SEND schools need to deliver highly personalised, inclusive education at scale, often with stretched staffing and complex demands.
The right technology transforms what’s possible. Together, Microsoft 365 and Cloud Design Box reduce friction, surface the right information at the right time, and create the conditions for more consistent support for every student.
Below, we outline some of the Microsoft 365 features that help structure and deliver SEND provision more effectively, as well as how Cloud Design Box further enhances tools like SharePoint and Teams for SENCo and SEND learners.
Supporting SEND schools with Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 has a number of great tools with accessibility, collaboration and analytics built in for schools using its education license.
Here are just a few to think about:
Immersive Reader
Built into Word, OneNote, Outlook, Teams and more, Immersive Reader has an abundance of features to support SEND learners. Immersive Reader’s main feature is that it reads text out loud, but you can dive deeper into syllable breakdowns, adjustable spacing and background colour changes.
Immersive Reader is great for anyone with reading difficulties, dyslexia or visual impairment. And, because it’s embedded into most Microsoft tools, it removes the stigma attached to using it.
See our full guide on Immersive Reader.
Reading Progress and Reading Coach
Built into Teams Assignments, Reading Progress allows students to record themselves reading aloud. Teachers can then review recordings – with AI flagging mispronunciations, omissions and insertions. Students can access personalised practice, focusing on areas or words they are particularly struggling with.
See our full guide on Reading Coach.
Reflect
Reflect allows teachers to run regular wellbeing check-ins, using emoji-based tools that help learners articulate how they’re feeling. Only the teacher sees individual responses, providing a safe and private outlet. Meanwhile, the anonymous “Together View” helps staff spot patterns across a class without identifying individuals.
See our full guide on Microsoft Reflect.
Live captions and transcripts in Teams
During lessons or virtual meetings, Teams can generate live captions in real time – invaluable for pupils with hearing impairments, auditory processing difficulties or those who are visual learners. Recordings can be revisited at any pace, reducing the pressure of in-the-moment comprehension.
See our full guide on Microsoft’s live captions and translation tools.
Maximise your investment in Microsoft 365 for SEND
Microsoft 365 is full of powerful features for SEND learners, but schools regularly need a helping hand when it comes to structuring SharePoint and Teams in a way that is designed for education.
Cloud Design Box has spent over a decade helping schools structure their Microsoft 365 environments and supporting with training to make sure the tools are actually used – consistently, confidently and at scale.
A particularly great example is our work with Liberty Academy Trust, a growing SEND MAT, which we’ve supported since its inception.
“We’ve invested heavily in our infrastructure over the last few years. There’s a moral imperative now to make sure that investment is having a real impact for our pupils.” – Lisa Thompson, Head of Digital, Data and Technology at Liberty.
Discover more about our work with Liberty Academy Trust.
Below are just some of the ways we’re supporting schools to make sure they’re getting the most out of the SEND tools Microsoft provides.
Automated Class Teams, powered by your MIS
SEND schools often have complex, constantly changing pupil groupings – specialist provisions, intervention groups, part-time placements and transitions between classes.
Cloud Design Box connects directly to your MIS to automatically create and maintain Class Teams, with students added and permissions set correctly from day one. As students and staff move between groups, or leave and join, Teams stays in sync without manual admin.
Assignment Analytics
One of the most powerful features for SEND provision is our Assignment Analytics dashboard. Rather than relying on individual teachers to flag concern, the data is there ready for SLT to view. You can track submission rates, lateness and see the volume of work being set by subject, year group and teacher.
“We’re able to identify which students have a high level of completion, which students aren’t engaging with Teams, which topics students are struggling with and then assess if it’s a pastoral issue or a technical problem.” – Rosalyn Chalk, Assistant Principal at Ark Boulton Academy.
Discover more about Assignment Analytics.
Centralised SEND resource library
With Cloud Design Box, schools also benefit from structured resource areas that can be organised by subject, year group or department.
For a SENCo, this can look like a central bank of adapted resources, visual supports, communication aids, intervention materials and accessible worksheets. Practitioners can easily collaborate, and share best practice – not to mention resources, within or between connected schools.
Secure, permissions-based access to sensitive information
SEND teams handle a lot of sensitive data: EHCPs, medical needs, risk assessments, safeguarding records and behaviour support plans.
Cloud Design Box’s permissions architecture ensures the right people see the right information – with central control over who can view, edit or share. This significantly reduces the risk of accidental oversharing or data breaches.
Microsoft 365 provides the tools. Cloud Design Box provides the structure. Together, they create an environment where SEND pupils are better supported, SENCo workloads are reduced, and every member of staff has what they need to deliver inclusive education.
Want to learn more?
Cloud Design Box is trusted by 800+ schools to turn Microsoft 365 into a powerful virtual learning environment and save teachers time.
