Use the NSPCC’s Speak Out Stay Safe programme to empower pupils NSPCC
Help students with SEND build up emotional literacy through animal welfare with RSPCA RSPCA
Everyone can enjoy inclusive and fun outdoor spaces with the help of Timotay Playscapes Timotay Playscapes
Supporting SEND students in maths Whizz Education
Making maths fun at St Mary’s Primary School Whizz Education
Oxford University Press Courses
We hear from award-winning maths teacher Abed Ahmed on how to make life easier for students who stammer
Use the NSPCC’s Speak Out Stay Safe programme to empower pupils
Inspirational posters – Tokyo Paralympic Games
ECT teaching – how to best work with your TA
Problem Solving for Autistic Pupils’ Lesson Plan for KS1/2 SEN
There are 8.89 million school-aged children in the UK. Eight per cent of children stammer at some point, albeit temporarily. Therefore, there’s around 711,000 young children in our schools who need your support.
One per cent will go on to stammer for the rest of their lives. The small changes you make in your teaching now will make a big difference for them.
Before I tell you how to make reasonable adjustments to ensure your teaching methods are inclusive, I need you to understand what a stammer is and what it is like to be a person who stammers.
Stammering is a neurological condition that makes it physically hard to speak.
A person who stammers will most likely prolong sounds or words. They may also repeat or get stuck on them. For some, you will see facial tension while trying to speak.
The term stammering is commonly used in the UK, while other countries use the word “stutter”.
Stammering affects mainly males and we do not know why this is the case. Stammering is not linked to intelligence and just like many other conditions, stammering covers a wide spectrum which means everyone’s stammer is different.
If you’ve ever had sleep paralysis, that is what it feels like. Trying your best to speak, but nothing is coming out. Your body is frozen and you’re physically pushing your body to do something, but you can’t.
A rush of blood reaches your cheeks and your ears start to burn. No sound is coming out of your mouth while you can see the people around staring at you in silence. You’re now grasping for air while you feel your chest tightens. Absolute chaos.
Now, imagine having these sorts of feelings from the age of three, you start to develop anxious traits because of your stammer. We don’t stammer because we’re anxious, but stammering makes us anxious.
Imagine waiting for your turn to speak in a lesson. Imagine knowing that your teacher will cold call you any second. Imagine having to introduce yourself in an ice breaker activity. It’s honestly the most terrifying experience ever.
Unfortunately, many young people and adults experience bullying; imitation is the deepest form of insult. Some try and be helpful and finish your sentences for you, which is also insulting.
Abed Ahmed is head of maths at King Edwards VI Handsworth Wood Girls’ Academy in Birmingham. In addition to supporting students in his school, Abed runs free student support groups via Zoom: Mr ST’s Stammer Support Group – for 5- to 16-year-olds who stammer. Abed Ahmed won the nasen Teacher of the Year Award 2021. Follow Abed on Twitter at @stammer_teacher.
In partnership with
Make sure your assessment is effective with these expert insights.
Are you looking for a new systematic synthetic phonics programme for your school that:
This November, the Science Museum in London is opening a brand new, interactive gallery in...
An online exhibition has brought together inspiring materials from hundreds of authors and illustrators in...
Are you looking for a new systematic synthetic phonics programme for your school that: Is fun and multi-sensory that both teachers and children will enjoyHas been used successfully in classrooms across...
Well Schools, with support from the Youth Sport Trust and the BUPA Foundation, recently launched a guide that aims to demystify the process of measuring wellbeing and provide some practical...
A 4-page guidance document on how teachers can utilise critical literacy. What does it mean to interpret a text critically? It means being a discerning reader who does the following: questions...
A 4-page guidance document on how teachers can utilise critical literacy.
What does it mean to interpret a text critically? It means being a discerning reader who does the following: questions...
The reality of true wellbeing is that it's different for all of us, says Vicki Manning...
Tales of the great outdoors and all it has to offer can help pupils understand...
Unleash pupils’ potential through the mighty morphin' power of language and get a class full of...
From appreciating art to the joy of solving puzzles, Mike Askew explores the true purpose...