Union says schools are facing ‘no small challenge’ despite £500m funding
The government has issued new guidance on inclusion bases in schools, with the stated ambition that eventually every secondary school will have one, and with an equivalent number of pupil places being created in primary school inclusion bases. The guidance, which is non-statutory, has been published alongside further non-statutory guidance on making the mainstream education estate more inclusive.
The term ‘inclusion base’ will now replace other terms such as SEN unit, resource base, pupil support unit etc, and they are defined by the guidance as ‘provisions within mainstream settings for children and young people with additional needs’, which should be ‘designed with a particular target cohort of children and young people in mind.’ The guidance says inclusion bases should be run by a qualified teacher (with curriculum delivery and interventions also led by qualified teachers), and allow access to an adapted, broad, ambitious curriculum to meet the needs of every child. The aim of the bases should be to serve ‘as a bridge to school life rather than a barrier to it.’
The guidance is clear that access to an inclusion base ‘should never be used as a sanction or for removal from the classroom’ and that pupils using the base should not ‘feel, or seem….less valued than their mainstream peers.’ Schools should ‘celebrate and promote’ their base, while also ‘maximising’ opportunities for pupils using the base to spend time in mainstream classes and activities. Senior leaders are expected to ‘maintain a positive, visible presence’ in bases.
The Department for Education (DfE) assessed current experiences of various types of SEND base in mainstream schools by surveying 960 parents. 41 per cent said their child’s experience had been ‘entirely positive’, with 17 per cent describing it as ‘somewhat positive’. Meanwhile 8 per cent said they had had a ‘somewhat negative’ experience, with another 17 per cent describing it as ‘entirely negative’. For those with a negative experience, there often seemed to be concern around the base’s ability to meet the needs of their child. However, in launching the new guidance, the DfE is pointing to the finding that, where parents want their child to attend a base, 80 per cent report having at least a somewhat positive experience. They also cite the example of Oxfordshire, where pupils who previously struggled to attend school at all are now using base provision to average 93 per cent attendance.
The accompanying ‘Inclusive Education Estates’ guidance suggests tools for understanding the daily experience of a child or young person with SEND, such as structured walkthroughs or ‘Day in the Life’ approaches to identify challenges in navigating the physical space. Suggested possible improvements include adapting acoustics and light, introducing quiet and calm spaces like sensory gardens or installing ramps or handrails.
Launching the guidance, education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: ‘Every child and young person deserves to feel included, without fighting for the support they need to succeed. We are giving schools a clear, practical blueprint to become truly inclusive, from calmer classrooms and sensory-friendly spaces, to specialist support embedded right in the heart of the school, so children can learn alongside their peers rather than miles from home. Every child deserves to attend a school where they belong, where the environment works for them, and where the right support is simply part of the school day.’
The government has also announced a £500m ‘Inclusive Mainstream Fund’, which will begin to be allocated for the 2026/27 financial year, and which will partly fund schools to adapt their environments, establish inclusion bases and improve their SEND provision. However Matt Wrack, General Secretary of the NASUWT union, took issue with the government’s approach: ‘The government insists that it wants to listen to teachers and families, but instead of publishing the long-awaited response to the SEND consultation, ministers are already using guidance, funding conditions and tight deadlines to implement their preferred model. How can schools play by the rules government sets, when the government isn’t playing fair?’ On the subject of funding he added: ‘£500m is no small amount of money, but SEND inclusion in mainstream schools is no small challenge. This equates to just £23k per school in England. Our school estate is nowhere near as accessible as it needs to be, and £23k is nowhere near the amount schools will need to build new classrooms, changing rooms, sensory rooms and gardens, wheelchair ramps and railings. That is before you take into account the new resources and staff required for these units to function day-to-day.’