Mr Khan’s Adaptive Teaching Guide

The Adaptive Teaching Toolkit

Bite-size, evidence-based strategies for support, on track, more challenge and SEND

Every class has pupils who need more support, pupils who are on track and pupils who are ready for more. Many classes also include pupils with SEND. So how do you meet all of those needs without planning five different lessons?

The answer is adaptive teaching, and this toolkit shows you how to do it well. It's written by a working primary teacher, checked against official guidance, and designed to be read in minutes and used tomorrow.

What's inside

11 bite-size sections:

• Adaptive teaching in 60 seconds: what it is, what it isn't and the simple cycle behind it
• Myth-busters: learning styles, three worksheets every lesson, fixed ability tables, and what the evidence really says
• The EEF five-a-day toolkit: five strategies that help every pupil, and particularly pupils with SEND, each with an idea to try tomorrow
• Scaffolds that fade: seven scaffolds and exactly how to remove them, so pupils become independent
• Same goal, three routes: worked examples for "needs more support", "on track" and "ready for more challenge", from Reception to Year 6, in maths, English and science
• Stretching pupils who are ready for more: making pupils think harder about the same idea, rather than just giving them more questions
• SEND made simple: the four areas of need with quick wins for each, plus the latest figures
• The graduated approach: assess, plan, do, review on one page
• Working with your TA: prompts and routines that build independence
• 5 printable templates: adaptive lesson planner, pupil passport, scaffold checklist, flexible group tracker and a one-page SEND quick reference
• Full sources page: so you know exactly where the evidence comes from

Why you can trust it

Everything in this toolkit has been checked against:

• The Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (DfE, in force since September 2025)
• The SEND Code of Practice
• Guidance from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF)

No fixed ability labels and no lowered expectations: just one ambitious goal for every pupil, with the right support to get there.

Who it's for

• Class teachers from Reception to Year 6
• Early career teachers getting to grips with adaptive teaching
• Teaching assistants supporting pupils in class
• SENDCos and mentors looking for a clear, shareable resource

Written for primary schools in England.

What you get

• An instant download of a 21-page PDF, ready to read or print
• An editable Word file, so you can adapt the templates for your class

Stop making three worksheets for every lesson. Start teaching adaptively.

Please note: this toolkit is general guidance and does not replace your school's policies, your SENDCo's advice or professional advice about individual pupils. Guidance and statistics were checked in October 2026. It is licensed for use by the buyer. You may print templates for your own classroom, but please don't share, upload or resell any part of it.