Ministers launch ‘inclusion base’ guidance after research finds concerns over existing units in schools

Ministers have launched “important” new guidance on setting up “inclusion bases” in mainstream schools after their own research exposed how many of those already running were having a “significant” negative impact on some disabled pupils.

Inclusion bases are set to play a key role in the government’s special educational needs (SEN) reforms, with every secondary school eventually expected to have one, and an equivalent number of places in local primary schools.

But there has been criticism of the government’s focus on inclusion bases, with The Alliance for Inclusive Education saying earlier this year that the government’s plans would “reinforce segregation” of disabled children and young people by rebranding SEN units in mainstream schools as inclusion bases.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said this week that the new guidance (PDF) – the first of its kind – offers a “clear, practical blueprint” for how mainstream schools should design and run them.

Inclusion bases are dedicated spaces that provide “targeted teaching and specialist support” to those pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who need it.

They usually combine access to mainstream classes with specialist support, and the opportunity to take part in “whole school life in their local community”.

When Phillipson launched her “generational” reforms to the SEND system, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, the provision of tens of thousands of new places in inclusion bases in mainstream settings was at the centre of her plans.

But new research published by the Department for Education (DfE) last Thursday (25 June) raised serious questions about the inconsistency of those inclusion bases already in existence.

Researchers had surveyed more than 900 parents whose children had attended an inclusion base – known at the time of the research as SEND bases – in a mainstream school.

The research showed that SEND bases could be “highly effective”, with many parents describing “positive, even life‑changing impacts, supporting their child’s learning, confidence and wellbeing”.

But the survey responses also showed that experiences of inclusion bases were “not consistent”.

Of those surveyed, 41 per cent said their child’s experience of an inclusion base was “entirely positive”, with 17 per cent saying it was somewhat positive, but 17 per cent said it was entirely negative and another eight per cent said it was somewhat negative.

More than a third (36 per cent) of parents believed their child did not feel part of the wider school at all, with many parents saying attendance at the base felt like segregation or isolation from the remainder of the mainstream school and their peers, rather than inclusion.

Children who attended secondary school inclusion bases were more likely to be bullied than those who used similar facilities in primary schools and were made to feel “othered” and as if they had a “target on their back”.

One such parent said: “It made them somewhat of a target from the kids in mainstream provision and as a result of this, they were the victim of bullying which impacted adversely on their mental health.”

Some parents said the school tried to be inclusive, but the lack of specialist staff resulted in an inability to meet their child’s needs.

Another parent said their child “felt isolated and the mainstream pupils treated him like he was in prison and were always trying to get glimpses of inside the unit etc and was known as ‘the unit boy’, mainstream parents were suspicious and wary of the unit children.

“He felt like a spectacle and a curiosity. It was the most un-inclusive environment and might as well walked around with a neon sign on head saying ‘not fit for mainstream school’.”

DfE says in the document: “Where provision does not meet children’s needs, the consequences can be significant, including disengagement from education and negative impacts on wellbeing.”

There were concerns that inclusion bases can feel isolating, about the lack of staff expertise, that needs are not always met, that the environment can be unsuitable or overcrowded, particularly in secondary schools, and that communication with families can be inconsistent.

DfE said the new guidance was “designed directly in response to what parents and carers told us and sets out how we will address the key issues raised”.

The guidance details “six principles of effective practice in inclusion bases”: supporting inclusion in the school or local area; high-quality curriculum design; effective data, assessment and outcomes; effective workforce and leadership; effective partnership working; and inclusive and accessible physical environments.

It also offers examples of how different schools have set up and operated their own SEND bases.

In response to the research, DfE said that “transformational expansion” of inclusion bases would be a “core component” of the £3.7 billion being spent on high needs capital investment between 2025 and 2030, so that “families’ experiences are positive in every instance a child accesses a base, not just most”.

Meanwhile, research by the government’s Policy Insights Unit for DfE found that SEND experts believed that the effectiveness of inclusion bases particularly depended on whether there were “opportunities for meaningful inclusion within the mainstream school, and access to specialist staff and sensory spaces”.

They also said there should be “tailored adaptations”; more intensive, specialist support where needed; and proactive communication with parents; while school leadership and “robust” staff training played vital roles.

Launching the new guidance, 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.

“That’s what we’re building.”

DfE has also published new guidance on how to design an inclusive and accessible environment in mainstream education settings.

Photo of the Department for Education’s Westminster offices by Google