How can art classes be truly inclusive for SEND students?

Art should offer freedom, creativity and self-expression — but what happens when the materials and environment that make an art lesson exciting for one student become overwhelming or inaccessible for another?

This action research project explores how differentiated instruction can make art more inclusive for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). It considers practical challenges such as sensory sensitivities to paint, glue and textures, difficulties with fine motor skills, colour preferences and the effects that lighting and the wider classroom environment can have on engagement and behaviour.

The research drew on the experiences of teachers as well as SEND students themselves. 92% of teachers said that a positive environment combined with appropriate differentiation makes students more receptive to learning, while 77% believed lighting influences learner behaviour and 92% reported that rainy days can have a negative effect.

The student responses reinforced just how individual those needs can be. 94% preferred bright colours, 90% preferred sunny days, while other responses revealed differences in preferred materials, whether students wanted to work alone or in groups, and how they preferred information to be presented.

The paper ultimately highlights an important tension: differentiation can promote inclusion, but poorly judged differentiation can also unintentionally exclude. The challenge for the art teacher is therefore not simply to simplify a task, but to provide meaningful choices — alternative materials, adapted equipment, digital options, individual support and different ways for students to express themselves — so that learners can participate successfully without losing their individuality.