Adaptive Teaching:

A Key Priority in the Ofsted Toolkit Era

As schools prepare for inspection under Ofsted’s evolving framework, one area has moved decisively into the spotlight: adaptive teaching. It is no longer seen as a desirable skill. It is now an essential feature of high-quality education. The Ofsted Toolkit makes it clear that inspectors are looking beyond planning and policy. They want to see how well teaching is adapted in the moment to ensure that all pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged or have SEND, can access the full curriculum and succeed.

This marks a significant shift from past expectations. Gone are the days when “differentiation” meant three coloured worksheets and a tick-box for “some, most, all” objectives. In this new era, schools are expected to show that teaching is responsive, inclusive, and ambitious for every learner, with teachers confidently making adaptations rooted in understanding, evidence, and professional judgement.

What Is Adaptive Teaching?

According to the Department for Education’s Core Content Framework and the Early Career Framework, adaptive teaching involves knowing pupils and how they learn, and responding to their needs without reducing expectations. It replaces static approaches with flexible, real-time decisions that support learning during the lesson itself.

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) summarises it well: adaptive teaching is a dynamic balance of support and challenge that ensures no pupil is left behind. Core features include:

• Responsive teaching: Teachers constantly check understanding through questioning, mini-assessments, and observation, then adjust explanations or tasks accordingly.
• Scaffolding: Strategic use of support such as worked examples, sentence starters, visuals or structured talk, which is gradually removed as pupils become more secure.
• Pre-teaching: Providing key vocabulary, knowledge or context in advance to help pupils with SEND, EAL or low prior attainment access new material.
• Flexible grouping: Pupils are grouped and regrouped based on need, task or target, not fixed ability, creating more fluid, inclusive learning environments.
• Targeted interventions: Brief, purposeful sessions to consolidate or pre-teach content, always tied to the core curriculum rather than substituting it.

The goal is not to simplify learning but to increase access to the same ambitious curriculum for every child. High expectations remain at the heart.

What Ofsted Expects to See

The current School Inspection Handbook is explicit. Inspectors are not looking for multiple versions of the same lesson plan, nor elaborate paperwork to prove differentiation. Instead, they will evaluate how effectively teachers adapt their teaching in real time.

“Teachers are expert at checking pupils’ understanding and adapting their teaching, in the moment, to meet pupils’ needs.” – Ofsted

The Ofsted Toolkit also highlights that schools must remove barriers through well-judged adaptations, particularly for disadvantaged learners and pupils with SEND, so they can access the full curriculum alongside their peers.

This is not a standalone expectation. It is embedded in the wider inclusive ethos of the framework. Adaptive teaching is integral to delivering a strong curriculum, effective assessment, and meaningful progress for all groups.

From Differentiation to Adaptation: A Cultural Shift

This focus on adaptation signals a deeper cultural change. In the past, the term “differentiation” often led to unhelpful habits such as multiple lesson versions, simplified tasks, or lowering the ceiling of what certain pupils were expected to achieve.

Today’s adaptive teaching model requires something more sustainable and effective: real-time thinking, responsive pedagogy, and professional expertise.

Leaders and teachers need to move from a compliance mindset – “Have I got a differentiated activity for this pupil?” – to a confidence mindset:

• “What do I know about this pupil’s needs?”
• “How can I scaffold or support them through this task?”
• “How will I know if they’ve understood, and what will I do if not?”

This is not just more inclusive. It is more efficient and more empowering, because it allows teachers to teach the class as a whole, while giving individuals what they need to succeed.

Supporting Staff to Build Adaptive Expertise

This shift does not happen overnight. Adaptive teaching is a skill that develops with:

• Subject knowledge
• Assessment literacy
• A repertoire of scaffolding strategies
• Confidence in making decisions in the moment

Schools that are embracing this model are investing in high-quality CPD, encouraging reflective practice, and reducing unnecessary workload associated with outdated notions of differentiation.

At JMB Education, we support schools through:

• Whole-staff training in adaptive strategies
• Planning resources that build in responsive support
• Practical tools to ditch differentiation and meet diverse needs through whole-class teaching

We help schools move from “three-way task design” to one curriculum with many paths through it, enabling staff to teach responsively without increasing workload.

View our courses and resources here.

Final Reflections

Ofsted’s new emphasis is not a threat. It is an opportunity. When adaptive teaching is understood and embedded, it does not just help schools meet inspection criteria, it transforms learning for all pupils. Classrooms become more inclusive, more purposeful, and more responsive. Teachers feel trusted and empowered. Most importantly, pupils – regardless of need – can access and succeed in a curriculum that truly belongs to them.

Adaptive teaching is not just good practice. It is now essential practice.