Guidance

Inclusive mainstream fund: best practice for schools

Published 25 March 2026

Applies to England

Inclusive mainstream fund: best practice for schools

The inclusive mainstream fund will help support mainstream schools in the transition towards a reformed education system that is inclusive by design.

The grant was announced in the schools white paper Every child achieving and thriving and the special educational needs and disability (SEND) reform consultation document Putting children and young people first which set out the government’s plan to place inclusion at the heart of mainstream by ensuring every child and young person receives high-quality, adaptive teaching and early help when they need it.

To ensure that the inclusive mainstream fund is focused on providing schools with more resources to meaningfully deliver inclusive practice, schools will be expected to use their funding to understand the needs of their cohort and strategically plan to implement whole-school approaches to inclusion that will remove commonly occurring and predictable barriers to learning for all pupils.

Schools will also be able to spend this funding on the development of targeted evidence-based support for pupils whose needs cannot be met through the universal offer alone.

The universal offer

The inclusive mainstream fund will help equip mainstream settings to deliver a stronger inclusive mainstream system. Central to a stronger inclusive mainstream system is a universal offer built on high-quality teaching and whole-school policies and practices that enable children and young people who face barriers to learning to achieve and thrive. As part of schools’ universal offer, we expect mainstream settings to embed inclusive practice in line with 7 principles of inclusion:

• ambitious leadership and governance that embeds inclusion
• evidence-based support prioritising early intervention
• high-quality teaching with curriculum designed for all learners
• accessible and enriching provision beyond the classroom
• a safe and respectful culture fostering belonging and attendance
• strong partnerships with families and wider services
• inclusive environments with continuous improvements to accessibility

Inclusive ordinarily available provision based on the above will benefit all pupils, not only those with SEND. Children and young people learning alongside their peers has proven academic and social benefits for all children and high-quality, evidence-based teacher-led provision that adapts for a range of needs and strengths can increase engagement, belonging, and participation. This will form the basis of school’s universal offer, and the inclusive mainstream fund will equip leaders and teachers in mainstream with more resource to meet a wider range of commonly occurring, predictable needs whenever they arise or escalate.

Schools will be required to publish an inclusion strategy from December 2026 to hold them accountable on how they will deliver inclusive whole-school approaches and evidence-based support to meet the needs of their cohort, including pupils with SEND. As part of this, we will expect schools to report on how they deploy their inclusive mainstream funding to improve the quality of their universal offer and remove barriers to learning.

Further guidance and information on how to plan inclusive practices and approaches to meet the needs of their cohort will be published this summer, alongside a menu of approaches that can be drawn on to embed inclusion and a template for the publication of your inclusion strategy.

Examples of best practice

Aligned with the principles of inclusion, we have suggested some examples of best practice that schools may choose to allocate funding towards. These are steps that can be taken by schools to understand the needs of their cohort and then plan approaches and practices to meaningfully embed inclusive practice that meets pupils’ needs. These are not meant to be prescriptive or exhaustive. They are suggestions for practice that could be adopted by schools depending on what will make the biggest difference for their pupils.

Ambitious leadership and governance

Leaders and governors should put inclusion at the heart of schools’ planning and policies, embracing high expectations for the outcomes of all children, particularly those with SEND. This could include:

• strengthening systems for data collection and analysis to better understand the needs of pupils across their school
• securing specialist advice to support improvement of school policies and planning to consider the needs of children at the school
• participating in or forming local professional networks with other education providers to share resources, address professional development needs and access relevant specialist expertise
• benchmarking against similar schools to help identify where inclusive practices could be improved
• reviewing and strengthening planning and policies to embed high expectations for the outcomes of all children, particularly those with SEND

Early, evidence-based support

Early, evidence-based, effective support can help children with SEND achieve better outcomes and reduce the gap in attainment with their peers. For children and young people with additional needs that cannot be met through the universal offer of support alone, targeted provision should be implemented as soon as needs emerge. This could include:

• effective small-group and one-to-one interventions to remove ongoing barriers to learning, implemented with fidelity and evaluated carefully for impact
• flexible grouping of pupils to scaffold learning, deepen understanding or pre-teach concepts (such as vocabulary) or provide additional opportunities to practice and apply knowledge
• deploying teaching assistants in line with best practice to help pupils with additional needs develop independent learning skills

More details on how schools can use their IMF allocation can be found in the targeted provision section of this document.

High-quality teaching

High-quality teaching is the most important lever for improving outcomes for all pupils in mainstream schools, particularly those with SEND. Schools should continue to strengthen the quality of teaching in their schools, utilising evidence-based strategies which can be adapted to meet a range of needs and increase participation. These strategies will already be in teachers’ toolkits. The inclusive mainstream fund could be used to support:

• training and cover costs for strengthening approaches to high quality, adaptive teaching - for example, flexible grouping, strategies, scaffolding and using technology to support pupils with SEND
• training costs to enable staff to be trained to – and then deliver – evidence-based interventions
• evidence-based professional development that is explicitly focused on improving classroom teaching
• adapting the curriculum to the needs of children, including different levels of prior knowledge and potential barriers to learning
• the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) Teaching and Learning Toolkit brings together best-practice for teachers and school leaders - this may be helpful to consider when planning teaching and learning adaptations

Accessible and enriching provision beyond the classroom

All pupils should have the opportunity to participate and enjoy school life, including taking part in enrichment activities, attending trips and after-school clubs. Schools should continually seek to remove barriers to engagement and participation, and could consider embedding the following:

• delivering activities and wider opportunities for pupils to build life skills and independence, and participate in the creative arts or sports
• delivering extra-curricular activities to engage pupils and increase participation in school-life
• funding for staffing for subject teachers to develop their curriculum to extend the enrichment offer around the core curriculum
• funding for staffing, equipment or other accommodations that address practical barriers to participation that exceed that which would be considered reasonable adjustments

A safe and respectful culture

Schools should ensure consistent processes are in place to identify and support all pupils’ wellbeing needs. All pupils should feel safe, respected and develop a sense of belonging to ensure engagement and improved behaviour and attendance outcomes. Schools could invest in the following to this end:

• developing (and training staff to deliver) a coherent whole-school approach to managing behaviour, including any adaptations with a view to addressing challenging behaviour, disengagement, withdrawal and bullying
• clearly explaining the rationale for behaviour expectations and procedures to all staff, pupils and families, and authentically consulting with the school community at review points
• development of quiet spaces to be used at lunchtimes or breaktimes for pupils who need them, as well as a range of structured activities
• implementation of a framework for understanding pupil, families and staff belonging, for example anonymous surveys
• implementation of attendance interventions that consider the needs of pupils with SEND

Strong partnerships with families and wider services

Schools should seek to strengthen relationships with families and work in partnership to support children and young people, sharing information and plans for provision. This could be improved through:

• developing a SEND parent-carer forum or collaborating with local schools as a group to gain insights into the perspectives of families on inclusive practice
• delivering informal sessions or information evenings to parents of children with additional needs, particularly around key transition points
• inviting carefully selected external agencies and specialists to lead workshops for parents, underpinned by evidence and best practice
• developing guidance for parents and carers, including signposting wider services for support or supporting learning at home

Creating inclusive environments

Removal of all barriers to learning and participation for all is key to creating an inclusive environment. Classrooms should be designed to support learning, minimise distraction, and meet a range of sensory and regulatory needs. All spaces in school should be designed to be accessible to aid learning, development and regulation, in a way that supports a range of common and predictable needs. This could include:

• creating visual supports, such as timetables and communication aids
• improving classrooms, corridors and other high traffic spaces to meet a range of sensory needs, such as improving acoustics, lighting, temperature and removing visual clutter and distractions
• planning enhanced onboarding for new pupils and transitions into year groups, with phased transitions for those who need them
• improving or adapting carefully selected technology to support a range of needs

Targeted provision

For children and young people whose needs cannot be met through the universal offer alone, targeted support should be provided to enable them to achieve and thrive in their mainstream school. This may include small group interventions to remove ongoing barriers to learning, such as interventions to develop language skills, or pre-teaching vocabulary to help them access the curriculum without formal assessment or statutory process. Schools may choose to spend their inclusive mainstream fund funding on the following to support the delivery of targeted support:

• CPD for leaders and teachers to support the deployment of effective, early targeted smaller-group interventions for pupils who need it most
• training on how to deliver evidence-based practices to guide staff ability to respond to learning and development needs as they emerge
• teaching assistant training, time and resources to support delivery of programmes such as:
  • the Nuffield Early Language Intervention Programme (NELI) which targets reception-aged children who need extra support with speech and language development
  • Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC) that focuses on innovative workforce models to identify and support children with speech, language and communication needs
• resources, training and specialist expertise to aid preparation for and delivery of inclusion bases
• staff time to consult with specialist provision to support the design and implementation of targeted strategies
• evaluation and data collection on the impact of targeted interventions

To help schools consider how to embed evidence-based targeted provision that shows promising results for pupil attainment, the EEF has published their Promising Programmes to support high-quality teaching and targeted academic support for those with additional learning needs.

Examples of what good inclusive practice looks like

Tanfield school, County Durham: an inclusive and personalised approach to learning

Tanfield school focuses on strong transition support from primary to secondary school (starting as early as year 4), particularly for children with SEND. The school special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) offers support such as:

• information evenings
• transition days
• summer school
• access to an online hub
• additional visits from years 4 to 6

The school works closely with primary schools to understand a child’s needs and put support in place from the start, including group interventions for literacy and numeracy. Tanfield school also has year managers that offer pastoral support to make the move to secondary school as smooth as possible, like giving advice on uniform, homework or managing wellbeing.

Mount Pleasant Primary School, Darlington: inclusion at the heart of its ethos

At Mount Pleasant, all learners benefit from:

• visual timetables
• adaptive teaching
• staff trained in domains where there are high levels of additional need, for example speech, language and communication needs

Pupils who need additional support access individual timetables, and bespoke social skills support. Those with higher-level needs receive intensive, evidence-based interventions delivered collaboratively by health professionals, staff, and families, ensuring consistent progress academically, socially and emotionally.

The curriculum is adapted to developmental stages, from sensory engagement and early communication in the early years foundation stage and key stage 1, to semi-formal and formal subject learning in key stage 2. Life skills, independence, communication, and social-emotional development are embedded alongside academic subjects.

As a result of Mount Pleasant’s differentiated teaching, multi-level support and culture of empathy and collaboration, pupils are supported to build the skills, independence, and resilience needed for lifelong learning and success beyond school.

Winyates Primary School, Peterborough: planning a holistic ethos and high ambitions

At Winyates Primary, children are set up to thrive with high quality teaching and targeted support when needed. The school follows a graduated approach to supporting SEND, following a cycle of assess, plan, do and review, to monitor pupil progress and remove any barriers to learning. Regular checks on learning from the outset mean that pupils’ needs are identified promptly.

Quality-first teaching is the foundation for all pupils, and teachers know their learners well, enabling early identification of needs and timely support such as group interventions or curriculum adaptations. Pupils with SEND therefore learn seamlessly in the classroom alongside their peers.

With inclusion and adaptive teaching strategies embedded into everyday teaching, children with SEND learn amongst their peers and are involved in all aspects of school life. Outcomes are above average, with 76% of pupils meeting the expected standard of reading, writing and maths in summer 2025, above the national average of 62% in the same period.

The Academy at Shotton Hall, Peterlee: prioritising quality first teaching to support all pupils

At Shotton Hall, great teaching is the foundation of strong provision for all pupils, including those with SEND, with experienced and qualified members of staff providing quality first teaching. Leaders have focused on supporting teachers in the use of adaptive technology so that all needs are met in the classroom no matter the pupil’s ability. This approach is supported by individual learner plans for every child and equipping the classroom with an adaptation station with practical resources such as reading rulers.

As part of refining their approach to inclusion, Shotton Hall has increased subject teacher capacity in core subjects so that targeted support could be led by those with deep subject knowledge. This teacher‑led model is closely monitored and adjusted through regular assessments, ensuring that pupils who need additional help receive focused small‑group teaching and structured practice that strengthens key literacy and numeracy skills and builds secure foundations for learning.

This teacher-led model has driven strong outcomes, with a Progress 8 score of 0.58 in 2024, with disadvantaged pupils also making faster progress than peers locally and nationally. Ofsted has consistently judged the school outstanding, noting rapid progress for pupils of all abilities.