Special educational needs and inclusion · year-long streams

Every child can make progress from where they are

Two self-contained programmes for children with special educational needs, learning difficulties or slower progress. Placement is by developmental stage, found through a free diagnostic, never by age alone.

Talk to our inclusion team Brochure (PDF)

Getting started

A free diagnostic shows your child’s developmental stage and skill gaps.
Our special educational needs teacher recommends the right level in each stream.
We agree an individual education plan with you, and with the school and therapists where helpful.
Your child starts in a small, dedicated group with the right materials.

What are special educational needs?

When learning is harder than it should be

A child has special educational needs when they find learning significantly harder than most children of the same age, and need teaching that is planned differently to make good progress. It is not a measure of intelligence or effort. With the right teaching, small steps and patience, these children learn, grow in confidence and often surprise everyone, including themselves.

A diagnosis is not needed to join. Many families come to us simply because they can see their child is struggling.

Who we help

Needs we support

Reading and writing difficulties

Including dyslexia: slow or inaccurate reading, spelling that does not stick, and writing that does not match what the child knows.

Difficulties with number

Including dyscalculia: trouble with number sense, facts and calculation, even with plenty of practice.

Attention and focus

Including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: difficulty starting, sustaining and finishing work, and with organisation and memory.

Autism, communication and social learning

Children who learn best with structure, clear language, visual support and a calm space.

Speech and language needs

Difficulty understanding instructions, finding words or putting ideas into sentences.

Slower progress and gaps

Children who have fallen behind, missed school, changed curriculum or lost confidence, with or without a diagnosis.

Our promise

Four commitments to every family

Specially trained teachers

Taught only by Spectrum teachers with special-education training, never by rotating mainstream staff.

An individual education plan for every child

Small, clear targets each term, agreed with parents and aligned with the school’s plans and any therapist’s recommendations.

Progress against their own baseline

Measured against where your child started, never against age norms. Revisiting a level is celebrated, not counted as a setback.

Tiny groups and calm rooms

Groups of two to four with a one-to-one option, 30–45 minute sessions with movement breaks, in a calm, low-stimulation space.

Two year-long streams

Mathematics, and language and reasoning

Growing with Numbers

Mathematics · 16 levels

A mastery ladder from early sensory numeracy to pre-Diploma mathematics. Every topic moves from concrete to pictorial to abstract, and children move up only when a level is secure.

Concrete–pictorial–abstract teaching in every topic
Mastery gates before each new level
Visual schedules, step cards and over-learning for working memory
Real-life projects: a shop, a budget, a survey
Termly re-diagnostic and skill-gap report

Think, Read and Reason

Language, comprehension and reasoning · 16 levels

Explicit, scaffolded teaching of comprehension and logical reasoning, the two strongest predictors of later success in school, with plenty of repetition and a predictable structure.

Levels 1–5: oral language, phonics and early comprehension
Levels 6–10: reasoning tools and critical reading
Levels 11–16: academic and exam-style critical literacy
Sentence frames, visual word banks and pre-teaching
Decodable and audio-supported texts matched to each stage

The materials for every level

A learner pack with short, visual, step-by-step activities
A teacher guide with scripts and adaptations
Visual resources: step cards, word banks and schedules
A home-practice pack for parents, ten minutes a day
An assessment and review sheet for each target

How progress is measured

Entry diagnostic and a re-diagnostic every term
Weekly practice tasks and a termly benchmark with a project rubric
A yearly certificate and showcase portfolio
Always compared with your child’s own starting point

Working with families

Termly meetings and written reports
Home-practice packs and guidance
Liaison with your child’s school and therapists, with your permission
All information kept confidential

For teachers and schools

Talk to us

Ask about the inclusion streams

Tell us a little about your child. Our inclusion team calls you within two working days.