Can inclusion in mainstream school work for all?

There has been a growing focus on the need for improvements in how pupils with SEND are supported in schools, and the government has indicated its aim to improve inclusivity in mainstream education. Whilst there is no doubt that increased government funding could alleviate some of the difficulties faced by schools and bring much-needed improvements in resources and specialist training for staff, significant challenges remain.

A child or young person’s needs can be categorised into four areas: cognition and learning; communication and interaction; social, emotional and mental health; and physical and sensory. Many children and young people who are cognitively able experience difficulties with sensory processing and struggle to cope in environments that are crowded, busy and/or loud. This can cause a great deal of stress, exacerbate feelings of anxiety, and impact their ability to develop or enhance social communication skills.

In many cases, although these pupils are able to access a mainstream curriculum, they are unable to cope with the sensory, social and often executive functioning demands of the mainstream school environment.

It may be extremely difficult for some pupils to cope in a maintained mainstream classroom, which typically has around 30 pupils and a high-arousal environment. Secondary schools can be particularly challenging, as they tend to be larger, more difficult to navigate and require significantly higher levels of organisation, which can quickly become overwhelming.

There remains a lack of understanding around how sensory processing difficulties affect children and young people. Whilst additional resources and training would certainly help mainstream schools become more inclusive, in some cases it will not be possible to make a mainstream setting suitable or reasonably accessible for a particular pupil.

If you are a parent whose child is struggling in a maintained mainstream school despite being cognitively able, it is important to be aware that alternative options may be available. These may include independent schools offering a mainstream curriculum but with smaller class sizes, a lower-arousal environment and a higher adult-to-pupil ratio.

In addition, there are specialist schools for cognitively able children which offer smaller class sizes, specialist teaching (for example, for pupils with dyslexia), and on-site multidisciplinary teams providing integrated therapeutic provision. Where the relevant legal tests are met, these types of school placements can be named in an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), with school fees paid for by the local authority.

Children and young people are not homogenous; they do not all learn or experience the world in the same way. It is simply not realistic to adopt a ‘one size fits all’ approach to education. Knowledge is power when it comes to understanding a child’s or young person’s rights and entitlements within the education system.