Thousands of children with SEND to benefit from assistive tech in the classroom

Thousands of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) will benefit from more support in the classroom, as government launches an innovative, new pilot to trial assistive technology in up to 4,000 schools.  

Backed by up to £1.7m, ‘lending libraries' will be set up in up to 32 local authorities and will enable schools in the area to borrow and trial a range of devices to suit their pupils' needs. 

The lending libraries will be stocked with a range of tools, including reading pens to scan text and read it aloud, dictation tools which convert spoken word into text, and tablets which leverage images to help non-verbal pupils communicate. 

This will help schools support a wide range of needs, including dyslexia, autism and ADHD, as well as increasing independence and belonging and helping achieve the government's mission of excellence everywhere for every child. 

The lending libraries model adopts a ‘try before you buy' approach. This gives schools the opportunity to measure the impact of different devices before making an upfront investment – building confidence in what works and reducing the risk of wasted expenditure. 

The impact is clear among schools which have already introduced assistive technology alongside staff training, with 86% of school staff surveyed identifying a positive impact on behaviour and 89% witnessing greater confidence amongst pupils with SEND. 

Minister for School Standards, Catherine McKinnell said: 

“We're committed to reforming the SEND system to break down barriers to learning and achieve excellence everywhere for every child.  

“Assistive technology can play a key role in this and unlocks learning for so many children – so that attention difficulties, communication issues or struggles with literacy don't stand in the way of children learning with their friends at their local school. 

“We're committed to driving inclusivity across all schools and this pilot is a brilliant step towards making that happen, supporting teachers and giving all children the tools they need to achieve and thrive.” 

The investment comes as new government statistics reveal that the number of children with EHCPs has increased by 11% to 638,700, clearly highlighting that needs are not being met early enough.  

The government is committed to turning this around by ensuring schools are able to identify needs at the earliest point and have the expertise and resources to deliver the support that's needed and reassure parents that their children can achieve and thrive in mainstream education.   

Bryony Herbert, parent of a pupil at Leo Academy Trust, said:

"My son, Archie, has dyslexia and always used to struggle getting his thoughts down onto paper without getting frustrated and upset. He often found his homework too difficult as he did not understand certain words or what they meant, making him incredibly emotional.

"Now, he has access to a chrome book laptop provided by his school with talk to text functions. These functions allow him to have pieces of text read out to him, and he can respond back with the laptop noting his responses - massively benefitting him as he no longer relies on reading to access information.  

"Archie is now willing to sit down and do his homework whilst actually enjoying what he is learning because he doesn't have to struggle anymore. He is also generally much happier as a result of the resources he has been given as he can properly express himself and his thoughts are no longer stuck in his head."

The impact also extends to the workforce, with assistive technology helping free up teacher and support staff time. Pupils will still receive the additional assistance they need, while staff can focus on what they do best – the face-to-face teaching that transforms pupils' life chances. 

The pilot will help address the gap in awareness around assistive technology, with only 13% of mainstream school leaders surveyed having heard of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices – which enable a child to click images or words on a touchscreen that the device reads aloud - and only 6% having introduced them. 

Julaan Govier, Curriculum Lead and Digital Champion & Cheryl Shirley, Director of Digital Learning, at LEO Academy Trust schools, said:

"Assistive technology has been a fantastic way to promote innovative and creative ways to access learning.

"Before using assistive technology, we were recognising many challenges children were facing in being able to fully access the curriculum. A handful of our students with dyslexic tendencies often felt frustrated as they were unable to vocalise themselves and found it really difficult to communicate through traditional methods.

“The integration of assistive technologies, which offer screen masks, screen readers, picture dictionaries, and translators, along with voice-to-text features, has profoundly transformed student learning and well-being. These tools enable students to increase their focus by eliminating distractions and reducing cognitive overload, and to communicate and demonstrate their understanding in ways that best suit their individual preferences. All our students are now able to integrate into their classrooms, with their peers, giving them dignity and confidence by working privately and in ways that work best for them."

The pilot builds on the recent extension of the PINS and ELSEC programmes, which upskill the teacher workforce and embed specialist support in mainstream settings, to ensure children with autism, ADHD or speech and language difficulties don't go unnoticed.  

These are critical steps on the government's mission to break down barriers to opportunity for children with SEND and ensure all children have the support they need to thrive in a mainstream setting. More details of the government's intended approach to SEND reform will be set out in a Schools White Paper in the autumn. 

Annamarie Hassall MBE, Chief Executive at Nasen said:

“At nasen we have seen the benefit of technology in the classroom. It's useful for all and particularly beneficial for pupils with learning differences and SEND needs.

“Assistive technology (AT) tools are increasingly built into everyday technology, ready to be enabled, and likewise there is a growing range of tailored AT products and resources available.

“From our work on AT with schools, colleges and settings, we know that having an opportunity to test out resources would build confidence. That's confidence of classroom staff and pupils alike, ensuring the best match of resources for the learning or access need.”

This is supported by wider investment to get more classes online and improve digital infrastructure, including £25 million to upgrade wireless networks this year and £20 million to complete delivery of fibre upgrades to 833 schools. Providing connectivity for more than 1.3 million pupils in 3,700 schools so far, as part of the government's wide-reaching Digital Inclusion Action Plan which will give the most digitally excluded groups the confidence and skills to benefit from digitisation.   

Assistive technology lending libraries form one part of the government's work testing SEND reforms through a reformulated Change Programme, focused on early intervention and support in mainstream schools.  

Local authorities participating in the pilot will be confirmed over the Summer, with pupils set to benefit from the start of the new school year. 

The delivery partner CENMAC will work closely with the Department for Education and participating local authorities to bring the lending library model to life, drawing on over 50 years of experience in assistive technology and inclusion.

ENDS  

Notes to editors  

1. Assistive Technology Test and Learn evaluation IFF Research 

1. School and college voice: April 2024 - GOV.UK