(UK) $310M for SPED students in south of England; part of $4B for "inclusion" in mainstream schools

Mar 27, 2026, SEND funding to drive 'inclusion bases' in schools - AOL

More than £235m [$310M] has been allocated for councils in the south of England to deliver more school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) over the next year.

The funding is part of the first round of more than £3bn [$4B] aimed at creating inclusive classrooms across England.

The Department for Education (DfE) promised a "transformative expansion" of inclusion bases - physical spaces in mainstream schools that enable early specialist support.

Dr Claire Brenner, founder of campaign group Oxfordshire SEND Parents Action, said there was "general unease" among parents in the SEND community on the focus on inclusion bases.

As part of the deal, local authorities will be required to sign a written agreement to prioritise increasing SEND places in mainstream schools.

They must also adopt strategies such as reducing the number of children with SEND who need to travel long distances to school, and making sure every child who needs a place in an inclusion base can access one.

The DfE said councils should also ensure sufficient special school and alternative provision places for young people with the most complex needs. . . .

The DfE said inclusion bases enable pupils to move seamlessly between specialist support and mainstream classes, meeting a "wide range of needs" and building confidence and belonging.

But campaigner Claire Brenner, who is also the parent of a child with SEND, said while she welcomed any extra funding, she is worried that this is "inclusion on paper".

She told BBC Radio Oxford: "[Inclusion bases] feel a bit more like exclusion rooms if you're not also providing funding for more staff who have the appropriate training who can provide the support for these children.

"We need more special school spaces - yes, if children can be educated in mainstream that's great - but the uncomfortable reality is that an awful lot of children can't be educated in mainstream, some of them can't be educated in school at all."

Campaigner Claire Brenner has raised concerns about the focus on inclusion bases

Georgia Gould, Minister for School Standards, said: "Inclusion is a choice, one this government is proud to make, and the funding we're backing councils with will help make it a reality.

"Our SEND reforms will deliver specialist places where they are needed and ensure every secondary school has a space designed for children with SEND which they – and their families - can rely on. . . .