A key consideration for all schools that EduFinance works with is how they will deliver quality SEND provision. SEND stands for "special educational needs and disabilities". It refers to learning difficulties or disabilities that can make it harder for a child or young person to learn than their peers. SEND can also impact a child's ability to socialize or behave.

For several years Lucy Odhiambo, a SEND inclusion specialist from Kenya, worked with EduFinance to deliver staff training and implement strategies throughout EduQuality. She brought expertise in SEND inclusion, and how to address key challenges with best practice approaches that now form part of Teacher Mentor Professional Development and School Leadership Professional Development training EduQuality offers.

Background and Motivation for Working in Education

Lucy shared that her background includes both general and special needs education training, with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in these fields. She explained her motivation for working in schools, saying, "I chose schools because they are the gateway to the future society, where lives are touched directly. Apart from home, school is where learners are molded." She recounted how, after excelling in her studies, she was invited back to her school as a mentor for younger girls. "There was this satisfaction I had never experienced. I would go home so happy with a rare feeling of satisfaction, like, this is it!" That experience shifted her career goals, and she decided to specialize in supporting all types of learners in education.

Challenges in Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Provision

Lucy identified key challenges facing the affordable non-state schools EduQuality partners with regarding SEND provision. The first challenge is "the lack of adequate resources," particularly in human resources, where trained special education teachers are in short supply. She noted that "schools often hire semi-trained or unqualified teachers to save on costs." Another issue is the high cost of teaching resources and assistive devices, which often leads school leaders to brush aside the provision of inclusive resources due to budget constraints. "If you want to include learners with disabilities, you must have assistive devices," she stressed. Schools also need facilities designed to support learners with mobility challenges, such as ramps, grab bars, and accessible washrooms.

The third major challenge is attitudinal. "Unless attitudinal issues surrounding SEND are demystified, schools won’t provide for it, even if they have the finances," she explained. This includes attitudes from students, teachers, and parents, which can create barriers to inclusion. "Some parents struggle with trusting that their children with disabilities will be accepted in schools, especially given past experiences of rejection in their communities." Lucy highlighted the discrimination students with disabilities often face due to a lack of "disability mainstreaming talks" that could foster acceptance. This discrimination, she said, is rooted in ableism, a social prejudice against people with disabilities. Lucy described how some children, particularly those with visual or physical disabilities, are judged and treated as "objects of shame or discomfort" even within their families, facing rejection from parents or the community.

Lucy spoke about how the EduQuality training for Teacher Mentor Professional Development and School Leadership Professional Development programs, have been adapted: "We have integrated social-emotional learning to address needs, not just for those with special needs but for all learners," Lucy said. These modules are backed by research and field-tested methods, making them highly effective. Through training programs, "education specialists are empowered to train teachers and school leaders in inclusive practices."

School Leadership Professional Development

The module on Inclusive School Culture integrated into the School Leadership Professional Development schedule aims to help participants understand and foster inclusivity within educational institutions. This module takes place in Year 2 and focuses on three primary objectives:

• Understanding Inclusive School Culture: Participants learn what constitutes an inclusive school culture and why it is crucial for the success of all learners, particularly those with disabilities. This includes identifying and overcoming barriers to ensure that students from diverse backgrounds, including those with disabilities, feel safe, included, and supported within the school environment.
• Developing Strategies for Inclusivity: The module introduces specific strategies to support learners with disabilities, with emphasis on individualized education plans, accessibility, and fostering social and emotional learning. Techniques include disability awareness, adapting facilities, and linking with external experts for better support services.
• Creating Action Plans: Participants create action plans tailored to their schools to enhance inclusivity, covering essential steps like assessing the school’s current culture, setting priorities, and defining roles and timelines for improvements. The aim is to create a structured approach to make schools more welcoming and accessible to all students.

Teaching methods in this module include interactive sessions such as icebreakers and discussions on types of disabilities. These methods encourage self-reflection, team collaboration, and hands-on application to cultivate a sustainable, inclusive culture within schools.

The training for school leaders focuses on equipping them with the tools and strategies needed to create an inclusive school culture. Leaders begin by assessing their school's current state and identifying areas for improvement. They learn to set actionable goals, delegate roles, and establish timelines and budgets to address inclusivity challenges. Hands-on exercises, such as using the Inclusive School Culture Walkthrough Tool, help leaders evaluate key inclusivity metrics, including facility accessibility and social-emotional learning support. This allows them to pinpoint barriers and take steps toward creating a supportive environment for all learners.

The training also guides leaders in developing comprehensive action plans to address these barriers. Reflective exercises encourage leaders to evaluate their school's strengths and weaknesses, fostering actionable insights.

This structured, practical approach ensures that school leaders are well-prepared to create a culture that promotes equal access, enhances student engagement, and improves learning outcomes across diverse student populations.

Teacher Mentor Professional Development

The Teacher Mentor Professional Development Programme Module "Supporting All Learners" is focused on equipping teachers with strategies to adapt their teaching practices and classroom environments to foster inclusivity for all learners. This module, which is the first in Year 3, emphasizes Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a framework to address the varied needs, backgrounds, and abilities of students, creating engaging, accessible, and supportive classrooms.

Learning Objectives

The module’s main objective is to help teachers learn how to modify teaching methods and environments to support diverse learners effectively. Success criteria include:

• Explaining the importance of adapting teaching methods and classroom arrangements to meet diverse needs.
• Using UDL principles to design lessons that are flexible and inclusive.
• Applying specific strategies like Dual Coding, which combines visual and verbal information, to enhance comprehension and engagement.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as the Most Effective Inclusive Approach

Lucy emphasized the importance of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), calling it "the most effective technique in an inclusive classroom." UDL is built on three principles: Representation, Engagement, and Action and Expression.

1. Representation (The WHAT of Learning): Lucy explained, "Teachers should present information in multiple formats because learners have different methods of learning." This could mean offering materials visually, auditorily, or kinesthetically, allowing students to choose what works best for them. "Representation must be informed by assessment because teachers need to know what works for each learner."
2. Engagement (The WHY of Learning): This principle focuses on giving students purpose and motivation. Lucy said, "Teachers should allow learners to make their own choices, make assignments meaningful, and let learning feel like a game." When learners have choice, they’re more motivated, creating a "fire" within them to take charge of their learning.
3. Action and Expression (The HOW of Learning): Here, learners are given various ways to demonstrate what they know. "Traditionally, students were limited to paper and pen, but now they can create video essays, give oral presentations, or participate in group demonstrations," Lucy explained. This principle fosters "strategic and goal-directed learning," helping students become more engaged and confident.

Each principle is intended to provide diverse ways for students to engage with content, process information, and showcase their knowledge, thereby accommodating different learning preferences and abilities.

Practical Applications

Teachers are encouraged to apply UDL by:

• Creating flexible learning spaces that allow both independent and collaborative work.
• Offering various assignment formats to allow students to demonstrate understanding in ways that suit them best.
• Setting individualized goals and providing consistent feedback to support students’ progress.

Through reflective questions and exercises, teachers analyze their current practices and identify barriers their students may face. They then plan adjustments to enhance inclusivity, such as creating classroom routines that build security for learners or providing different formats for materials to address individual needs.

Lucy concluded that these UDL principles are essential for creating modern, inclusive classrooms. "It makes teaching more fun, not limited to one option, and it gives learners the chance to take charge of their learning," she explained. UDL, in her words, is "the backbone of learner-centered education, where the teacher guides, but learners make their own choices."

Lucy’s passion for inclusive education was exemplified when she expressed the transformative power of choice and flexibility for students, saying, "When you give students choice, it sets a fire in them."

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Lucy Odhiambo worked with Opportunity EduFinance as a Product Development Consultant, Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND). She is based in Kenya.

 Previously Lucy was the Special Needs Education Lead on the Special Needs Education (SNE) & Disability Inclusion mandate of Education Development Trust’s (EDT) Let Our Girls Succeed (Wasichana Wetu Wafaulu) Project of Girls Education Challenge, funded by the FCDO. She has helped bring on board select public universities to partner with the Education Development Trust (EDT) in Special Needs Education (SNE) and Inclusion. Representing EDT (which sponsored the process), Lucy participated in the Teacher Education Policy development, to mainstream inclusion into the policy. Lucy also initiated stakeholder engagement toward Assessment Policy for Learners and Trainees with Disabilities.

Lucy has worked with Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International as the Special Needs Education Officer on the USAID Kenya Tusome (‘Let Us Read') Early Grade Reading Activity in Kenya. Lucy represented RTI in the review of the 2009 Kenya Special Needs Education Policy, organized by the Ministry of Education and funded by The Agile and Harmonized Assistance for Devolved Institutions (AHADI) - USAID, which led to the May 2018 Education Sector Policy for Learners and Trainees with Disabilities.

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