Inclusion bases
Opening or rebuilding an inclusion base.
A base that stays part of the school, not somewhere pupils are sent.
The DfE's June 2026 guidance sets out what a base in a mainstream school should be, and schools with Inclusive Mainstream Fund money must publish an inclusion strategy by the end of December 2026. Most schools have a room, a budget and good intentions. What decides whether a base works is detail: who it is for, how it runs, what each space and door has to do, and how pupils get back to lessons. I help you get that right, from someone who has run a special school for pupils like these.
Who you are talking to
Someone who has done it.
I was the founding headteacher of a special school for pupils with SEMH needs and autism, and took it from concept to full capacity in 24 months. I have written for Tes on making inclusion bases work. About Barry
Scope and limits
Educational advice only. ' + BOUNDARY + '
The usual route
Three steps. Start at any of them.
Plan review, £1,200, or Provision Brief, £3,600If you already have drawings or a room chosen, a remote plan review is the quickest check. If not, the brief comes first. Provision Design
Launch Support, £4,800, capped at 6 daysPolicies, the behaviour and support approach, admissions, staffing and how the day runs, checked against the brief before you open. Launch Support
Growth Support, £1,600 a termA termly review as the base fills, or a single First Year Review. Growth Support
Free guides
Start with the guides.
The questions I would ask first are free to read. The paid work answers them for your building and your pupils.
Questions
Questions people ask.
We are opening a base with Inclusive Mainstream Fund money. Is this what the fund is for?
The fund names resources, training and specialist expertise to aid preparation for and delivery of inclusion bases, and it must be new activity spent by March 2028. Your school decides the funding line.
We already have a base. Where do we start?
With a plan review if the base is being rebuilt, or a single First Year Review if it has just opened. The plan review is £1,200 and the First Year Review £1,600, both fixed.
Do you tell us which pupils should go in the base?
No. I help you decide who the base is for and its entry and exit criteria. I do not advise on where an individual pupil is placed.
Is this a review of how we manage behaviour across the school?
No. The work is about the base: who it is for, how it runs, what the building has to do, and how pupils return to lessons.
Let's talk
Twenty minutes is usually enough to know whether this would help.
If it would not, I will say so, and point you to free support instead.
Book a 20 minute call (opens booking page in a new tab)