The Department for Education has announced that it expects every secondary school to have an “inclusion base†that bridges the gap between mainstream and specialist provision.
The government has said that “in time†all secondaries will have “a dedicated safe space away from busy classrooms†where students can access targeted support.
This has been announced as part of the government’s 10-year education estates strategy, which also aims to ensure that school buildings are resilient to flooding or overheating connected to climate change.
Promoting inclusion in mainstream schools for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is expected to be at the heart of the government’s schools White Paper, which is due to be published later this month.
Under plans set out today, the government has indicated that there will be two types of inclusion base: support bases that will be commissioned and funded by individual schools and multi-academy trusts; and specialist bases that will be commissioned and funded by the local authority.
The DfE has said that inclusion bases could be additional spaces within the school building or created through the refurbishment or repurposing of existing space, such as a spare classroom.
This spring the government will provide new guidance for schools on converting existing space into effective areas for children with SEND. This will include breakout rooms, accessible changing facilities, outdoor learning spaces such as sensory gardens, and improvements to lighting, acoustics and ventilation.
DfE urged to set out plans for primaries
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, has questioned what the government is planning to ensure that pupils’ needs are met in primary schools.
He said: “While the government’s aspiration for every secondary school to have a unit is welcome, early support with children’s emerging needs is vital. Clarity is therefore needed on the government’s plans for these facilities in primary schools, where we know they can also have enormous benefits.â€
The DfE has indicated that £3 billion will be spent creating tens of thousands of specialist places in mainstream schools. It has also previously been announced that a separate £740 million will be spent on creating specialist places.
Today’s announcement is the latest the government has made ahead of revealing its full plan for SEND reform in the schools White Paper.
On Monday night it revealed that it would cover the cost of 90 per cent of the existing SEND deficit for local councils, providing that local authorities have a SEND reform plan approved by the DfE. This is expected to cost central government more than £5 billion.
It has also announced that all state school staff are to receive SEND and inclusion training.
The estates strategy announced today will include more than £700 million for a new “renewal and retrofit programmeâ€, which the department has said will “fix leaky roofs, repair broken heating systems and protect schools from floodingâ€.
The DfE said this would extend the life of school buildings by 15 to 40 years. These measures could have prevented some of the more than 40 school closures reported last year, due to building issues, according to the department.
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “For too long, schools and colleges have been forced to patch and mend buildings that have already deteriorated - spending their time worrying about leaking roofs instead of focusing on what matters most: giving every child the best possible education.
“This 10-year plan marks a turning point. We’re breaking that cycle with a decade of national renewal for schools and colleges. We’ve already committed to unprecedented long-term funding but we will go further, including our £700 million renewal and retrofit programme to tackle problems before they become costly crises.â€
The DfE has also said a further £300 million will be spent through its Connect the Classroom programme, to ensure classrooms “can support the technology that modern teaching demandsâ€.
The spending announced today will be funded from within the DfE’s overall capital settlement agreed at last year’s Spending Review.
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