Using pre-teaching to improve accessibility for all learners
A few years ago, I found myself with a mixed class Year 5 and 6 children with a range of needs. When it came to the maths lesson, I was unsure how I could go about teaching them as a whole class as their prior attainment data showed many had gaps in their understanding from previous year groups. I had heard about pre-teaching and, alongside other adaptations to the main lesson, decided to give it a go. Here, I delve into what pre-teaching is, how it can help and how you could apply it in your lessons.
What is pre-teaching?
Pre-teaching is a strategic approach to assist students who require additional support, through teaching essential vocabulary, concepts or knowledge ahead of the main lesson. Ofsted promotes this strategy since it allows for specific pupils to be introduced to, or to practise, key information or skills before the main lesson, helping them keep pace. The National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM), describes pre-teaching as providing targeted, brief instruction before a main lesson to build foundational knowledge, address misconceptions, and boost confidence. The practice is about proactively preparing children to access the curriculum and effectively scaffolding learning. Crucially, it is not just about catching pupils up later, nor does it involve pre-teaching the entire main lesson content; the focus is strictly on the prerequisite skills or vocabulary needed for the upcoming lesson.
Why is pre-teaching a beneficial strategy?
Pre-teaching demonstrates effective targeted support for learners, which aligns with Ofsted's Quality of Education judgment and the principles of Adaptive Teaching where teachers tailor instruction to meet individual needs and bridge knowledge gaps. It ensures more students can access the core curriculum and achieve a deep, sustainable understanding. The approach builds confidence by making students feel more prepared and motivated, thereby reducing anxiety and increasing their engagement.
It promotes equity in mixed-prior-attainment classrooms by allowing all pupils to keep pace with the curriculum. By addressing basic concepts beforehand, children can focus on higher-level thinking in the main lesson, rather than struggling with basic terminology or concepts. Research also indicates that pre-taught children can become more actively involved and even help teach their peers during the main lesson.
How can pre-teaching be implemented successfully?
Pre-teaching involves providing targeted support for specific pupils or groups identified as needing extra help with new ideas or vocabulary. It is considered a form of ‘quality first teaching’ that supports mastery by scaffolding learning. A core component involves explicit vocabulary development, ensuring pupils repeatedly encounter key words. The process provides children with familiarity, reducing barriers, and enabling active participation in the main lesson.
Key principles for implementation involve specific timing, typically a brief 10-15 minutes before the main lesson, often using ‘early morning task’ time. The focus is specific: targeting the exact prerequisite skills or vocabulary required for the immediate upcoming lesson.
How can teachers plan for the pre-teaching session?
Planning for pre-teaching involves identifying the specific pupils or groups who need the extra help with grasping the concepts or vocabulary. This necessitates an assessment of students' existing knowledge and potential gaps related to the upcoming curriculum content. The planning must identify the precise prerequisite skills, key vocabulary, representations, or small steps of understanding required for the main lesson. The focus should be narrow and targeted, ensuring the brief session addresses only the foundational knowledge necessary to access the core lesson.
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So how did I go about this in my classroom?
1. Deciding on when to fit in pre-teaching
As the pre-teaching session really needed to be in the morning before the maths lesson, I decided to rearrange the early morning task time for the selected children. The class were on a rota of reading, touch typing, spelling or times tables practice when they first came in to school. The children who required pre-teaching, could access those tasks at different times across the week, where necessary. It also meant that I, as the teacher, would be facilitating the session rather than sending the children out with a teaching assistant. I did not have to explain the tasks to anyone else and would be able to adapt them as necessary. This would allow me to gain an understanding of their difficulties which I could plan for in the main lesson.
2. Identifying misconceptions and prerequisites
I looked at the lesson I was going to teach the next day. I identified the knowledge and skills the children would need to start the lesson and the possible misconceptions (these are sometimes stated in the scheme you might be using)..
3. Identifying the children who would need support through pre-teaching
I identified which children might have difficulty accessing the lesson and made some adaptations to the opening class discussion. This then left me with four children who I felt would still need some pre-teaching to enable them to access the concepts in the lesson. Note that I did not do a formal assessment each day to assess the children, but observed them over time to gain an understanding of what they could already do and what they struggled with. Often the same children benefitted from pre-teaching on multiple occasions, but sometimes one or two other children joined them, according to their needs.
4. Identifying the appropriate representations
I considered which manipulatives and pictorial representations I wanted the children to use to develop their understanding. (Again, these might be apparent in your scheme.) I put all the manipulatives the children needed in table boxes, which meant there was no need to go searching for them. The pre-teaching group could simply get their own box out and I would explain the resources I wanted them to use for that session.
5. Planning the small steps
I planned a ten-minute task which involved breaking down the skills the children needed to practice into small steps. Note that this did not take a long time and there was no expectation that I would add this to any planning document. It was important that this planning focused on ‘thinking’ and preparing for those particular children.
I either typed or wrote the tasks down for them to stick in their journals or sometimes I just wrote it straight in their books.
6. Pre-teaching
When the four children arrived in the classroom, I explained their task and, whilst ensuring everyone else was settling, observed them. I ensured I modelled the mathematical vocabulary they needed in context and encouraged their thinking process. They worked in pairs, discussing their thinking and answers as they went. This meant they didn’t always need me there although more often than not, I was. I realise that it might have been different if I had been teaching younger children.
7. Marking, assessing and adapting
I marked their learning as they went, ensuring they had manipulatives to support their understanding of the structure of the maths. If they had particular difficulties, I would adapt the task as necessary.
8. Including the pre-teaching children in the main lesson
When it came to the main maths lesson, the four children had different maths partners who were perhaps more confident than themselves. These partners had been chosen carefully for their understanding nature, their ability to listen and explain, and their patience. These partners asked what had happened in the pre-teaching session and the pre-taught children explained what they had done whilst referring to their journals. More often than not, their partner was able to make the connection between the pre-teaching practice and the concepts being explored in the main lesson.
What was the impact?
The overall results were a success; the pairs worked well together during the main lessons, talking through their thinking and helping each other, bringing in the pre-teaching practice as needed. All of the children were able to access the main lessons with this carefully scaffolded practice. I was able to ask questions of these children in front of the whole class as I knew what they had understood and they were confident to share their thinking. Other children saw them as being a valued member of the mathematical community — what more could you ask?
Learn more
The challenges and benefits of mixed-age learning
