The “Waves of Intervention” model provides a structured, tiered approach to supporting children with special educational needs (SEN). It ranges from high-quality classroom teaching (Wave 1) to targeted small-group support (Wave 2) and personalised, specialised, or external support (Wave 3) for students with, or awaiting, an EHCP.

Wave 1: Quality First Teaching

This represents high-quality, inclusive teaching for all children in the school, ensuring that learning is tailored to individual needs through differentiation.  Key components of Wave 1 include:

  • Inclusive Environment: Tailoring lessons to meet the diverse needs of all learners within the main classroom setting.
  • Adaptive Teaching: Adjusting teaching methods, tasks, and resources to ensure access for all, including those with SEND.
  • Formative Assessment: Ongoing, active assessment to check understanding and immediately adapt teaching.
  • High Expectations: Fostering a belief in the potential of every pupil.

Wave 2: Targeted Support

This involves specific, time-limited, small-group or 1:1 interventions for pupils who need extra help to catch up or progress. This might include nurture groups, reading programs, or pastoral support. Find out more


Wave 3: Individualised Support

This is a personalised, highly tailored plan for children who require more intensive, specialised support. This stage often involves external specialists (e.g. educational psychologists, speech therapists) and is commonly for children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).