WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY.... WHY INCLUSIVE SCHOOL DESIGN IS THE
REAL FOUNDATION FOR SEND REFORM Comment by MARK GIBSON, Department for Education Director at BAM UK & Ireland
T
he government’s proposed reforms to the SEND system promise the most significant reset in over a decade, promising a new national inclusion framework, legally mandated Individual Support Plans (ISPs), and a £3 billion commitment to create 50,000 additional SEND places.
However, without the right buildings, without schools, nurseries and colleges equipped to deliver meaningful SEND support, the proposed reforms could potentially fail.
The new reformed system is more structured and prescriptive compared to its predecessor. ISPs will define day-to-day provision. A tiered model including targeted, targeted plus and specialist will shape the required level of support. National inclusion standards will set expectations across England by 2028, while Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) become more tightly focused over time.
A pupil receiving targeted support may need a quiet, acoustically controlled room within easy reach of their classroom. Those requiring targeted plus provision must access therapists in suitable, purpose- designed environments. Pupils with the most complex needs depend on spaces that are safe, robust and sensory-appropriate, without feeling institutional.
If buildings cannot accommodate these needs, policy will fall short. This means a radical rethink on how existing schools function, as well as repurposing underused rooms into therapy spaces, creating inclusion bases, and reorganising layouts so that mainstream and specialist provision coexist seamlessly. It also means resisting the temptation to build large, remote specialist settings that risk recreating the very isolation these reforms aim to eliminate.
Currently, too many learning environments inadvertently heighten stress. Harsh lighting, poor acoustics and visual overstimulation can
make it difficult for children to engage before a lesson has even begun. Calmer lighting schemes, carefully selected materials and colour palettes, and clear zoning between high- and low-stimulation areas can all reduce anxiety and support regulation. Breakout spaces close
to classrooms allow pupils to step away and return without disruption. Outdoor areas, when designed well, become essential tools for emotional support rather than afterthoughts.
BAM’s approach to inclusive education design is starting to draw on our partnership with the Eden Project. For pupils, access to calmer, nature- connected spaces can help reduce anxiety, support regulation and improve engagement, reinforcing inclusion through thoughtful design. Flexibility will be essential. SEND support is not static, and neither are the reforms. ISPs will be reviewed annually, with pupils moving between tiers of support as their needs evolve. School environments must be able to keep pace.
ISPs, inclusion standards and tiered support structures will come into effect before many schools have the buildings needed to support them. Without careful planning, this creates a risk that schools will be held accountable for provision they are not yet physically equipped to deliver. Closing that gap requires early feasibility work, phased delivery programmes, and targeted retrofits that provide immediate improvements while longer-term projects progress. It also requires closer collaboration across government, local authorities, designers and contractors, ensuring that policy ambition is grounded in buildable reality from the outset. With the right approach, this investment could reshape the education estate into one that truly supports inclusion not as an aspiration, but as a lived reality.
COULD ‘ABSENT’ PARENTS ENGAGE WITH MORE SUPPORT? A comment by CASSIE HIGGLETON Senior Leader at VenturEd Solutions
I
t can be frustrating for teachers when concerns about a child’s behaviour or progress are met with little or no response from home. There are also families who typically miss parents’ evenings, rarely take part in school events or have little direct contact with their child’s teacher.
It is not uncommon for contact with parents to fall away as children move through the different stages of education. This is not necessarily a sign that they are
less interested. More often, it reflects changing circumstances and the reality of busier family lives.
These strategies can help make parental engagement easier and more consistent:
1. Uncover what’s going on for families. Relationship building often starts early, with informal meet-and-greets at the classroom door to keep lines of communication with parents open. But sometimes, communications aren’t as accessible as they could be. This can result in an engagement drop off. A school located in an area where many families do not speak English as their first language needs to consider this, for example. Emma Darcy, Consultant and Director of Technology for Learning at Denbigh High School, points out: “It is beneficial to have staff in school that can speak the community languages, so they can chat to parents on the phone and provide support at school events. You can also use the translation facilities in AI tools such as Canva to ensure parents can access written communications.”
26
www.education-today.co.uk
2. Build your school community. Meeting parents’ different expectations can be one of the biggest barriers to meaningful engagement. Some families are hard to reach when a school trip consent form needs signing. Others expect a constant flow of information.
Schools can help by making it clear when they need something from parents, what information is available to them, where they can find it and what response times to expect for queries. Schools can also use social channels to regularly share positive moments in the school day. Digital platforms such as online portals, apps or text alerts can allow parents to check their child’s attendance, behaviour updates and homework at times that suit them.
3. Make parental engagement a school improvement priority. If parents can’t support homework, information about a school trip isn’t getting home or a child’s lunch account isn’t topped up, these are barriers to learning. This is why parental engagement needs to be a school improvement priority, not the role of individual teachers.
A whole-school parental engagement strategy allows senior leaders to coordinate action across their schools and measure progress towards targets, such as improved attendance at parents’ evenings, more homework completed on time or emails and texts home consistently being read. Where gaps appear, adjustments can be made to how and when communications are shared or when events are scheduled to encourage families to fully engage.
Poor parental engagement is not always what it appears to be. Small changes in how schools support families to stay involved can make a lasting difference to children’s learning and progress.
June 2026
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
