Differentiation strategies that work in a mixed-ability class

Every class is mixed ability, even when it is "setted". Some pupils will race through the main task, some will need help to start it, and many will sit somewhere in between, needing support with one step but not the next.

The old idea of differentiation, three worksheets for three groups, is hard to keep up and can quietly lower expectations for some pupils. The strategies below take a different approach: keep the same goal for everyone, and change the support.

Start with one clear goal for everyone

Differentiation works best when everyone is aiming at the same learning objective. If some pupils are given an easier goal every lesson, the gap between them and their classmates tends to grow, not shrink.

So begin with a clear objective and success criteria (our guide to learning objectives and success criteria explains how). Then ask two questions about the main task:

• What might stop some pupils from starting or finishing it? Unknown words, too much reading, a missing step, or not knowing what a good answer looks like.
• What would push someone who finds it easy? A harder example, a "why" question, or applying the idea somewhere new.

The answers tell you where to put support and challenge.

Scaffolds: support that can be taken away

A scaffold is temporary help that lets a pupil do something they couldn't yet do alone. The key word is temporary: Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction describe scaffolds as supports that are gradually withdrawn as pupils become more confident.

Useful scaffolds include:

• Worked examples. Show a finished example step by step, then a half-finished one for pupils to complete.
• Word banks. Key vocabulary on the table or the slide, with pictures for younger pupils.
• Sentence starters. "This shows that…", "One reason is… because…", "I disagree because…".
• Partly completed answers. A table with the first row done, a diagram with some labels in place.
• Checklists. The success criteria turned into a short list pupils tick off.
• Chunked instructions. One step at a time rather than a paragraph of instructions.

Offer scaffolds to everyone rather than handing them only to "low ability" pupils. Many pupils will choose to use them for the first question and then push on without them, and nobody is labelled.

Design tasks with a low floor and a high ceiling

A "low floor, high ceiling" task is one that everyone can start, but that can be taken much further. For example:

• Instead of "Solve these ten equations", try "Here are five equations. Solve them, then write your own that has the answer 7. Can you write one with two steps? One with a fraction?"
• Instead of "Describe the setting", try "Describe the setting using three senses. Then rewrite one sentence to make it feel more threatening."

The same task serves the whole class, and the extension grows naturally out of the main work rather than being "extra work for finishing early".

Challenge should mean deeper, not more

When pupils finish early, it is tempting to give them more of the same. That teaches them that finishing early earns extra work. Better challenges ask them to go deeper:

• explain why a method works, not just use it
• find and fix a mistake in a worked example
• apply the idea in a new situation
• compare two answers and decide which is better, and why
• teach the idea to a partner, using an example of their own

Use questioning to differentiate in the moment

Questioning is one of the most flexible tools you have. During the lesson you can:

• ask a pupil who is unsure a closed question to build confidence, then follow up with "how do you know?"
• ask a confident pupil to explain a classmate's answer or extend it
• give thinking time before anyone answers, so slower processors get a fair chance
• use mini whiteboards so you see every answer, not just volunteers

This only works if you know where pupils are, which is why regular checks matter. See formative assessment strategies for every lesson for quick ways to check the whole class.

Group flexibly

Fixed ability tables can become a ceiling. Flexible grouping changes with the task:

• Pairs of mixed confidence for discussion and peer explanation.
• Short teacher-led groups for pupils who got the hinge question wrong, while others carry on.
• Choice of task difficulty where pupils pick a starting level and move up when ready.

The key is that groups are based on what pupils showed you today, not a label from September.

Adapt the reading, not the thinking

Many pupils struggle because of the reading load rather than the idea. You can often keep the thinking the same and change how it is presented:

• shorter sentences and paragraphs, with key words in bold
• a diagram or picture alongside text
• the same text read aloud, or with a short summary first
• key words explained before reading begins

This is especially helpful for pupils learning English as an additional language, who may understand the subject well but not yet have the vocabulary.

Pupils with special educational needs

The strategies above help many pupils, but they don't replace individual plans. Read each pupil's support plan, talk to your school's SEN coordinator and to the pupil's previous teachers, and plan the specific adjustments they need, such as a different way to record answers, extra processing time or particular equipment.

Keeping it manageable

You don't have to differentiate every task in every lesson. Focus on the main task, the one that matters most for the objective, and plan one scaffold and one challenge for it. Over time, a bank of worked examples, word banks and sentence starters for each unit makes this much quicker.

If you use Lesson Dino, you can ask it to adapt a slide for you: open the slide, choose Change this slide with AI, and type something like "add a word bank with pictures" or "add a harder challenge question". As with anything AI makes, check it before you use it; our checklist for AI-made teaching materials shows what to look for.

Questions teachers ask

What is differentiation in teaching?

Differentiation means changing how you teach or what support you give so that every pupil can reach the learning goal. The goal usually stays the same for the whole class; the route and the support change.

What is adaptive teaching?

Adaptive teaching is a term used in England's teacher training frameworks, such as the Early Career Framework. It puts the focus on responding to how pupils are doing in the lesson, adding or removing support as needed, rather than planning fixed tasks for fixed ability groups.

Do I need a different worksheet for each group?

Not usually. One worksheet with tasks that build in difficulty, a worked example and an extra challenge at the end often works better than three separate sheets, and it doesn't label pupils.

How do I differentiate for pupils with special educational needs?

Start with the pupil's support plan and talk to your school's SEN coordinator. Many of the strategies in this guide help, but some pupils need specific adjustments that only their plan and the people who know them can tell you about.