10th April 2026 • My Family Our Needs

The Department for Education has announced that Councils will receive £860m to boost specialist places in mainstream schools, helping to expand their ability to support SEND provision.

The investment forms the first part of a wider £3bn programme first announced in December 2025. The programme aims to create more inclusive classrooms and increase the number of specialist places available within mainstream schools over the next three years.

The Department for Education states that in order to receive the funding, local authorities are required to prioritise broadening provision in mainstream settings, including ensuring that every secondary school has an ‘inclusion base’. The Department for Education describes the bases as dedicated areas with schools that allow pupils to access both specialist support and mainstream education.

The money can also be used to adapt existing spaces for an enhanced sensory experience. Schools can do this by improving the ventilation, acoustics and lighting of these spaces.

Local authorities receiving the funding must sign agreements committing to inclusive strategies. This includes reducing long-distance travel for pupils and ensuring access to local provision, among others.

While the focus is on investing in SEND inclusion in mainstream schools, authorities may also invest in special schools where there is clear evidence of local need.

Further guidance on setting up ‘inclusion bases’ is to be published by the Department for Education.

Under the reforms, ‘inclusion bases’ will be replacing existing inclusion provisions such as SEN units and resource provision. These will be split into support bases, funded by schools and specialist bases, funded by local authorities, to combine mainstream learning with tailored interventions.

Alongside the £860mn in funding, £500mn per year will be distributed to schools, nurseries and colleges to improve inclusion. In 2026/27, the average primary school is reported to potentially receive roughly £14,000, while secondary schools could receive around £48,000.

The Department for Education said that £235mn is also being made available for 32 local authorities to create more than 4,000 additional specialist places, as well as £2.1bn for wider school estate improvements.

In other news, the Health and Social Care Committee has announced that its Independent Expert Panel (IEP) will investigate pitfalls in the transition from children’s to adults’ services.