Julia Clouter
Educational Leadership • Inclusion • Neurodiversity
Writing, Publications & Articles
Educational Leadership • Inclusion • Neurodiversity • Articulate
The SEN Practitioner: Status, Skills and Support
June 2026
A Routledge book edited by Tristan Middleton.
The SEN Practitioner is a landmark exploration of the roles, skills and lived experiences that shape inclusive education today. Bringing together voices from across the SEN workforce, it offers a rare, practitioner‑centred perspective on what effective, sustainable inclusion really looks like.
This book is essential reading for:
SENCos seeking clarity and strategic insight
Trainee teachers building confidence in SEND practice
School and MAT leaders designing whole‑school inclusion
Neurodivergent educators whose lived experience is often overlooked
Why This Book Matters
Inclusive education is not a bolt‑on — it is a system. This volume reframes the SEN workforce as a strategic engine of inclusion, offering:
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practitioner‑led insight
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research‑informed guidance
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real‑world examples
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actionable recommendations for training and leadership
It is one of the few texts that treats inclusion as a whole‑school cultural practice, not a set of interventions.
✦ Featured Contribution
Inclusive Classrooms: Good for Everyone, Good for DyslexiaBy Julia Clouter
Part II — The SEN Practitioner: Looking Forwards Through the Experience of Practitioners
✦ Core Message
The future of education is not uniform — it’s human. When we design for dyslexic learners and practitioners, we create classrooms that work better for everyone.
✦ What This Chapter Offers
Lived experience of an undiagnosed dyslexic educator
The emotional labour of masking and the liberation of recognition
Systemic gaps revealed through neurodivergent practice
Leadership that fosters psychological safety
Assistive Technology and AI as equity tools
Actionable recommendations for leaders, SENCos and training providers
✦ Why It Matters
This chapter offers a blueprint for designing classrooms that reduce cognitive load, strengthen professional sustainability, and embed inclusion at a cultural level. It is both practical and visionary, making it valuable for anyone shaping the future of education.
✦ Who Will Benefit Most
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Trainee teachers — grounding in real SEND practice
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SENCos — strategic clarity and practitioner insight
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Leadership teams — frameworks for sustainable inclusion
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Teaching assistants — role identity and confidence
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Neurodivergent educators — validation and empowerment
✦ If this is resonant for you…
The emotional labour of masking — and the liberation of recognising neurodivergent traits as professional strengths — is a thread that runs through my work, my chapter, and my conversations with other practitioners.
If that speaks to you, you might like to explore this recent podcast interview:
🎧 Podcast: Dyslexia‑Friendly Practice & Inclusive Design
27 May 2026 — Catching up with Sarah and Ginny
Hear Julia Clouter discuss inclusive classrooms, neurodivergent strengths, and the emotional landscape of teaching. This conversation expands on the themes explored in Chapter 9: Good for Everyone, Good for Dyslexia, offering practical insight into sustainable, human‑centred inclusion.
Explore inclusive practice
Dyslexia‑friendly design
Assistive Technology
✦ And…
In this episode, Sarah and Ginny ask me a deceptively simple question:
If SEND were a song, what song would it be?
I chose 99 Red Balloons by Nena — a track that reached Number 1 in the UK singles chart in March 1984 — because it captures something essential about SEND practice: how easily misunderstood signals can escalate, how perception shapes response, and how clarity, curiosity and connection can transform everything.
It’s a playful question with a serious heart — and one that reveals a great deal about how we approach neurodivergent learners and colleagues.
✦ Further Reading
If you'd like to explore more of Julia's work and themes connected to The SEN Practitioner:
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Adaptive and Inclusive Practice - a toolbox approach that benefits everyone.
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Assistive Technology - A miniguide of tools and strategies - published by Nasen & Empowering Tech
Julia Clouter — ORCID 0009‑0002‑1212‑6594
Contact: Assistive Tech - julia@empoweringtech.com - Ask The SENCo - juliasenco@gmail.com
