How can we make map skills more accessible for pupils with SEND?

Keep the map skill clear

Start with the geographical idea the pupil should learn: matching a symbol to a feature, locating a place, describing direction, using a grid reference or interpreting distance. Avoid assessing all these at once through a crowded map and a long written answer. A pupil may understand where something is but struggle to scan the page, distinguish symbols, remember instructions or record an explanation.

Ask the pupil to show where the task becomes difficult. Compare a familiar place with an unfamiliar map and a simple extract with a detailed sheet. Keep useful challenge in the geographical thinking while reducing unrelated copying or visual clutter. There is no single “SEND map” suitable for every pupil.

Connect the place, the view from above and the symbol

Begin, where helpful, with a familiar classroom or school-ground feature. Match a photograph or small model to a simple plan, explaining that the plan shows the arrangement from above. Then connect the feature to its symbol and key. Do not assume that recognising a photograph means a pupil understands a plan perspective.

Teach a small relevant set of symbols explicitly and practise finding them in different places on the map. Keep the key visible. Explain that symbols represent features; their shapes and sizes are not necessarily pictures of the real objects. Move towards the maps needed for the curriculum rather than leaving the pupil permanently on an unrelated colouring activity.

Adapt the display without losing essential information

Try a clear enlarged extract, a movable reading window or a less cluttered teaching plan. Retain the key, labels and orientation information needed for the question. Do not make colour the only way to distinguish a route or feature. Check whether contrast, spacing or digital magnification actually helps this pupil, rather than assuming that a larger sheet is always easier.

For a pupil with a vision or physical-access need, use their agreed specialist advice when selecting tactile, magnified or digital materials and ways to point or mark. Let the pupil explain, select or direct a partner where handwriting is not the learning goal. Keep the decisions with the pupil, not the adult holding the pencil.

A worked example: use a key to describe a location

Prepare a simple fictional school-ground plan showing a hall, gate and pond. Include a north arrow pointing to the top of this particular plan and a key defining each symbol. Put the gate to the right of the hall. Model checking the key before identifying the gate, then using the north arrow to explain that the gate is east of the hall.

Ask the pupil to locate the pond and describe its position using the plan. If they identify the feature but confuse east and west, teach direction rather than repeating symbol matching. Change the positions on a second plan to check understanding, not memory for the first answer. This is a paper-based teaching example, not permission to approach a real pond or navigate outside without the school’s usual arrangements.

Teach grid references and scale as distinct ideas

When grid references are the goal, model eastings before northings and practise finding the relevant square before adding more precision. Check that the pupil understands what a reference locates rather than only repeating a mnemonic. For distance work, keep the scale information available. Enlarging a printed map changes what a centimetre on the paper represents, so do not continue using an unchanged written “centimetres to metres” conversion; use an appropriately resized graphical scale or corrected teaching material.

Review independence and transfer

Record the skill used, the type of map, any error and the prompt required. Ask whether the pupil can use the same idea on another suitable map and which support they find useful. Gradually reduce prompts while retaining necessary access arrangements. If barriers persist, involve the geography lead and SENCo to clarify the next teaching step. These suggestions support planning; they do not replace advice for an individual pupil.