Developing Your Inclusion Strategy: Where Should Schools Start?

As schools begin shaping their Inclusion Strategies, it can be tempting to jump straight to actions, priorities and plans. But the most important question is often the simplest: what is our school community telling us about the barriers pupils experience every day?

The Department for Education's guidance encourages schools to take time to understand the experiences of pupils, families and staff before defining priorities for improvement. It asks schools to reflect on barriers to learning and participation, consider what their monitoring and self-evaluation are already telling them, and identify where provision is working well and where further development may be needed.

For some schools, it may be tempting to begin with the template, the budget or the action plan.

However, meaningful inclusion does not begin with a template.

It begins with understanding.

Start with Understanding, Not Writing

It can be helpful to pause before moving straight to planning.

An Inclusion Strategy should not be a list of initiatives or a document produced purely for compliance. It should reflect the realities of your school community and the experiences of the children and young people within it.

The DfE recommends that schools begin by identifying the barriers to learning and participation experienced across their cohort.

Review what your monitoring, self-evaluation, pupil voice and family feedback are telling you. What patterns are emerging? Which barriers are having the greatest impact on learning, participation and belonging across your school?

Consider questions such as:

Which pupils struggle to engage with learning?

Who finds attendance challenging?

Where are pupils finding it difficult to participate fully?

Which learners are not accessing the curriculum as successfully as they could?

What barriers are emerging through your monitoring and quality assurance activities?

Taking time to understand the barriers children and young people experience can help ensure that priorities are rooted in genuine need and focused on the areas likely to make the greatest difference.

Review Your Universal Offer

Before introducing new interventions, consider whether your everyday provision is working effectively for all learners.

Reflect on your universal offer. Where is provision working well, and where might further development be needed? Are there barriers that could be addressed through stronger classroom practice, more inclusive environments or greater staff confidence?

Consider questions such as:

Are classroom approaches sufficiently adaptive?

Is the curriculum accessible and engaging?

Do pupils feel safe, valued and included?

Are routines predictable and supportive?

Do staff feel confident responding to diverse needs?

Which barriers appear most frequently across different groups of pupils?

Small adjustments to teaching, communication, relationships and learning environments can often have a significant impact on pupils' experiences.

Prioritise What Matters Most

Once you have identified the key barriers affecting pupils across your school, you can begin to prioritise the areas most likely to make a meaningful difference.

Schools do not need a strategy containing dozens of actions.

Instead, identify the priorities that are likely to make the greatest difference to your pupils.

These might include:

Strengthening adaptive teaching

Improving attendance and engagement

Enhancing early identification

Developing neuro-affirming practice

Improving transitions

Building staff confidence and expertise

The key is ensuring that priorities are informed by evidence and linked to the barriers you have identified.

A successful Inclusion Strategy is not measured by the number of actions completed. It is measured by the difference pupils experience as a result.

As you develop your strategy, keep returning to a simple question:

How will this improve outcomes, participation and belonging for children and young people?

Suggested Reading

As you begin developing your Inclusion Strategy, the following resources may be helpful:

Education Endowment Foundation (EEF): Inclusive Teaching

Practical, evidence-informed guidance on creating inclusive classrooms and improving outcomes for all learners.

EEF Inclusive Teaching Guidance

Department for Education: Developing an Inclusion Strategy Using the Inclusive Mainstream Fund

Guidance to support school leaders in understanding barriers to learning and participation, identifying priorities and developing their Inclusion Strategy.

DfE Inclusion Strategy Guidance

Final Thoughts

Whilst templates and action plans have their place, understanding the experiences of pupils, families and staff provides the foundation for meaningful and sustainable improvement.

By starting with understanding, schools are better placed to identify priorities that reflect the needs of their community and build on the strengths already within their provision.

How SEND Hub North West Can Help

Developing an Inclusion Strategy provides an opportunity to reflect on your current provision, identify priorities and create a clear roadmap for improvement.

At SEND Hub North West, we work alongside SENDCos and senior leadership teams to evaluate inclusive practice, explore barriers to learning and participation, and support the development of sustainable, evidence-informed approaches.

If you would like to discuss how we can support your school on its inclusion journey, we'd be delighted to hear from you.