SEND Strategies for the Secondary Years, by Georgina Durrant and published by Bloomsbury Education, is a practical guide for teachers and parents supporting secondary-age pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). It takes a neuro-affirmative approach across seven key areas, each focusing on a different area of need, including numeracy, emotional regulation, and sensory processing differences, with actionable techniques designed to help students thrive rather than simply manage.

The book covers autism, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), ADHD, dyslexia, Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD, also known as dyspraxia), dyscalculia, and speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), alongside related conditions, whether or not a young person has a formal diagnosis. Its neuro-affirmative approach frames these differences as part of how a young person's brain works, rather than as deficits to be corrected.

For schools

• Gives secondary teachers and SENCOs practical strategies across seven distinct areas of need, useful for whole-school SEND provision rather than one condition alone.
• Covers numeracy and emotional regulation strategies that support both academic progress and pastoral wellbeing in secondary settings.
• Written specifically for the secondary phase, addressing challenges that differ from primary-focused SEND resources.
• Supports pupils with and without a formal diagnosis, useful for schools working within a graduated approach to SEND.

For parents and home use

• Written explicitly for parents as well as teachers, giving families practical strategies that echo what may be used at school.
• Covers sensory processing differences alongside academic areas like numeracy, giving a rounded picture of a teenager's everyday experience.
• Its neuro-affirmative approach can help parents reframe their understanding of a teenager's SEND, focusing on thriving rather than simply managing.
• Useful for families navigating secondary school SEND support with or without a formal diagnosis in place.

Autistic pupils are supported through the book's coverage of sensory processing differences and its neuro-affirmative framing of social communication. For pupils with PDA, the book addresses demand-avoidant behaviour directly as part of its seven key areas. Pupils with ADHD are supported through its emotional regulation strategies, while dyslexic pupils and those with dyscalculia are supported through targeted literacy and numeracy content. Pupils with DCD, also known as dyspraxia, and those with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) are addressed through dedicated sections reflecting their specific everyday challenges.

Bringing several areas of SEND together in one neuro-affirmative resource reflects the reality that many secondary-age pupils experience more than one type of learning difference at once, and that strategies are often more useful when shared between home and school.

Whether you are a secondary teacher or SENCO building whole-school SEND strategies, or a parent looking for a resource that speaks to your teenager's specific needs, SEND Strategies for the Secondary Years is a practical, neuro-affirmative guide worth considering.

• Written by Georgina Durrant, SEND expert and podcaster, published by Bloomsbury Education.
• Format: paperback, 176 pages.
• Covers: autism, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), ADHD, dyslexia, Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD/dyspraxia), dyscalculia, and speech, language and communication needs (SLCN).
• Structure: seven key areas of need, including numeracy, emotional regulation, and sensory processing differences.
• Approach: neuro-affirmative, with actionable strategies for pupils with and without a formal diagnosis.
• Audience: secondary teachers, SENCOs, and parents.
• Dimensions: approximately 232mm to 234mm x 152mm to 153mm, with a spine width of 13mm to 18mm depending on retailer listing.
• Weight: 280g.
• Publication date: 12 March 2026.

• Covers seven areas of need in one book. Autism, PDA, ADHD, dyslexia, DCD, dyscalculia, and speech, language and communication needs, rather than one condition alone.
• Built for the secondary phase specifically. Addresses the numeracy, emotional regulation, and sensory processing challenges secondary-age pupils actually face.
• Neuro-affirmative in approach. Frames differences as part of how a young person's brain works, aiming for pupils to thrive rather than just manage.
• Written for home and school together. Georgina Durrant writes explicitly for both teachers and parents, supporting a consistent approach across both settings.

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• What is SEND Strategies for the Secondary Years about?
  It is a practical guide by Georgina Durrant covering seven key areas of need for secondary-age pupils with SEND. It takes a neuro-affirmative approach across autism, PDA, ADHD, dyslexia, DCD, dyscalculia, and speech, language and communication needs.
• Does this book help pupils with autism?
  Yes, it addresses sensory processing differences and social communication as part of its neuro-affirmative approach, both central to supporting autistic secondary-age pupils.
• Does this book cover PDA?
  Yes, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) is one of the areas covered, addressed alongside autism and the book's other named areas of need.
• Does this book help pupils with ADHD?
  Yes, its emotional regulation strategies are directly relevant to the challenges many secondary-age pupils with ADHD experience day to day.
• Is this book useful for dyslexic pupils?
  Yes, it includes targeted literacy strategies for dyslexic pupils as one of its seven key areas of need, alongside numeracy support for dyscalculia.
• Does this book address dyspraxia or DCD?
  Yes, Developmental Coordination Disorder, also known as dyspraxia, is one of the specific areas covered, reflecting its everyday impact on secondary-age pupils.
• Does this book cover speech, language and communication needs (SLCN)?
  Yes, SLCN is included as one of the book's named areas of need, alongside the other conditions it covers.
• Who is SEND Strategies for the Secondary Years written for?
  It is written explicitly for both secondary teachers and SENCOs and for parents, supporting a consistent approach to SEND strategies at home and at school.
• Can this book be used at home as well as in school?
  Yes, it is written for parents as well as teachers, so families can use the same neuro-affirmative strategies at home that may also be used at school.
• Does a pupil need a formal diagnosis for this book to be useful?
  No, it is designed to support young people with SEND whether or not they have a formal diagnosis in place.