positive relationships between pupils in your class is an important part of creating an inclusive classroom. Here are some ideas you can use for lower primary age children.

Maintaining good relationships with parents and carers

Any parent or carer needs to feel listened to and valued. Never forget that they are entrusting you with the most precious thing to them. Having established a good relationship with parents/carers it is, like in any relationship important to put time and effort into maintaining a good relationship.

Pre-school: getting to know you classroom activities

Creating positive relationships between pupils in your class is an important part of creating an inclusive classroom. Here are some ideas you can use for pre-school age children.

Preparing a child with a disability for school

Successful inclusion in the classroom starts with preparations that begin before a child enters school. Here is a short guide to understanding some of the factors which need to be considered when preparing a child to participate in school.

The M&M Challenge - pupil engagement activity

An accessible activity for the classroom in which pupils can get to know more about each other and understand each other more

The cup game - pupil engagement activity

Activities which are accessible to the whole class are important to build an inclusive classroom. The Cup Game is an activity that is not only inclusive, but can also teach inclusive responses.

Transitions action plan template

To support children in transition, whether into school or within school, an agreed plan is an invaluable tool you can use to ease the challenges of change. Download and use this template to support individuals to experience change positively.

Upper Primary and Secondary: getting to know you classroom activities

Creating positive relationships between pupils in your class is an important part of creating an inclusive classroom. Here are some ideas you can use for upper primary or secondary age children.

Use of language about disability

The words we use matter - they can empower or weaken those who we are talking to and working with. Here are some tips on how to use language to engage and support.

We are all unique - pupil engagement activity

An accessible activity which both teaches inclusion and is inclusive in itself

Why working with parents and carers matters

For a pupil to succeed in school, there needs to be a strong relationship and partnership between teachers and parents/carers. This short guide explains some reasons why you need to work to develop this.