St Mary’s University School of Education is delighted to offer a brand new CPD course for teachers of learners with SEND wanting to further enhance their understanding of how to effectively support individuals in mathematics.
A course designed to reach teachers of SEND students, whether in mainstream or special schools, with a focus on developing the teachers’ ability to teach mathematics to these students.
In this course there will be opportunities to explore the specific needs of the children in your class with regards to the areas of mathematics that they need the most support in. In each session there will be evidence-based input and a discussion of how this applies to the children in your class. Then you will have a gap task to try with one of your children, which you will discuss during the following session. This course is based on research evidence that ongoing communities of practice that build teachers’ competence, autonomy and relatedness are an effective way to deliver professional development. This course is delivered by Dr Helen Thouless and René Hartmann, lecturers and experts in teaching mathematics to children with a variety of SEND.
St Mary’s School of Education offers longstanding excellence in professional learning, which is affirmed by our reputation for education degrees, active research centres, and 'outstanding' delivery of initial teacher education.
Date and time
This course is being run in a series of four twilight sessions and is offered in person at St Mary's University from 4.30 - 6.30pm on Tuesday 13 January 2026, Tuesday 3 March 2026, Tuesday 21 April 2026, and Tuesday 23 June 2026.
Location
The course is delivered in person at St Mary's University, London.
Price
The full course cost is £360.
Content
Throughout the course you will be introduced to the research on teaching mathematics to children with SEND. As SEND is a very broad category, we will ask you to select one child to focus on during the course, so that the exact nature of the mathematics and the pedagogical practices will depend on the needs of the participants’ focus children.
The course develops teachers’ ability to analyse their children with SEND’s strengths and mathematical weaknesses, and thus to teach them with the appropriate level of challenge. By working together in a community of practice to solve pedagogical challenges from their own classroom, teachers will leave with increased autonomy and competence to teach mathematics to their children with SEND.
Topics to be covered in the course include:
- Dynamic assessment
- Number
- Additive reasoning
- Multiplicative reasoning.
More specific topics will be flexible, dependent on the needs of the children in the classes of the participants.
Requirements
To enrol on this short course, you should be a teacher who is teaching children with SEND, whether in mainstream or in special schools.
Before you come to the first session, have a child in mind that you will follow throughout this course. Think both about the child’s strengths and the areas of mathematics that they need to develop further.
Award
Upon successful completion of the course, you will receive a certificate of attendance from St Mary’s University.