From December 2026, schools will be required to publish an Inclusion Strategy setting out how they are using Inclusive Mainstream Funding to strengthen their universal offer and remove barriers to learning.

For school leaders, the task ahead is translating a clear moral and educational commitment to inclusion into a coherent, evidence-led strategy.

In this first post in our Preparing your school’s Inclusion Strategy series, Lucy Coy, Co‑Founder of HeadteacherChat® and an experienced school leader, breaks down the key elements of the SEND reform and explores what Heads need to be thinking about now - from publishing an Inclusion Strategy and preparing for new funding routes, to communicating change clearly and confidently across the school community.

Lucy Coy, Co‑Founder of HeadteacherChat®

As school leaders, we know that creating an environment where every child can thrive is at the heart of what we do. The Department for Education has recently released significant updates regarding the future of SEND provision.

This blog breaks down the DfE’s information on the SEND reform to help you navigate the upcoming changes and understand the impact on your mainstream setting.

What is the SEND Reform?

The Department for Education has published the White Paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, alongside a consultation on SEND reform, called Putting Children and Young People First. These set out a plan to improve the lives of all children and young people.

The reforms will support all mainstream schools to become truly inclusive. Schools should take a whole-school approach to inclusion, with a curriculum designed for all learners and accessible provision beyond the classroom. All schools must support children with additional needs in mainstream, ensuring they receive high-quality, adaptive, early support without the need for a statutory process.

What changes are happening?

The reform introduces a structural shift in how support is categorised and funded. Key changes include:

• A system of three layers of support above the universal offer, with children able to access support across multiple layers and move up or down:
  
  
  • Targeted – which includes small group interventions based on evidence-informed strategies delivered by school staff.
    
    
  • Targeted Plus – which includes a new Experts at Hand service, bringing expert advice and services from education and health professionals (such as speech and language therapists and occupational therapists) into mainstream schools.
    
    
  • Specialist – which will provide support through nationally defined Specialist Provision Packages (SPPs). The provision set will underpin the entitlements in an EHCP.
    
    
• New Individual Support Plans (ISPs) for all children with SEND: a digital record of the child’s needs and day-to-day support provided by their school and developed in partnership with parents.
  
  
• Retaining and improving EHCPs for children with the most complex needs. Children with existing EHCPs will see no changes before September 2030 at the earliest, and transitions will only happen at the end of primary, secondary, or post-16, or until they choose to move to the new system.
  
  
• Funding changes: Funding will go directly into school budgets through a new Inclusive Mainstream Fund, a grant to equip schools with resources to become inclusive. After legislation, funding will be rebalanced from the high needs block, giving schools greater control over how they support children with SEND.
  
  
• New National Inclusion Standards will set out evidence-informed tools, strategies, and approaches for educators to draw on to identify and support children and young people with additional needs.

How can we prepare our school?

Preparation will be a phased process. Leaders should be aware of the following expectations and provisions:

What you'll receive:

• A share of the £1.6 billion Inclusive Mainstream Fund over three years to embed inclusive practice.
  
  
• Access to £3.7 billion of capital investment to create tens of thousands of new places in Inclusion Bases in mainstream settings and improve building accessibility.
  
  
• National SEND training for all staff, backed by over £200 million.

What's expected of school leaders:

• Publish an Inclusion Strategy which sets out your plan to use inclusion funding effectively to embed inclusive practice based on the commonly occurring needs within your cohort.
  
  
• Prepare for every secondary school to have an Inclusion Base (either a Specialist Base or a Support Base).
  
  
• Participate in local school groups to share resources and improve support.

What information do I need to share with my team?

It is vital that staff feel empowered rather than overwhelmed. You should share that the DfE intends to:

"Invest in schools and empower staff to identify and meet needs early, and provide calm, supportive environments with high-quality adaptive teaching and inclusive, ordinarily available provision."

Staff need to know they will have access to the Experts at Hand service (Educational Psychologists, SLTs, and OTs) without the need for statutory processes, and that a new digital system for Individual Support Plans (ISPs) will be introduced to improve communication and transition.

What do Governors need to know?

Governors should be briefed on the timeline and the shift in financial responsibility.

• Phase one (2026-2028): Workforce training begins and the Inclusive Mainstream Fund is rolled out.
  
  
• Phase two (2028-2029): New legislation is expected to come into effect from September 2029.
  
  
• Financial oversight: Funding is being rebalanced from the high needs block directly into core school budgets, giving the school greater responsibility and flexibility over SEND spending.

What do parents need?

The reform emphasises partnership. Schools are expected to:

• Develop Individual Support Plans collaboratively with parents for all children with SEND.
  
  
• Reassure parents of children with existing EHCPs that they will see no changes before September 2030 at the earliest, unless they choose to move to the new system or reach a natural transition point (end of primary/secondary).

What do we need to consider?

To ensure your school stays ahead, check that the following operational steps are included in your school development plan for when the plans come into place:

1. Publish your Inclusion Strategy: You will be asked to set out a clear plan for how your Inclusive Mainstream Fund will be used based on the specific needs of your cohort.
   
   
2. Audit accessibility: Utilise capital investment opportunities to ensure buildings are accessible and to prepare for the creation of mandatory Inclusion Bases (for secondaries) or Support Bases.
   
   
3. Engage with Local Strategic Partnerships: Work with local authority-led groups to guide the development of the Experts at Hand service to ensure it meets your pupils' needs.
   
   
4. Adopt the graduated support layers: Begin to prepare your interventions to align with the new Targeted, Targeted Plus, and Specialist tiers.
   
   
5. Upskill all staff: Ensure all staff engage with the national SEND training on adaptive teaching and creating calm, supportive classrooms.

References

For further reading and to access the full consultation documents, please refer to:

• Department for Education (2026). Every Child Achieving and Thriving: Schools White Paper.
  
  
• Department for Education (2026). Putting Children and Young People First: A Consultation on SEND Reform.
  
  
• Department for Education (2026). Information on SEND Reform for those leading and working in mainstream schools.

Next steps

• Want to share Lucy’s guide with other staff members? You can download a handy printable PDF version here.
  
  
• The HeadteacherChat® Community is a space where school leaders can connect, collaborate, and share solutions to everyday challenges in education. You can join the conversation and become a member of the community here.
  
  
• If you’d like to explore how Crick Software’s inclusive support tools could supercharge your universal offer next year, book a free discovery call to see how other schools are using Clicker and DocsPlus to support writing success and curriculum access for all.
  
  
• Take a look at the next post in our Inclusion Strategy series from SENsible SENCo’s Abigail Hawkins, which offers a SENCo’s perspective on planning an effective, evidence-informed strategy!