SEND is not about having all the answers, it is about building confidence through adaptive teaching, reflection, and mentoring.
SEND is no longer a marginal issue in schools; it is woven into the fabric of everyday teaching. Almost every classroom includes pupils with a wide range of needs, diagnoses, and experiences, many potentially undiagnosed. Yet for many trainee and early career teachers, SEND remains one of the areas where confidence feels most fragile.
This is not because trainees lack care or commitment. More often, it stems from how SEND is framed. When inclusive practice is positioned as specialist knowledge, something you either “have” or don’t, teachers can quickly feel inadequate. The pressure to know what to do, to get it right, or to “fix” difficulties can give rise to guilt and self-doubt, particularly when progress feels slow or uncertain.
Initial Teacher Training (ITT) is uniquely placed to shift this narrative, and mentors sit at the heart of the solution.
From specialist knowledge to adaptive practice
At its best, SEND practice is not about diagnosis or mastery of conditions. It is about noticing, responding, and making thoughtful decisions in complex situations. This kind of adaptive expertise develops over time, through experience, reflection, and collaboration.
ITT programmes already teach many of the foundations of inclusive practice: formative assessment, responsive planning, scaffolding, behaviour support, and building relationships. However, trainees do not always recognise these as SEND skills. Mentors play a crucial role in making this learning visible, naming where inclusive practice is already happening and reinforcing the message that SEND is not separate from good teaching, but central to it.
The mentor as “sense maker”
Mentors strongly influence how trainees interpret their experiences. When mentors talk openly about uncertainty, explain their decision-making, and model reflective thinking, they show trainees that professional judgement is something that is built, not bestowed.
A mentor who asks “What did you notice?” or “What might you try next?” does more to develop confidence than one who simply provides answers. By thinking aloud, mentors demystify SEND and help trainees understand that not having an immediate solution is a normal and professional starting point.
Equally important is how mentors frame responsibility. Trainees can easily feel that they alone are accountable for meeting pupils’ needs. Mentors can counter this by emphasising SEND as shared work, drawing in colleagues, teaching assistants, SENDCos, and wider school systems. This collective framing reduces pressure and supports more sustainable practice.
Creating space for reflection
One of the biggest barriers to SEND development is time. Training programmes are full, schools are busy, and reflection is often squeezed to the margins. Mentors can protect reflective space by ensuring SEND conversations are not rushed or task-focused, but exploratory and supportive.
Mentor meetings that allow trainees to talk honestly about concerns, frustrations, or uncertainties help contain the emotional labour of teaching. Simply acknowledging that SEND work carries emotional weight can significantly enhance self-efficacy and prevent confidence from eroding.
Shaping beliefs, not just practice
Mentors also play a quiet but powerful role in shaping beliefs. They model expectations, about pupils, about inclusion, and about what is possible. Challenging deficit thinking, avoiding over-reliance on labels, and maintaining high aspirations alongside realistic support sends a strong message about inclusive values.
ITT as part of the solution
When ITT programmes and mentors work together to reframe SEND, build collaborative habits, and foreground reflective decision-making, SEND becomes less of a burden and more of a shared professional endeavour.
Confidence grows not from having all the answers, but from knowing how to think, who to work with, and where to turn next. Mentors are pivotal in helping new teachers learn exactly that.
by Keith Ford: Responsible Officer: ITT and Training