A daily emotional check-in helps teachers understand how pupils are feeling and adapt their support accordingly. At the start of each day, children select coloured clips representing different emotions, inspired by the Disney cartoon Inside Out, and place them near the classroom door. This simple routine allows students to express their emotional state in a non-verbal way.

The school also consistently applies the RAD principle — Respect, Attention, Discipline — to strengthen positive behaviour and mutual respect. A range of inclusive strategies supports students' self-regulation and autonomy, including headphones for concentration, movement breaks, sand timers, flexible seating, quiet areas, and access to tablets. Pupils are encouraged to choose the learning spaces and tools that best help them concentrate and participate.

Clear structures and routines further contribute to a supportive classroom environment. Daily practices such as removing shoes, organising materials, and bringing only necessary items into the learning space help reduce distractions and create order. Classroom doors are generally kept open, reinforcing a sense of openness, transparency, and community within the school. Additional routines include toilet signage, wind chimes to signal calm moments, and clearly displayed classroom rules.

Together, these practices create an inclusive atmosphere in which pupils feel secure, respected, and ready to learn.

Daily emotional check-ins can be integrated into primary school, especially in early years, bringing well-being into the classroom. Teachers can introduce this practice as part of the morning routine, allowing students to choose a character, colour, or picture to reflect on and answer the question “How are you feeling today?”. Before starting the practice, a few sessions should be dedicated to explaining why it is important, what each emotion means, and why students should respond honestly – there is no ‘right’ answer. It is also essential for the educator to clarify that this process is not connected to grades or academic performance. Allowing students collectively to choose the materials (character, colour, or picture) used for the emotional check-ins through a voting system can promote agency and engagement. 

Promoting inclusion through fixed routines is a meaningful practice for schools to invest in. Following the daily emotional check in, a presentation of the daily programme can follow. This approach can be extended in breaking down the learning session into a sequence of tasks, instructions and activities. 

The routines are closely connected to the school and classroom environment. Available equipment in the classroom, such as headphones, sand timers, sensory objects, and flexible seating, help students manage their attention, regulate emotions, and work in a way that best supports their learning needs. In practice, students may use headphones when working on independent tasks to improve concentration, while classroom furniture can be rearranged to better support project-based activities and collaborative learning. Clear classroom rules on how and when these materials should be used can be displayed on the walls using easy vocabulary and visuals.

Introducing each routine or practice in advance is essential. Students need to understand the approach and its purpose before it becomes part of daily classroom life. A pilot phase in the classroom is also important, as it allows the teacher to observe how the routine works in practice, identify any challenges, and decide what needs to be adjusted.

The learning space plays an essential role in inclusion and differentiation in the Am Park school. The teacher argues that the physical classroom environment must allow children to develop freely and work in ways that match their needs. The school has adopted the Chur Model of an inclusive approach, focusing on the design and flexibility of learning environments.  The model focuses on designing learning for all students from the outset, rather than adapting later for specific needs, and includes small-group instruction moments (often linked to mixed-age settings) that feel safer and more personal for pupils and reduce distraction. After receiving input, pupils work independently in flexible spaces: they may sit or stand, work at group tables, partner tables, or alone, and some may even choose to lie on a mattress. The classroom environment is designed to be flexible, open, and student-centred. For pupils who are easily distracted or irritated by peers, options such as partition walls and quiet corners support concentration. In this sense, the room is not just a physical setting, but a pedagogical tool designed to give each child the conditions they need to succeed.

Students are free to choose learning spaces that suit their needs, including quiet corners or working independently with digital tools such as tablets for listening exercises. Each classroom is equipped with a smartboard, which is used to display interactive tasks and visual materials that support learning activities. Therefore, teachers align the physical space with digital tools to enhance students’ engagement, learning outcomes and agency. 

The classroom also includes seating options such as benches, mats, cushions, and portable writing surfaces that can be used in different learning situations. Reading corners with curtains and a creative area provide additional spaces for individual or group work. Teachers feel comfortable reorganising the classroom by moving shelves, cupboards, and furniture using only the materials already available. This reflects as the underlying principle of the Chur model: trusting oneself as a teacher, trying things out, and learning through action rather than waiting for perfect conditions.

The learning space acts not only as a pedagogical tool but also as a means of inclusion. Flexible spaces allow teachers to promote inclusive and accessible learning. However, even if the space does not allow major changes, there are still simple steps that can be followed.

Teachers can organise the classroom into learning zones that support different learning styles and levels of concentration. For examples, a quiet corner can be created for pupils, including hyperactive or autistic students, so that they have a calm space to use when needed. 

Schools can draw inspiration from the Future Classroom Lab model which comprises six different learning zones (Interact, Exchange, Investigate, Create, Present, Develop).  Each space highlights specific areas of teaching and learning and stimulates reflection about physical space, resources, changing roles of student and teacher, and how to support different ways of learning. It is not necessary to implement every learning zone. Teachers can simply choose the ones that matter most for their context. For example, if a classroom lacks a dedicated space for collaboration, teachers might introduce an Exchange zone. The Exchange zone allows students to move their chairs, work in peers and engage in group activities. Working in groups help students to consider different opinions, listen to one another and respect diversity of ideas and learning preferences within the classroom.

Flexibility in classroom furniture is central to every learning activity. Teachers may have a fixed space and limited resources, yet they can still shape the environment to support their teaching goals. By offering multiple seating options based on the task and students’ needs, teachers embrace inclusion and promote supportive environment for every learner. 

Differentiated tasks and materials promote inclusivity, different learning levels are addressed through adapted assignments, and individual support is provided for pupils with specific needs, ideally with the help of support staff and teachers at Am Park school. 

Digital tools can play a central role in supporting inclusion and differentiation, for example: 

• Interactive whiteboards are used for interactive books, games, explanatory videos, and collaborative problem solving, and their multimodal nature supports different learning preferences.
• Tablets are mainly used for differentiation, repetition, and consolidation, especially for pupils with learning difficulties, allowing them to revisit content at their own pace and develop individual learning strategies. 
• Laptops support the production of presentations, text documents, and media projects such as students’ news bulletins. Pupils react very positively to digital media, working intuitively with technology and showing high motivation, particularly in creative projects like stop motion films or presentations.
• Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are increasingly used by both students and teachers. Pupils and parents sometimes rely on AI to support homework, while teachers use it for lesson preparation, administrative tasks, and differentiation. AI is also used to generate ideas, simplify texts, reformulate content into accessible language, or create visual story formats based on the students’ needs and characteristics. 

In short, digital technologies, are key enablers of independence and multimodal learning in the school.  Every student can work with tablets, access websites and tasks through QR codes, complete listening tasks independently, and engage in interactive exercises. A playful, sensory rich approach increases motivation, engagement and confidence.
 

The Am Park school uses a range of digital tools to support differentiated learning and make the learning environment more inclusive. These tools enable multimodal content delivery, adaptive learning pathways, and multiple assessment formats, offering educators the opportunity to create inclusive learning spaces efficiently. 

AI powered tools can personalise learning, simplifying texts, rewriting content in more accessible language and turning written information into pictures. For example, a complex curriculum text can be rewritten in clearer, learner friendly language for any subject. The same content can also be turned into a visual story or an illustrated sequence, creating easy to follow materials. This supports students with dyslexia or those facing language barriers, allowing them to understand the content and participate fully in the learning activity without limitations. These materials can also be included in students’ portfolios, especially for learners who need more time to process information, allowing them to revisit content at their own pace.

If there are minimum or no digital tools available, teachers can still promote differentiated learning. For example, they can present the same topic through a variety of formats – text, audio, visual, video, interactive activities – allowing students to engage with content in ways that best match their learning preferences and abilities. In a 45-minute secondary school physics lesson on force and motion, the first 15 minutes could focus on introducing the theory, followed by 10 minutes during which students choose to explore the topic through either a short video or an audio explanation (multimodal exploration). In the final 15 minutes, students could take part in an interactive classroom experiment to apply the concept in practice and strengthen their understanding through active engagement.
 

Student agency is supported in the school through structures that promote equal access, independence, and daily decision making. Homework and weekly plans focus on consolidation, repetition, and self responsibility rather than introducing new content, ensuring that all pupils can complete tasks without relying on privately owned digital devices or extensive support at home. Each student has a personal storage compartment for materials and daily tasks, which strengthens responsibility and self organisation. Students choose their seats each day and may select different learning places depending on the task, fostering autonomy and flexibility.

Equal access to materials is a central principle at school. Many students do not bring their own school supplies for various reasons. This does not hinder participation, as all necessary materials are readily available in the classroom, ensuring that every learner has the same starting conditions. 
The school embraces technology to support autonomy. Pupils are given considerable freedom in their use of digital tools and often surprise teachers with their creativity and initiative. Tablets, laptops, and interactive whiteboards are used for independent tasks and creative projects. Students’ creative work is displayed throughout the school, reinforcing a sense of ownership and pride.

Because many students receive limited academic support at home due to long childcare hours or parents’ language difficulties, the school teaches learning strategies, such as how to learn vocabulary independently or apply grammar rules without constant support from parents. This approach aims to ensure that every learner can progress toward personal goals and experience success without unnecessary obstacles.

Beyond offering access to materials for students in need, the Am Park school encourages a sense of personal responsibility from a young age through a personal storage approach. Each learner manages their own storage, which encourages organisation, independence and ownership of their learning tools. Even if a school does not have personal storage facilities, teachers can still create a strong sense of responsibility in the classroom.  Students can be encouraged to manage their materials by storing them in labelled folders kept in the classroom. They can revisit these folders and use the materials whenever needed. Learners can also take responsibility for organising their workspace, cleaning their desks at the end of the day, and throwing away (or recycling) items they no longer need. In addition, they can take ownership of their learning devices by updating them regularly and ensuring that devices are charged before or after use.

The teacher can promote agency in the classroom as an inclusive practice. One effective approach is to offer students free exploration time with digital tools connected to a learning objective. For example, the teacher might give the class 30 minutes to explore tablets or applications such as PowerPoint in teams in preparation for a project they will later develop together and use in an assignment. However, teachers should be cautious when students explore digital tools in this way. The ethical use of digital and AI tools should be a priority, and teachers need to introduce clear guidelines for responsible technology use before allowing free exploration. A poster with these guidelines, written in an easy to read format, can also be displayed on the classroom wall so that students can revisit it whenever they are unsure.