Clear learning materials can make a task easier to enter while keeping its purpose, subject and expectations in view.
We start with the learning goal, the teaching context and what the learner says or shows about their experience. A useful adaptation changes the route into learning when needed; it does not assume what a person can do or lower the goal by default.
Start with the learner, the goal and the evidence.
Universal design means making the core resource clear and navigable for a broad range of learners from the outset. Individual adjustments add a response to a barrier that has been identified in this task and context. They are complementary parts of the work.
We ask what the learner is being asked to learn, what the material requires them to do, and what the learner, teacher or specialist has noticed. We then shape a resource to reduce an identified access barrier while retaining the intended learning goal and appropriate challenge.
01
Agree the purpose
Make the subject, intended learning and setting explicit.
02
Investigate a barrier
Use the learner’s voice, existing evidence and teacher context; do not guess from a label.
03
Adapt the route
Change wording, structure, representation or response format where it serves the goal.
04
Check usefulness
Ask whether the learner can use the material and whether it still supports the intended learning.
People and settings
A broad intended audience. An individual starting point.
Quillattice intends to support work for learners and educators across these experiences and settings. This list describes who the work may be for; it is not a claim of specialist expertise or prior experience in each one.
SEN/SEND, disability and access needs
Learners with special educational needs or disabilities (SEN/SEND), neurodivergence, communication or sensory needs, and those who use assistive formats or adjustments. The relevant support depends on the learner, task and setting.
Pupil Premium and Free School Meals
Pupils in schools receiving Pupil Premium funding and learners eligible for Free School Meals (FSM). These categories do not, on their own, describe a learner’s attainment, circumstances or support needs.
EAL, international and new-arrival learners
Learners using English as an Additional Language (EAL), including international and new-arrival learners entering or returning to a school, college or adult education. Language proficiency, prior curriculum and subject knowledge vary by learner and should be established in context.
Mobile learners and interrupted schooling
Learners who move between schools, settings or countries, and those with low attendance or interrupted schooling. A transition may leave a particular topic or prerequisite unfamiliar; a short check can help show whether a recap would be useful.
Low-, middle- and higher-attaining learners
Prior attainment offers only a partial picture of current understanding. A short diagnostic task can help identify whether to revisit a prerequisite, adjust a prompt or extend reasoning while keeping the learning goal in view.
White British and other ethnic groups, and girls
Names, examples, contexts and roles in a resource may or may not feel relevant to a particular learner. Review representation with learners and educators; do not infer ability or interest from ethnicity or gender.
Different settings and stages of life
Mainstream schools, specialist schools or settings, alternative provision, external provision and colleges have distinct contexts and remits; the intended audience also includes adults entering or returning to school, college or adult education. Begin with the intended learner, task, setting and any relevant professional guidance.
Needs that intersect
A learner may move between settings, use English as an additional language, have a disability or return after absence, alongside other strengths and needs. These experiences can intersect; begin with the person and the current task.
Identities and administrative or funding categories do not define a learner’s ability, potential or specific support needs. In England, Pupil Premium is school funding rather than an individual learning profile; eligibility alone does not tell us what will help a particular learner. See the Department for Education’s Pupil Premium guidance for England.
Questions to explore with the learner
From a possible barrier to a useful check.
These are illustrative possibilities, not diagnoses, assumptions about a group or claims that an adaptation will work for everyone. The learner and teaching context determine what is worth trying.
01
A word problem with unfamiliar language
Possible barrier to investigate
For a learner who is new to English, a particular phrase, idiom or mathematical term may be worth checking. This is a possibility to investigate, not an assumption about EAL learners.
Resource or design response
Keep the mathematical relationship and intended demand intact. Consider a short glossary, a plain-language instruction, an annotated representation or a second example with a more familiar context.
Practical usefulness check
Ask the learner to explain what the question is asking in a preferred way, then try a parallel question. Check whether the mathematics or the wording is getting in the way.
02
A missing step after a move or absence
Possible barrier to investigate
A learner who has changed school or missed part of a sequence may not have met a term, representation or prerequisite that the new task assumes.
Resource or design response
Add a concise re-entry note: the prerequisite idea, one worked step and a clear point to resume. Keep the current learning goal visible rather than replacing it with a lower one.
Practical usefulness check
Invite the learner to try one bridge question and explain where they would continue. The teacher can use that response to decide whether the recap or another explanation is useful.
03
Dense notation or a difficult page to scan
Possible barrier to investigate
For an individual learner, the spacing, contrast, size or amount of information on a page may make the intended mathematics harder to find.
Resource or design response
Test a version with consistent notation, clear grouping, more space between steps and a readable type size. Use an agreed alternative format where the learner or their team has identified one.
Practical usefulness check
Ask the learner to find the starting point, follow one worked step and locate the next instruction. Compare the effort needed to use each version.
04
A task that misses the learner’s starting point
Possible barrier to investigate
Prior attainment or group placement may not show what a learner understands about this topic now. A task may assume a prerequisite that is not yet secure or offer too little depth to extend reasoning.
Resource or design response
Use a short diagnostic question, worked example or partially worked step to check what is secure. Adjust the starting point, prompts or depth of challenge while keeping the learning goal visible.
Practical usefulness check
Ask the learner to explain a choice, complete one next step or try a related question. Use that response and the teacher’s context to decide what to offer next.
05
A response route that does not fit the learner
Possible barrier to investigate
A spoken question or written answer may not be the best way for a particular learner to show what they understand, including in a specialist setting.
Resource or design response
Use only a communication route agreed with the learner and the relevant teacher or specialist. A resource might offer a clear sequence, a visual choice or space for the learner’s established way to respond.
Practical usefulness check
Ask the learner and their team whether the route is usable and whether it still lets the learner show the intended learning. Do not infer a communication need from a label.
06
Returning to learning after time away
Possible barrier to investigate
A learner returning after a break may want to know what the task is for, what they already need and how much time or material it uses.
Resource or design response
Offer a brief orientation, key terms, one example and a manageable first step. If useful to the brief, provide a compact version that can be revisited between sessions.
Practical usefulness check
Ask the learner which part feels clear and what they would try next. A teacher can check one short application and adjust the next resource from that evidence.
07
An example that feels distant or narrowly framed
Possible barrier to investigate
A context, name or role in a resource may not be familiar or may distract from its purpose for a particular group of learners.
Resource or design response
Choose examples with care, avoid assigning ability or interest by identity, and offer a context that fits the teaching goal and local setting.
Practical usefulness check
Ask learners and the teacher whether the context helps them enter the task and keeps attention on the learning. Revise if the example distracts or excludes.
Evidence, carefully scoped
Research can inform questions. People still judge the fit.
The guidance below informs how we think about teaching, assessment and access. It does not validate a Quillattice intervention, establish outcomes for the learners named here, or replace professional judgement.
Special Educational Needs in Mainstream SchoolsEducation Endowment Foundation (2020). Guidance for mainstream schools; its recommendations are a starting point, not a specification for every learner or setting.
Improving Mathematics in Key Stages 2 and 3Education Endowment Foundation (2017). Mathematics guidance for Key Stages 2 and 3; it recommends using assessment of existing knowledge to inform teaching and targeted support. It does not cover every subject, age or setting.
Using pupil premium: guidance for school leadersDepartment for Education (updated 24 August 2026). This funding guidance applies to England; Pupil Premium is not a personal budget for an individual pupil.
Comparing the school curriculum across the UKHouse of Commons Library (2024). Education policy and curricula differ across the four UK nations; England-specific policy should not be treated as UK-wide.
Evidence on secondary mathematics cannot be generalised to every subject, learner or setting. The UK has four education jurisdictions, so teams should check the relevant nation, provider and local requirements. Provision names and remits can vary locally.
What Quillattice can provide
Clear materials, shaped and reviewed by a person.
Quillattice creates learning content, mathematical data analysis, presentations and visual assets, and concise educational video plans. AI supports exploration and drafting; a person reviews each deliverable for accuracy, clarity and fit to the brief.
Clear limits matter
Quillattice cannot claim to serve every learner, remove every barrier or guarantee an outcome. It does not provide diagnosis or clinical support, assess learners, make specialist decisions, or replace teachers and specialist professionals. AI is not a specialist decision-maker.
The founder’s stated background includes a BSc in Mathematics from Loughborough University, a PGCE in Mathematical Education from the University of Leicester and current secondary-school Maths teaching, with experience involving higher-attaining pupils, Further Mathematics and UKMT Mathematical Challenges. The site does not claim experience in specialist, alternative or external provision, adult learning, partnerships or outcomes.