Research and Development


“We need to create a professional learning community that is committed to inquiry-led practice; we need a new generation of research that is practitioner-led, inquiry-focused and evidence based.” (Carpenter, 2015)


As part of the process of moving towards a more self-sustaining system, there is an expectation that schools will ensure that the approaches they use are evidence informed and research based.

The EEF has played a key role in this, providing guidance and reports on the most effective ways of teaching pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged. However, EEF guidance on teaching approaches for pupils with SEND, is still very limited. Therefore, at Kingfisher we are engaging in action research as a means of discovering what approaches work best to ensure optimum engagement in learning for the children in order to:

  • generate evidence which will support innovation and sustain that practice
  • ‘bust myths’ – reducing the risk of false beliefs compromising children’s learning opportunities
  • support teaching staff to question, explore and develop their practice
  • provide a means of solving everyday problems to improve children’s learning
  • contribute to developing a better understanding of SEND within and beyond school.

Kingfisher Special School is committed to sharing effective approaches for meeting the needs of pupils with SEND with the wider school system through our external CPL offer.


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