Kent is to receive the largest share of funding of any local authority in the country to support children with special educational needs/disabilities (SEND) in mainstream schools.
The county has been allocated £10.7m from the government’s Inclusive Mainstream Fund to support schools and other education settings to invest in high-quality adaptive teaching, inclusive whole-school approaches and evidence-based support for children with SEND.
The aim is for children with SEND to be fully included in all education and activities within their mainstream school.
The funding is aimed at equipping schools and staff to identify and meet needs early, and provide calm, supportive environments with adaptive teaching. Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) for those with the most complex needs which cannot be met through the improved mainstream provision will be retained.
Kent has the highest total number of pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) – 54,040 – of any local authority in the UK.
Postcode lottery
East Thanet MP Polly Billington says the fund helps to end “a postcode lottery” faced by Thanet families fighting for the right support for their children, travelling miles to access it, or waiting months or years to receive it.
Every secondary school will have an inclusion base – a dedicated space providing targeted teaching and specialist support those who need it.
East Thanet’s inclusion bases will be run by a qualified teacher and will allow access to an adapted, broad, ambitious curriculum to meet the needs of every child.
The MP says that means more time for children in mainstream classes alongside their friends and will put a stop to inconsistent and patchy provision where children feel excluded from the wider school, like being left out of lessons, trips, or activities.
The bases will go hand-in-hand with a Labour overhaul on physical spaces including classrooms, with landmark guidance for schools, early years, and post-16, setting out how to adapt buildings that are shaped around the real experience of a child or young person with SEND.
That could mean children starting their day through an alternative entrance or taking time out in a calmer space.
Polly said: “Huge numbers of parents in East Thanet tell me of their battles to get support for their kids, including feeling forced to take them out of mainstream education because the support simply isn’t there.
“For too long, families have faced an unacceptable postcode lottery, with many children unable to access the support they need in their local school.
“The £10 million investment for Kent will help ensure that more children can get the right support at the right time, in mainstream settings and alongside their friends.
“Backing inclusive teaching, specialist support and dedicated inclusion bases in our secondary schools, I’m so pleased that Labour is working to build an education system that works for every child.”
Education Secretary Bridget 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.”
The results where high-quality inclusion bases already exist show that eight in ten parents (80%) who want their child to attend a base report a positive experience, and nationwide they are delivering strong outcomes.
In Sheffield, autistic pupils access up to 100% of mainstream lessons with tailored support and every single pupil from the base has entered education, employment or training after leaving. In Nottinghamshire, 80% of pupils accessing a base achieve strong passes in GCSE Maths and English.
The Inclusion Bases guidance was developed with the Council for Disabled Children and the National Association for Special Educational Needs a wide range of stakeholders, drawing on input from over 500 schools, 20+ local authorities, 34 children and young people, and 30 parents and carers.
The guidance covers mainstream schools, early years settings and further education providers.
Schools must publish an Inclusion Strategy on their website by 31 December 2026.
Early years providers receiving funding will be expected to demonstrate how they have used funding to improve inclusive practice. Further Education colleges will be required to demonstrate how they use their inclusion funding in their accountability.
The wider reforms will be taken forward through the Education for All Bill, which includes proposals for a new legal duty to put an Individual Support Plan in place for every child and young person with SEND, ensuring they have a clear route to support and access to high-quality education, health and care.
Hardly surprising, given that Kent is the largest council, bar the combined Ridings of Yorkshire, in the country.
Surely for some schools the pupils with SEND needs outnumber pupils without so it’s become mainstream by default ?
How many schools in Kent?
10 million does not seem to be enough to go around.
10 million schools is plenty, that’s well over 1 school per child.