The schools white paper: What ‘inclusion’ needs to include
Our experts, Roisin and Georgia, pick out what the government got right – and what may be missing – in the schools white paper and proposed SEND reforms.
Last month, the government released its long-awaited schools white paper along with a consultation on the paper's proposed reforms to the SEND system. A combined 200+ pages of policy, the papers have been welcomed (with caution) by many in the sector, including ourselves at Anna Freud.
But the devil is in the detail, and our experts, Roisin McEvoy (Head of Training and National Programmes, Schools) and Georgia Pavlopoulou (Chair of Autism Central and Associate Professor at Anna Freud and UCL) have spent the past two weeks examining both papers to better understand what’s in there and what’s missing, particularly in relation to special educational needs and disabilities, and neurodivergence.
At Anna Freud, we believe that mental health support for neurodivergent children and young people begins, first and foremost, with acceptance and inclusivity - not by making neurodivergent people adjust who they are.
We’ve spent 70 years building our understanding of the challenges faced by families in more vulnerable positions to improve their access to support and their outcomes.
If the government is to have the same long-term aim – and it seems it does when you consider that ‘inclusivity’ and ‘inclusion’ are mentioned over 200 times across both papers – it needs to be the first of two steps. Step two is the real impact, and it comes from turning inclusion into belonging. Because it is belonging that makes inclusion meaningful.
Things we think they got right
The great news is that we believe lots of the proposals will make a difference to children and young people. It’s positive to see government take such a detailed look at the role of schools within communities, and build on previous consultations we also fed into, such as the review of the curriculum and assessment last year. Some highlights for us are:
Earlier intervention
We called for a greater government focus on early intervention in our 2024 Thinking differently manifesto, and it is positive to see it front and centre of both the schools white paper and proposed SEND reforms. The five principles listed within the consultation – early, local, fair, effective and shared – direct the system to prioritise support before crisis. Earlier action has the potential to prevent escalation, improve long-term outcomes and reduce cost in the long run.
A stronger role for mainstream education
Both the schools white paper and the details listed within SEND reform consultation highlight a commitment to supporting more children with SEND within mainstream schools. Recognising that many needs can, and should, be met in ordinary classrooms is a positive shift. The papers also recognise (implicitly) that with one in three children1 being recognised as having special educational needs at some point in their schooling, perhaps these needs are not that special after all. As a consequence, the resources, policies and practices of all schools should meet the majority of these needs by default. We’ll talk about the training and workforce capacity implications of this below.
A more joined-up system
Positioning schools as community “anchors”, with services wrapped around them, like nurseries, family hubs and more, reflects a more holistic, whole-system approach to supporting children and families. We’ve long argued for a collaborative approach between the professionals working around a child and we’re pleased to see it recognised here.
Tracking wellbeing
The schools white paper commits to publishing a new Pupil Engagement Framework that will enable all schools to measure children’s engagement in education. This is currently being developed in partnership with young people, parents and schools and is welcome step closer to a consistent wellbeing measurement programme. This is something we’ve been calling for through #BeeWell.
Some challenges remain
A white paper is a ‘direction’ and not an implementation plan and the SEND reforms are open for consultation, so there’s a lot still at play. We’ll be feeding into that consultation and some of the areas that we think need more detail, partnership work and consideration are:
Ensuring inclusion must be lived, not designed
For neurodivergent children and young people, in particular, inclusion is not simply about being in a mainstream classroom. It is about whether that environment feels manageable, predictable and safe.
For many neurodivergent children, school can be a place of emotional burden rather than belonging.2 Sensory overload, rigid routines or lack of predictability, social pressures and communication differences can create overwhelming experiences. These are often interpreted as ‘behaviour’ when they are, in fact, responses to environments that are not designed with neurodivergence in mind.3
Yet these lived realities are less visible in this policy detail. There is limited attention to masking, burnout, or the cumulative effort required to get through the school day. If inclusion focuses only on structures and provision, without addressing daily experience, we risk placing children in environments that will continue to distress them.
Making mental health central
Mental health remains under-emphasised with a mere 36 mentions across both papers. However, for many children, the barriers to learning are driven not driven by academic need but by anxiety, distress or even trauma. It is, therefore, essential that mental health and wellbeing is fully embedded into the early support promised across both papers to ensure interventions are informed both by what’s visible in the school day – such as absence – and what may not be, like poor wellbeing.
Tackling the issue of workforce capacity and training
These reforms will depend on school staff who are already under pressure. There is some helpful detail on how capacity, training and support will be strengthened but it is important that more detail is shared soon. If the experiences of children and young people with SEND are going to be improved, teachers are going to need to be supported to do things differently. Doing things differently is hard and requires reflective and practical resources as well as that ever-more-scarce commodity - time.
A final word from Roisin
The message from the white paper and consultation is clear and surprisingly candid: schools do not currently meet the needs of very many children and young people. I know from our work at Anna Freud that this is not because school staff and leaders aren’t doing their best, but because they have been working against a system that disincentivises inclusivity. This paper is the first step in tackling that and the proposed £200 million investment in training presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for change. Some things I think would have the greatest impact is training that:
emphasises the importance of relationships, connection and belonging
is evidence-based and informed by the experiences and wisdom of children, families and teachers
includes time for reflection and for reconnecting with professional values
provides a framework for understanding barriers and facilitators of inclusion.
A final word from Georgia
The ambition within the schools white paper is clear and welcome, but a level of inclusion that also enables and promotes belonging cannot be achieved through structure alone. It also depends on inclusive school cultures, effective teaching practices, reasonable adjustments, strong relationships, and the meaningful use of resources to ensure all students feel supported, valued and able to succeed.
Parents and carers also play a critical role in understanding their child’s needs. Yet many families report a lack of trust in the system, shaped by difficult experiences navigating support.
Parents work hard to support their children and often develop deep expertise in their needs. They draw on time, knowledge, finances and networks to advocate for the right support. Yet their insight is not always recognised with many parents saying they are judged and pressured to meet narrow expectations of what a “good parent” should look like. Some begin to blame themselves, carefully managing how they present to avoid jeopardising support. It is essential, therefore, that reforms that progress from this consultation:
protect access to appropriate placements
strengthen-not-reduce family voice
ensure parents remain central to decision-making.
About Anna Freud
Anna Freud is a pioneering mental health charity and our aim is to transform care for children and young people through science, collaboration and clinical innovation.
You can read more about our work with young people with SEND and neurodivergence by:
visiting our Autism Central website to read about England’s free peer education programme for families and support networks of autistic people of all ages, delivered by Anna Freud and commissioned by NHS England. Subscribe the Autism Central newsletter for updates direct to your inbox.
signing up to our Neurodiversity and Wellbeing in Schools training programme - which is free for state school staff - to increase your understanding of mental health in autistic and ADHD students. Watch out for more dates which will be announced soon.