Students arrive at the school with a wide range of backgrounds, strengths, and challenges, including diverse linguistic backgrounds, specific educational needs, and variations in levels of digital literacy. The school addresses this diversity through a structured Welcoming Project. Students with no Portuguese are integrated into regular classrooms for social interaction but at the same time receive intensive linguistic support. This balance is crucial for fostering a sense of belonging, ensuring the linguistic barrier does not lead to social isolation. In fact, teachers recognize that the diverse student body presents not only challenges but also impressive strengths and resilience, qualities the school actively seeks to leverage in collaborative settings.

To ensure a sense of belonging in a school with 22 different nationalities, teachers implement a robust Welcoming Strategy:

• Welcome Manuals: Students receive welcome manuals not only in Portuguese but also in their native languages.
• Linguistic Support: For students who arrive with “zero level” Portuguese, translators and Google Forms in their native language are used during initial enrolment.
• Reception Room & Inclusion: These students follow a specific programme in a “reception room” for intensive language learning. At the same time, they are integrated into regular classrooms for part of the day to socialise and interact with their peers.
• Multidisciplinary Support: A team of psychologists, a social worker, and linguistic mediators works immediately to welcome new students and their families.

The physical environment plays an important role. A dedicated Reception Room ensures that students who do not speak the language receive intensive support in a welcoming space. To avoid isolation, students also spend time in regular classrooms, allowing them to socialise, participate in class life, and feel part of the wider school community. To support growth within the classroom, multiple intelligences tests are used to tailor pedagogical differentiation to students’ strengths and needs from the beginning of the school year. The school also strengthens inclusion by providing Welcome Manuals translated into students’ native languages, ensuring that essential information is accessible from the moment they arrive.

Culturally responsive teaching and school organisation is crucial in addressing diversity in the classroom.  Language barriers are one of the most common issues faced by teachers in the European Union today, and national educational policies aim to respond directly to these challenges. The Welcoming strategy implemented in the José Cardoso Pires School Group respects students’ needs while at the same time enables teachers to support students without imposing additional burdens on their workload.

Technology plays an important role in making this process manageable and effective. AI‑powered translation tools help teachers communicate with newly arrived students and their families, allowing students and parents to access essential information from the first day.

Simple tools such as instant translation apps, multilingual Google Forms, or digital dictionaries make it easier for students to participate in class activities even when their language level is low. These tools also support teachers, who probably do not speak the students’ native languages.

Creating easy‑to‑read materials is another essential method to support teachers in promoting diversity and inclusion in the classroom. Teachers can adapt worksheets, instructions, and lesson summaries into simplified language and pair them with visual materials such as icons, diagrams, timelines and images. Visual supports help students understand key concepts without relying on understanding the Portuguese language, making lessons more accessible for learners with limited language proficiency. In subjects like science or geography, visual maps, diagrams, and short explanatory videos with subtitles can bridge the gap between linguistic ability and content understanding.

Beyond technology, multidisciplinary support and students’ social integration should not be overlooked. Language development thrives in social contexts and teachers should empower peer support and teamwork to promote communication among pupils.

The physical infrastructure and the operational atmosphere in the José Cardoso Pires School Group are meticulously managed to support the inclusive mission. Despite the demanding context, the school maintains an organised and purposeful environment.

It functions as a vibrant hub of activity, offering a wide range of extracurricular opportunities such as the school radio, dance programmes run in cooperation with the municipality, personalised study areas, and dedicated leisure spaces. These initiatives are strategically designed to allow students to express their ideas and develop a sense of community ownership promoting student-centred approaches.

Teachers emphasise that a truly inclusive environment is one where students are not only “present” in the physical space but are also given the tools to participate effectively. For example, in the computer lab, the teacher promotes pair work to prevent students from becoming isolated behind a screen. Sharing a device, one student using the mouse while the other writes, encourages communication, mutual support, and social inclusion. At the same time, the arrangement remains flexible: some students work in pairs, while others work independently. This reflects the school’s broader strategy of differentiation and autonomy, accommodating different learning preferences and paces.

Removing barriers is also a key part of fostering participation. Teachers continuously observe and adjust the environment to ensure accessibility. One example includes modifying the visual environment for a student by using a tablet with colour filters as a magnifier, improving their visual comfort and ability to work.

These practices demonstrate the school's commitment to creating environments where students feel secure and engaged, whether through traditional structured methods or through differentiated, technology-supported activities that encourage autonomy and confidence.

Fostering social interaction within the physical space enhances accessibility and inclusion for both teachers and learners. Strengthening students’ sense of belonging is essential for social-emotional learning which in turn leads to improved academic performance. Interviews with teachers revealed that students’ sense of belonging improves when teachers provide academic and emotional support (Bora and Altun, 2025). According to the OECD 2023, schools should expand extra-curricular activities and use digital technologies more effectively so that every student can participate and benefit.

Activities that involve the whole school help strengthen students’ sense of belonging promoting inclusion at the same time. A simple example is a school‑wide initiative around Safer Internet Day, where students from each grade can split in small teams and create a product of their choice, such as a poster, a presentation, a short video, or any creative format connected to the theme. Teachers then dedicate a one‑hour slot for each grade to present their work, allowing students to showcase their ideas and feel part of a larger community effort. Adjustments for some students can help, such as encouraging students struggling with writing and concentrating to form a team that focuses on visual outputs, and teachers should be aware of the need to guide these students through the process.

Pair work plays an important role in fostering inclusion and collaboration in the classroom. Sharing a device can become a simple routine that helps students work together. For example, teachers can inform students in advance that when using technology during the art lesson, the activity will be done in pairs. They can also submit small projects for assessment in pairs, which helps them understand small‑group dynamics and develop collaboration skills.

For some students, social interactions can be cultivated through social robots. Studies in early childhood education and in classrooms with autistic students show that social robots can improve both learning outcomes and social interaction. NAO is a small humanoid social robot designed to interact with people in a natural, engaging way. Teachers can personalise it by using the student’s interests, hobbies, or even the names of family members. Students can use social robots for interaction, pair work or even language development in both children with special needs and migrant students. Teachers’ guidance is essential to ensure that all students can benefit from the use of a social robot, especially when only one robot is available in the classroom. Clear steps and preparation help the teacher organise the activity so that every student has meaningful access to the robot.

One of the most significant challenges teachers faces is helping students overcome the fear of making mistakes. This emotional barrier often prevents learners from taking risks, asking questions or engaging deeply with new content. The José Cardoso Pires School Group practices show how technology, thoughtful planning, and differentiated strategies can reduce this fear and create a safer learning environment.

Technology is used deliberately as an agent of inclusion. The digital environment can replace the pressure of a task, as students gain the confidence to try, fail, and retry without the fear of public failure, leading to a visible increase in autonomy. The use of digital tools enables students to overcome emotional and psychological barriers to learning by following the pattern that “teachers or my classmates do not see my mistakes only the computer can”. Digital platforms such as Kahoot, Khan Academy, Excel, and GeoGebra allow students to practice without the embarrassment of erasing a notebook or making an error in front of peers. Especially in mathematics, teachers use GeoGebra to motivate students to work on exercises to enhance their knowledge. This depersonalisation of error encourages deeper learning. Students become more autonomous, often reaching the moment where they confidently say, “I understand now.”

To further reduce anxiety, teachers use differentiated “guiding scripts” that allow students to progress at their own pace. These scripts are designed so that advanced learners can move further without being held back, while students who struggle receive structured support. As one teacher explains, planning always begins with the learning objective, followed by selecting the digital tool that best supports that specific task, whether for revision, investigation, or introducing new content.

However, teachers are concerned about the challenge of limited time and technical unpredictability when relying on technology too much. For example, preparing inclusive and engaging activities, such as Escape Rooms or AI‑supported tasks, requires extensive work for teachers even though they are beneficial for some students. These lessons cannot be improvised, and the planning time is substantial. Alongside this, the unpredictability of technology remains a constant stressor. Internet failures, unexpected updates, or malfunctioning tools can disrupt carefully designed activities and risk excluding students who rely on digital support.

Addressing the fear of failure in the classroom through safe and guided autonomous learning is key in today’s schools. Digital tools and platforms can help teachers design learning tasks that support students’ individual needs. The overall goal should be for students to progressively develop their skills in specific subject areas.

Adaptive learning platforms (Duolingo, Khan Academy) deliver personalised learning as they adjust the level of difficulty automatically. That means that students complete tasks that match their pace. These tasks gradually become more difficult based on students’ responses.

Furthermore, digital applications can support autonomous learning and promote improved academic outcomes. Teachers can establish formative assessment practices by using online quizzes after each lesson. Some tools offer teachers the opportunity to provide explanations for every answer, helping students better understand their mistakes and the lesson content. Depending on the length and descriptive scope of the quiz, it can also serve as a useful means for students to deepen their understanding of the lesson. Students can retake the quiz as many times as needed, which further supports learning. In addition, students can access the quiz at home for further practice.

The use of differentiated guiding scripts or lesson instructions can support learning in all forms. At the beginning of each course section, students can receive a guide explaining how the section will progress and what they will learn in each week. This file can include multimodal learning materials such as video explanations, related books, and extra resources so that every student can follow the lesson more effectively. In addition, the teacher can share a simplified version of the lessons with students who need it, as well as easy-to-read formats, translations, and any other materials suitable for the class.

In classrooms where learners come from different linguistic, cultural, or academic backgrounds there often are higher levels of anxiety and fear of failure. Simple steps can help teachers and students better accommodate learners’ needs.

Teachers at José Cardoso Pires School Group use AI to design complex, immersive activities, such as educational Escape Rooms, by generating narratives, visual environments, and scenarios that would otherwise require extensive preparation time. AI also allows the teaching team to structure possible solutions and tests the internal logic of the activity before it reaches students.

The school integrates emerging technologies in teaching and learning, particularly AI tools like ChatGPT and image generators, viewing them as powerful levellers. AI‑generated scenarios, images, and problem‑solving environments make learning more playful and immersive. Students engage with challenges, such as finding the “exit” in an Escape Room, almost without realising they are learning, which increases motivation and participation.

Teachers mention AI’s potential to “minimize the differences” between students. By providing accessible explanations, alternative formats, and personalised support, AI helps learners with diverse starting points reach similar levels of understanding. It enables students to explore topics more deeply and independently, while still benefiting from teacher guidance.

Although AI empowers students to research and generate ideas, teachers emphasise the importance of guidance. During a research task in which students used AI to explore a topic in depth, the teacher intervened to ensure that the AI‑generated responses were cohesive and balanced, preventing students from becoming overwhelmed or distracted by irrelevant information. Thus, the teacher must act as a mediator, guiding students to ensure their use of AI is "cohesive, balanced, and pondered".

Overall, tools such as ChatGPT, AI image generators, sound generators, 3D printers, and digital platforms for building Escape Rooms, support creativity, differentiation, and engagement in the classroom.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and AI tools can support teachers in planning and implementing accessible lessons for every student.

Escape rooms are a gamified approach that makes learning accessible, playful and engaging. Teachers can design escape rooms for any lesson using platforms such as Genially. These activities work well at the end of a lesson, when students complete the escape room in pairs to consolidate what they have learned. An alternative approach is to begin a lesson with an escape room that tests students’ prior knowledge of a new thematic area.

In addition, AI can help teachers design alternative and personalised learning materials. Teachers can use AI Image generators, such as DALL·E, to develop easy to ready formats of a lesson and visualisation of text. For example, long text from a book can be transformed into visuals to maintain students’ attention. Furthermore, graphics can help students map ideas, make comparisons and understand content more effectively. AI tools, such as Eduaide.AI and Napkin AI, also enable teachers to create graphic organisers to be used as teaching materials.

Teaching students how to use AI tools ethically and critically is essential, especially when they use them at home or in the classroom. A structured introduction can help them understand what AI is, how it works and its limitations.

• Teachers can dedicate one hour to explore with students what AI is, how tools like chatbots generate answers, and why the algorithms underpinning them sometimes produce incorrect or biased information. Depending on the age of students, key concepts and vocabulary should be simplified. Students can be encouraged to share experiences using AI outside school.
• Students can then experiment with simple prompts, such as solving a maths exercise or requesting a brief historical explanation, to see in practice how AI works.
• Once they feel confident, they can move on to intentionally flawed or open‑ended questions, such as giving the wrong date for World War II or asking for explanations that have no single correct answer.
• At this stage, it is important to discuss the responses openly in the classroom reflecting on what was accurate, what was misleading, and how students can verify information.

• Based on these discussions and on students’ own observations, the teacher can work with the class to create a poster entitled “How to Use AI for Learning”, presenting the rules and good practices that students themselves have identified. It is essential that teachers highlight the rules and provide ongoing guidance whenever students use AI in the classroom, establishing good habits that carry over into other contexts outside school.