The rise in inclusion provisions within mainstream schools is a direct response to meet the needs of a wider range of pupils, while reducing the pressure on individuals and classrooms. But, how do we ensure these provisions are sustainable and truly make a difference?
1. Define who your provision supports
A specialist inclusion provision cannot effectively meet the needs of both pupils with severe learning needs and academically able pupils with a social and emotional needs profile.
I understand the temptation and the operational reality, but that’s not specialist support. It’s a range of very specific needs piled into a room where they’ll likely work against each other. That will make learning even more difficult than if the pupils had stayed in the classroom.
You must define your cohort – this can be painful, but it’s vital if you want to get everything else right.
2. Have a clear mission
Why does your unit exist? Why do the teachers come in every day? Why do the pupils come in? For me, this is the most important because everything comes from it.
Your ‘why’ could be for pupils to:
- access the classroom
- access their community
- live independently
When I was a SEND head, my ‘why’ was for pupils to be happy, independent, respected by others and to be able to access the world in a meaningful way.
Start with your ‘why’ and go from there. Then, the chances that your provision will make a difference go up massively.
This is because you can build curriculum and assessment from your ‘why’. This will make learning more purposeful, learners more engaged and teachers happier in their work. Trust me.
For example, if you know that your goal is for pupils to access the main classroom, you can focus on the skills that would allow this. You might think this would be early phonics, but you’re wrong!
Depending on the individual, you might prioritise:
- regulating in a noisy environment
- communicating basic needs
- following routines
- asking for help
These all come before academics. Focusing your specialist provision on a specialist goal means you are so much more likely to achieve it.
“But OFTSED,” everyone cries out, “they’ll want to see the phonics”.
Be brave! Teach skills the pupil needs. If you do, they will make progress, and provided you can demonstrate progress, Ofsted will be happy. And if they’re not, they’re wrong.
3. Be honest
A small, but important point here. You must be open with all stakeholders regarding the provision’s:
- purpose
- setup
- limits
- expectations and challenges
This means being upfront with parents, teachers, the LA and, most importantly, the children both in and out of the provision.
You don’t want your provision to be a little classroom hidden at the bottom of the playground; it’s a community affair. That means everyone, and especially the pupils, needs to understand and be part of the mission.
4. Engage the pupil
Where possible, always communicate directly with young people to establish their needs. Ask them:
- What support do you need to access learning?
- What are your goals?
- What skills will help you the most to achieve those goals?
- How can we adapt learning around things you’re passionate about?
You’ll need to adapt your wording, but if the pupil has been truly engaged in establishing their learning, you will have a much better outcome.
5. Adapt whole-school systems
Do not make pupils who are accessing a specialist inclusion unit fit into your whole-school systems. This doesn’t provide them with the tools for real life – quite the opposite.
In the outside world, they will need to understand their needs and ask for adaptations if they access employment. Your SEND pupils will need to advocate for themselves, not force themselves to do the same as everyone else.
Inflexibility like this is just one reason the rate of unemployment for people with disabilities is so low in the UK.
If a pupil says or does something that doesn’t fit with expectations, rather than going straight to punishment, be kind, patient and curious. Ask:
- Why you did that?
- Do you understand why that wasn’t okay?
- What could you do instead?
- What could school do differently, so you don’t need to do that next time?
Even with non-speaking pupils, you can still be curious about these and observe for answers.
6. Invest in real training and coaching
Budgets are tight, but this point is vital.
You must invest in real training for whoever is running your provision. This role differs from being a SENCO and requires a unique skill set. Get an expert-at-hand involved, either privately or through the LA, and ask your provision lead what support and training they need.
Leading an inclusion space can be wonderful, but also challenging. Whoever is running it should have someone external who has the expertise, time and energy to speak to and bounce ideas around. Even if it’s just occasionally.
7. Partner with a local SEND school
Contact your local SEND setting and talk about some partnered work. They might even provide some of the training and coaching discussed above.
SEND schools are always excited to have opportunities to pair with local mainstream schools and provide opportunities for their pupils to interact with new peers. This is an easy win. Even if the school doesn’t have the resources to offer formal training/coaching, it will still be an invaluable resource.
8. Plan for transitions
Let’s say you have room for six pupils, and you take in six at Reception age (or Year 7 if you’re a secondary). You’re then full for seven years – that’s not a provision, it’s a holding pattern for six pupils and a cliff edge at the end.
Establish and agree the following with all concerned, by which I primarily mean parents, pupils, the LA and teachers.
- The goal: Let’s say you’ve agreed the goal is to transition into the main school with occasional hub support.
- The timeline: When is this expected? What is considered effective progress toward the goal?
By establishing this, you can expect your Reception pupils to either be in the main part of the school by Year 2 or the LA to look at more specialist placements. Yes, I know it’s not that simple, but if we plan, the chances of success go up substantially.
Build these expectations into the curricula and have data for review at EHCPs.
Nothing in education is as clean and straightforward as following some steps in an online article. But if you take on these suggestions, the chances that your provision will be effective and sustainable will improve considerably.
Adam Dean is an educational consultant providing expert-at-hand support, specialist training and coaching from a background of SEND headship, MEd in Autism and lived Autism/ADHD experience. Visit adspecialisteducation.co.uk for more advice and information.
Download The Ultimate Inclusive Mainstream Fund Toolkit
Every mainstream school and college now has to publish an inclusion strategy by 31st December 2026. This should set out how you’ll spend both your notional SEND budget and your grant from the new Inclusive Mainstream Fund.
Whether you’re a SENCO, headteacher or trust leader, this free toolkit from our sister site, Teachwire, turns a daunting new statutory duty into a manageable, step-by-step process.
