Working memory allows a pupil to hold and use information for a short time. Difficulty may appear as losing the next step, forgetting part of an instruction, abandoning a method or producing less work than their understanding suggests.

Support should reduce unnecessary memory load and teach the pupil how to externalise important information. It should not rely on generic “brain training” or simply repeat instructions more loudly. A large review of computer-based working-memory training found gains on similar memory tasks but no convincing improvement in reading comprehension or arithmetic (Melby-Lervåg, Redick and Hulme, 2016).

Identify the memory demand

Choose a real task and identify exactly what the pupil must hold in mind: several verbal instructions, an intermediate calculation, ideas while writing or the order of a routine. Check that the difficulty is not primarily caused by unclear language, insecure knowledge, attention or slow processing.

Teach one strategy in context

Useful strategies include:

• breaking instructions into a small number of steps;

• recording the steps on the board, paper or a mini whiteboard;

• repeating or paraphrasing an instruction before beginning;

• using a worked example while completing a similar task;

• grouping related information;

• using a brief visual plan, diagram or mind map;

• checking off completed steps.

Model the strategy with curriculum work, practise it together and explain when it is useful. Ask the pupil to choose and use it rather than waiting for an adult to rescue the task.

For secondary pupils, teach deliberate note-taking: identify the key idea, record it briefly, then use the notes to continue. Digital transcription can help in some contexts, but it should not replace understanding or become a second system the pupil cannot manage.

Keep support connected to lessons

A brief session outside class can be justified when it is used to teach and rehearse a strategy that cannot be introduced effectively during the lesson. The pupil must then practise the same strategy in ordinary curriculum tasks. Avoid prolonged withdrawal for decontextualised memory exercises.

Monitor independence

A typical pattern is one or two short sessions a week (10 to 15 minutes), one to one or in a small group, to teach and rehearse one strategy that the pupil then uses daily in lessons. The length of the block depends on how much support the pupil needs; decide where it fits in the timetable and when to review progress (many schools review after six to eight weeks). Track whether the pupil completes the target task, loses fewer steps and uses the strategy with fewer prompts. Check transfer across subjects and retain only the supports that improve access.

If difficulty remains substantial despite well-matched support, review the wider profile and consider further assessment.

Further reading

• EEF: Metacognition and Self-Regulated Learning

• SEND guide for schools and alternative provision settings

The aim is not to increase a test score in isolation. It is to help the pupil manage meaningful learning tasks more independently.