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Inclusion bases in mainstream schools should be run by qualified teachers and not used as a sanction, according to government guidance published today.

The Department for Education has today set out as part of its plan to ensure mainstream schools are more inclusive for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

The government said previously that it wants all secondary schools to run an inclusion base and for an equivalent number of places to be created in primary schools.

Announcing the guidance today, 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. ”

However, leaders have raised concerns over levels of funding.

The two types of inclusion bases

There will be “specialist” bases, commissioned by local authorities, and “support bases”, commissioned by schools and trusts.

These definitions will replace the current system of resourced provisions, SEN units and schools running their own informal support units.

The guidance says that inclusion bases “typically operate on a continuum”. The provision will range between an inclusive service, where children and young people still access the majority of mainstream classes, and, at the other end of the scale, bases running as “as a specialist space, where children and young people do the majority of their learning in the base”.

The DfE adds that schools should reflect on where their existing provision sits within this continuum, and prioritise models involving more time in mainstream classes.

The guidance also says that inclusion bases should be designed with a particular target cohort of children and young people in mind.

Staffing

Operational day-to-day responsibility for the base should lie with a teacher, the guidance states.

The DfE says the expectation is that, where curriculum content or interventions are delivered, this will be led by a teacher. Children and young people accessing a base should not have less access to a qualified teacher than peers in mainstream classes, it adds.

Where more specialist input is required - for example, therapeutic, pastoral or medical - this should be led by “an appropriately qualified professional”.

The DfE’s SEND reforms are introducing three tiers of support for pupils with SEND: targeted, targeted plus and specialist.

The guidance says the expectation is that targeted plus support will be delivered in support bases and specialist support within specialist bases.

Layout

The guidance sets out a number of considerations for schools on the layout of inclusion bases.

It says that schools should consider having teaching spaces, where children will spend a significant amount of time in the base; appropriate support spaces for interventions, such as small-group, one-to-one, sensory, assessment, emotional regulation and therapy activities; and grouping spaces in a zone, “ideally central and integrated into the wider school”.

It also says that a dedicated drop-off, entrance and play area may be appropriate in meeting the needs of the children and young people accessing the base, but “with careful consideration to how they support an inclusive approach”.

What does an inclusive estate look like?

Separate, non-statutory guidance on inclusive education estates says mainstream schools should also consider how buildings and outdoor spaces can support pupils with SEND.

The DfE sets out 10 areas of inclusive design, including accessibility and movement, acoustics, lighting, ventilation, temperature and access to nature.

It says adaptations do not always need to be high-cost and can include clearer signage, calmer corridors, reduced visual clutter, quieter dining areas, acoustic panels, warm lighting and better access to outdoor spaces.

Funding for these adaptations could come from High Needs Provision Capital Allocations, the Inclusive Mainstream Fund, and school or trust reserves, the DfE says.

The DfE adds that sensory rooms should not be used as a generic intervention, and should only be funded where there is a clear need and specialist, evidence-based advice.

Whole-school inclusion

The inclusion base guidance, which is also non-statutory, says that schools should focus on developing an inclusive and high-quality universal offer across the whole school before setting up an inclusion base.

It also states that arrangements for monitoring the quality of education in an inclusion base should be as rigorous as those used for mainstream classes.

Celebrate the base and its pupils

The DfE says schools should celebrate and promote the base and the children and young people who access it.

And the guidance states that schools might need to explore alternative assessment approaches, keeping in mind the strengths and needs of the children and young people accessing the base. In many cases, smaller steps of progress will need to be measured, it adds.

The government also tells schools to ensure that all the children and young people who attend the school and their families “understand the purpose of the base and the strengths and needs of those accessing it”.

Curriculum

For bases that support high levels of access to mainstream classes, the vast majority of curriculum delivery will take place in mainstream classes, according to the guidance.

Where children and young people still access some classes in the base, schools should aim to ensure that its timetables align as much as possible.

It also adds that mainstream and base teachers should work collaboratively to jointly design the curriculum to reduce barriers to learning and support all children and young people in accessing the mainstream curriculum.

6 ‘principles of effective practice’

The government has said that local authorities “should assure themselves that appropriate quality assurance processes are in place to evaluate the effectiveness of specialist bases”.

Ofsted will look at inclusion bases as part of school inspections.

The DfE has developed six key principles of effective practice for inclusion bases that it says have been identified by experts:

These are:

1. Supporting inclusion in the school or local area
2. High-quality curriculum design
3. Effective data, assessment and outcomes
4. Effective workforce and leadership
5. Effective partnership working
6. Inclusive and accessible physical environments

Inclusive mainstream funding

The DfE has also created an Inclusive Mainstream fund to support schools as the sector moves towards a reformed system.

Schools will receive a £3,000 lump sum, plus per-pupil funding and extra cash for pupils with low prior attainment.

Primary schools will get £16 per pupil and £79 for each eligible low-prior-attainment pupil, and secondary schools will receive £14 per pupil and £88 for each eligible low-prior-attainment pupil.

‘Not enough money’

But Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “We are not convinced that the government has allocated enough money to deliver the massive expansion of SEND support in mainstream education it envisages.

“Its reforms mean schools and colleges will be supporting many more students with complex needs. High-quality inclusion bases which provide specialist support are therefore absolutely vital within mainstream settings.

“However, it is important to understand that this type of provision requires careful planning and staff development, high teacher-to-student ratios, and specialist support across a range of needs. Schools and colleges must be given the time and funding necessary to plan and deliver this level of provision.”

“This cannot be done on the cheap,” he added.

The NAHT school leaders’ union said new bases and existing facilities “must be supported by the investment needed”, while the NEU teaching union said the success of the reforms will “depend on sustained and significant investment”.

“It is clear that the new Inclusive Mainstream Fund will not be a silver bullet in addressing the current crisis and is only a small step towards properly resourcing schools to deliver these reforms and further improve inclusivity,” NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman said.

Benefits and challenges of bases explored

The DfE has also published research examining the impact of SEN units and resourced provisions that are already operating.

Schools with SEN units reported some of the challenges they faced, with more than one third reporting “weak joint working” between SEN unit staff and mainstream teachers, and over two-thirds highlighting increased pressure on resources and staffing.

Fewer than 50 per cent of respondents believed they had sufficient specialist expertise to meet pupils’ needs, with a third of secondary schools and fewer than half of primaries reporting that their unit could meet the needs of all pupils who used it.

However, academics said that parents, schools and pupils had “generally positive” views of SEN units. Among teaching staff, the potential to support inclusion in mainstream schools, targeted individualised support for pupils and increase “wider school improvements”, such as better expertise, were all noted as benefits.