Challenges in a SEND Provision

Supporting children with a wide range of communication needs within a shared learning environment can be complex.

Within a confidential setting, a newly established SEN hub was supporting a mixed-age group of 5 children, each with differing communication styles, preferences and developmental needs.

At this early stage, staff were still developing approaches to support speech, language and communication across the group. Children were not yet able to actively participate together in a shared session, and practitioners were unsure how best to bring the group together in a way that was inclusive and meaningful for all.

That’s where Little Magic Train became part of their practice.

From the first sessions, children began to respond in new and more engaged ways.

The practitioner shared that “the children love the sessions! When I go into the SEN hub to deliver the session, the children are straight away over to the beanbags ready to begin our session. They love telling or showing me where Simon has been hiding!”

Practitioner reflection: “A fun and engaging way of developing attention, language, and communication skills. Great fun for the children, great fun for the grown-ups too!”

The structure of Little Magic Train played a key role in this

The structured repetition within the sessions played a key role in this development.  The practitioner shared that “They love the repetition of making Simon bigger and smaller and it’s been amazing to see them do this more independently. They really respond to the changes in the music and anticipate when it will change to signal getting bigger and smaller again.”

Children particularly responded to and anticipated changes in the music, recognising cues and responding accordingly.

Over time, this developed into something more significant.

  • Children moved from being unable to participate together to actively engaging in shared group experiences.
  • From varied communication levels to joining in with shared language and responses.
  • From adult-led participation to increasing independence and anticipation within the sessions.

These changes were supported by a structured yet playful approach that allowed children to engage at their own level within a shared experience.

 

Impact on Communication and Participation

Although the sessions are ongoing, early impact is already evident.

Practitioners have shared positive examples of children using increased language to comment on the themes explored during the sessions, demonstrating growing confidence in communication.

Importantly, the impact has extended beyond the sessions themselves.

The practitioner shared that “I’m not in the hub all day or week, but staff have shared lots of positive stories about the children using more language to comment on the theme (related to Little Magic Train). Some children have reenacted parts of the session in their own play including a child who does not engage in pretend or imaginary play typically.”

 

Example of Progress

The practitioner informed us of the following progress in the setting.

“One child will now comment on what he can see on the journey. We placed pictures of different planets around the room and as we pass through them on the train he will now say ‘I think I can see saturn!’. This child had very little language 1-2 years ago.

Another child has limited gross motor skills. When we did the ‘North Pole’ adventure, we made obstacle courses with the soft play.   That child is now able to step up/down more confidently. She couldn’t do this before, and it was a great way to build in her targets in a fun way!

We used a bilibo for ‘blast off’ with ‘Picnic on the Moon’. The children took turns getting in the ‘seat’, putting their seatbelt on, spinning or wobbling for a 5 or 10-second countdown and then blasting off and running towards a specific spot in school saying “whoosh”.

Initially, the adults were modelling this.  However, with the repetition, the children joined in with the countdown and the ‘whooosh!’.

It was a great opportunity to practice turn-taking, and the reward of getting to have fun on the seat was motivating for them to watch and wait.”

 

Whole-Setting Impact

  • Increased ability for children to participate in shared group sessions.
  • Development of communication through shared language and storytelling.
  • Improved attention, anticipation and engagement.
  • Opportunities to embed individual targets within group activities.
  • Increased confidence and participation across a range of needs.

This approach enables practitioners to:

  • Bring together children with differing communication needs within one shared experience
  • Support speech, language and communication development in a meaningful context
  • Reduce reliance on individual adult-led support
  • Embed learning targets within engaging, inclusive group activities
  • Create a consistent and sustainable approach within SEND provision

This makes it both effective and sustainable within a real school environment.

Within this confidential setting, this meant more children joining in, communicating with confidence, and participating independently, within a supportive and inclusive environment.

This case study reflects a wider pattern of impact seen across settings that implement Little Magic Train.

For settings accessing EYPP funding, this kind of impact is particularly significant.

  • Little Magic Train supports measurable progress in communication, engagement and participation.
  • It enables inclusive practice, aligns with Ofsted priorities around language and interaction, and provides a consistent, evidence-informed approach that can be embedded across the setting.
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