Inclusion strategy template
Every mainstream school receiving the inclusive mainstream fund must publish an inclusion strategy, including a statement of intent. This template follows the headings of the Department for Education's inclusion strategy template, so you can draft your strategy here, then copy it into DfE's template or your own format. Using DfE's template is optional.
- Publish
- On your school website by 31 December 2026, then every year
- Spend by
- Carried-forward funding must be used by 31 March 2028
- Trusts
- A separate inclusion strategy for each academy in a multi-academy trust
- Records
- Keep clear records of income and expenditure
Before you start: what the fund can and cannot pay for
Check each planned activity against the conditions of grant.
- Each activity aligns with at least one of the 7 principles of inclusion (listed below).IMF conditions of grant 2026 to 2027
- Each activity is evidence-informed and addresses barriers to learning and participation in your cohort.DfE, Developing an inclusion strategy
- The fund is not paying for general school running costs or operational expenditure.IMF conditions of grant 2026 to 2027
- The fund is not paying for capital works.IMF conditions of grant 2026 to 2027
- The fund is not subsidising spending on activity that already existed.IMF conditions of grant 2026 to 2027
- The fund is not paying for staff time on activities unrelated to inclusion.IMF conditions of grant 2026 to 2027
- You are focusing on a small number of approaches, delivered well, rather than spreading the funding thinly.DfE, Developing an inclusion strategyGood practice
The 7 principles of inclusion
- Ambitious leadership and governance that embeds inclusion
- Evidence-based support prioritising early intervention
- High quality adaptive teaching with curriculum designed for all learners
- Enriching provision beyond the classroom that all children can access
- A safe and respectful culture fostering belonging, attendance, and participation in learning
- Strong partnerships with families and wider services
- Inclusive environments with continuous improvements to accessibility
Strategy overview
- School name and the academic year this strategy covers.
- Your inclusive mainstream fund allocation, and any amount carried forward.
- Who wrote the strategy, and the date it was agreed.
Statement of intent
- What inclusion means at your school, in a few sentences.
- How this year's activities build on what you already do.
Barriers to learning and participation
Describe the barriers to learning and participation across your cohort. Say what evidence each one comes from.
Barrier 1
- What the barrier is, and which pupils it affects.
- The evidence for it — for example attendance, assessment data, the SEN register, pupil and family voice.
Barrier 2
- What the barrier is, and which pupils it affects.
- The evidence for it.
Barrier 3
- What the barrier is, and which pupils it affects.
- The evidence for it.
Activity in this academic year
For each activity, give the information the template asks for.
Activity 1
- Description — what you will do, the evidence it draws on, and the barrier it addresses.
- Principle of inclusion it aligns with.
- Activity type: universal or targeted.
- Total budgeted cost, split into inclusive mainstream fund and core budget.
Activity 2
- Description, evidence and barrier addressed.
- Principle of inclusion.
- Universal or targeted.
- Total budgeted cost: inclusive mainstream fund and core budget.
Activity 3
- Description, evidence and barrier addressed.
- Principle of inclusion.
- Universal or targeted.
- Total budgeted cost: inclusive mainstream fund and core budget.
Intended outcomes
Set out what you intend each activity to achieve, and how you will know.
Outcome and success criteria 1
- The intended outcome.
- The success criteria — what you will look at, and when.
Outcome and success criteria 2
- The intended outcome.
- The success criteria.
Review of the previous academic year
From your second strategy onwards, review the year before.
- What you did, what it cost and what you found.
- What you will continue, change or stop, and why.
- How any carried-forward funding was used.
Sources
- Developing an inclusion strategy using the inclusive mainstream fund (DfE) — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-mainstream-fund-support-for-school-leaders/developing-an-inclusion-strategy-using-the-inclusive-mainstream-fund
- Inclusive mainstream fund for schools: conditions of grant 2026 to 2027 (DfE) — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-mainstream-fund-2026-to-2027/inclusive-mainstream-fund-for-schools-conditions-of-grant-2026-to-2027
Striova's SENCO portal produces an inclusion strategy figures sheet under these headings — counts from your own register, support cycles and costed provision — to copy into your strategy.
General information about the SEND system in England, not legal advice, and not advice about provision for any individual pupil. Read each step alongside the source it cites. Prepared by QuoVira Health Ltd (Striova), October 2026.