SEND, AI and the Blind Spots in Mainstream Education | Bukky Yusuf x Tom Reynolds

In this episode, Tom Reynolds speaks with Bukky Yusuf about SEND, inclusion, EdTech, AI, teacher expertise and what mainstream education can learn from special school settings. Together, they explore the blind spots in how mainstream education is designed, including the assumptions schools can make about additional learning needs, classroom ratios, sensory environments and the support young people actually need to thrive. Bukky and Tom discuss why schools should begin with the needs of pupils and teachers, not the technology itself. Before adopting another AI or EdTech tool, leaders need to ask: how will this make a tangible difference to teaching and learning that we could not otherwise achieve? The conversation also looks at grade-based culture, formative assessment, teacher-led technology, digital poverty, learner agency, and why AI should support the professional in the room rather than bypass them. They also explore what education could look like if AI genuinely improved access, agency and confidence for pupils who have traditionally been less well served by the system. Connect with Bukky Yusuf: LinkedIn:   / bukky-yusuf-teach-lead-coach   Connect with Tom Reynolds: LinkedIn:   / tomreynoldssle   Schedule a free live Q&A session with Tom to explore how EdenFiftyOne could support your team: https://calendly.com/eden-fifty-one/ Learn more about EdenFiftyOne: https://edenfiftyone.com/ Chapters: 00:00 Highlights 00:39 Introducing Bukky Yusuf 01:36 What special education reveals about mainstream blind spots 02:49 Why mainstream settings do not work for every young person 04:37 The reality of adult-to-student ratios 06:13 Why education needs a different way of thinking 06:36 Deconstructing and democratising literacy skills 08:11 Why grade-based culture does not help learning 09:29 Fundamental literacy as a lottery 09:52 Formative assessment and real ownership of learning 11:16 What schools should ask before adopting EdTech 11:42 How will this make a tangible difference? 13:20 Measuring impact before deployment 13:46 Hardware, infrastructure and classroom reality 15:03 AI, education and the human side of learning 15:19 What schools are getting right about AI 16:15 Why the teacher is the essential conduit 17:35 Why technology should not bypass teaching 18:31 The best EdTech is teacher-led tech 18:49 Building technology with teachers and learners 20:26 Why no teacher has mastered teaching 20:38 What AI could make possible for underserved pupils 21:06 Student agency, ownership and AI confidence 22:26 AI, neurodiversity and personalised curriculum 23:13 Digital equity versus simply becoming more digital 23:49 Digital poverty and access to technology 26:19 Why access and infrastructure matter 28:06 Final thoughts #EdenFiftyOne #AIinEducation #EdTech #SEND #InclusiveEducation #TeacherLedTech #DigitalPoverty #SchoolLeadership #LiteracySkills #FutureOfEducation