Secondary schools in England must provide specially designed areas for neurodivergent children and pupils with special educational needs, ministers have said.
The Guardian reported that universal “inclusion bases” are seen as a key part of government plans to overhaul special educational needs and disabilities (Send) support.
The inclusion bases are spaces away from classrooms where children with additional needs can get support for some lessons. The Guardian reported that they already exist in some schools and are part of a £3.7bn investment to redesign the system and create up to 60,000 bespoke places for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities in mainstream schools.
They could be set up in spare classrooms or purpose-built, according to a spokesperson from the Department for Education.
The report added that new guidance will set out expectations that schools should improve inclusivity and accessibility, which could mean creating breakout rooms, accessible changing facilities, outdoor learning spaces such as sensory gardens, as well as improving lighting, acoustics and ventilation.
Avnee Morjaria, lead author of an Institute for Public Policy Research report on reforming the Send system told The Guardian: “It is vital that children with Send feel school is a place where they can belong and inclusion bases are an important part of making schools more inclusive.”
Madeleine Cassidy, the chief executive of IPSEA, which is part of the Save Our Children’s Rights campaign, said schools already had a legal duty under the Equality Act to make reasonable adjustments for children, but it was “too often ignored”.
She added: “Investing properly in inclusive practice now is not only a matter of children’s rights, but a more sustainable approach that will reduce costs and pressure on the system in the long term.”
The education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said the combined measures were aimed at “breaking down barriers to opportunity”.
She said: “For too long, schools and colleges have been forced to patch and mend buildings that have already deteriorated – spending their time worrying about leaking roofs instead of focusing on what matters most: giving every child the best possible education.”