Boosting inclusion in mainstream schools is a key priority for The Department for Education (DfE), as set out in the Schools White Paper. As part of these reforms, an “Inclusive Mainstream Fund” (IMF) has been announced.
Don't wait until September. Start understanding the IMF now and what your school needs to do before claiming the funds.
What is the Inclusive Mainstream Fund?
£1.6 billion will be paid directly to schools over three years to be used on resources and training that enable more inclusive practices and targeted evidence-based support for pupils.
Who qualifies?
The Inclusive Mainstream Fund will cover all mainstream settings, including state-funded primary and secondaries, nurseries and colleges. However, you must publish an Inclusion Strategy from December 2026 to evidence how you are using the grant to deliver inclusive whole-school approaches and evidence-based support for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
What is the goal?
The goal of the fund is to create inclusive whole-school environments that allow all children to thrive. The DfE aims to achieve this through high-quality adaptive teaching and proactive interventions to remove barriers to learning before the need escalates.
Where do I start?
We’ve got you covered with the next steps to get started with your school’s inclusion strategy now – don’t wait until summer is over and you’re scrambling to put a document together.
Plus, we've prepared a more in-depth guide for you to dig into everything Inclusive Mainstream Fund related. We'll update this blog as more information becomes available.
Shaping your inclusion strategy
1. Targeted interventions
Best practice advice from the Department of Education suggests that “targeted provision should be implemented as soon as needs emerge” which might take the form of one-to-one or small group interventions. Nurture groups are the most commonly used form of intervention here; the government refers to these as “inclusion bases”. You can use your IMF to support the delivery of this targeted support via teacher CPD training or to resource your inclusion base.
From understanding the science of attachment to mastering the Six Principles of Nurture, our training is designed to give teachers and TAs practical, trauma-informed strategies they can use in every lesson.
Become a national recognised nurture practitioner with our live online training
2. Early evidence-based tools
If the IMF is the engine of our new inclusive classrooms, the Boxall Profile® is the GPS.
Often, the barriers to learning are invisible. A pupil might be "quietly disengaged" or "unexpectedly disruptive," and without the right tools, we are often left guessing why. The Boxall Profile® removes the guesswork by providing a robust assessment of social and emotional development needs across cohorts of pupils. The Boxall Profile® identifies these needs and provides evidence-based strategies for high-quality adaptive teaching.
This is the evidence the Department for Education is looking for in your inclusion strategy to justify your IMF spend.
Start your 30-day free trial now of the Boxall Profile® Online
3. Evidencing your impact
You must publish your Inclusion Strategy by December 2026 and it must clearly answer the following question: What are you doing to remove predictable barriers to learning?
By pairing the Boxall Profile® Online with nurture training, your answer is already written:
- Identification: "We use the Boxall Profile® to identify and monitor SEMH needs before they escalate."
- Implementation: "Our staff are trained in Nurture Principles to provide high-quality adaptive teaching."
- Impact: "Our data shows a measurable increase in pupil engagement and a decrease in dysregulated incidents."
Ofsted inspectors will also consider this strategy when evaluating inclusion.
Looking for more information? Check out our guide: Understanding the Inclusive Mainstream Fund (IMF) and what it means for schools