The 2026 SEND reforms are explicit. The system is expected to move away from reactive, high-cost intervention towards earlier, local and inclusive solutions that genuinely improve outcomes for children and young people. For schools, this translates into a clear expectation: develop inclusion bases that strengthen mainstream provision and build sustainable capability, rather than long-term dependency. The ambition is welcome. However, inclusion cannot be achieved through a redesign of buildings or a rearrangement of space alone. It is not a building project. It relies on people, practice and capacity. For some schools, this feels like a natural extension of existing practice. For others, it may feel unfamiliar and daunting. That uncertainty is understandable. Inclusion bases sit at the intersection of pedagogy, workforce, finance and accountability. A lack of success is rarely due to a lack of commitment. More often, purpose and design are overtaken by pressure and pace, leading to segregation under a different name. From our experience of developing specialist satellite provision and supporting mainstream schools to establish effective inclusion bases, five essentials consistently define success. 1. Purpose before placement The most important starting point is not identifying pupils, but defining purpose. The SEND reforms place renewed emphasis on clearer thresholds, graduated pathways and outcome accountability. An inclusion base must be explicit about the needs it is designed to meet, the pupils it is intended for and how success is measured. Placement should follow design, not determine it. One of the biggest pitfalls is allowing an inclusion base to become a destination rather than a pathway – absorbing pupils because they are difficult to place elsewhere. Without absolute clarity, bases can drift into becoming holding spaces for complexity rather than engines of progress. At Liberty, our model starts with tightly defined cohorts aligned to EHCP descriptors and local commissioning priorities. That clarity prevents drift and ensures provision exists to enable progress, not isolation. 2. Curriculum as the anchor It is natural to begin by thinking about rooms, timetables and sensory spaces. These matter, but they are not the starting point. Inclusion does not happen because of where learning takes place, but because of what and how children are taught. The reforms rightly demand improved academic outcomes and better preparation for adulthood, which requires curriculum-first thinking. Success will be defined by pupils accessing meaningful learning, building communication and independence and progressing with purpose, not simply being kept occupied or contained. Our curriculum at Liberty is anchored in the national curriculum, but deliberately adapted through autism-affirming pedagogy, structured teaching and communication-rich practice. 3. Expertise that extends Establishing an inclusion base does not in itself signify expertise. It is the expertise within and beyond the base that determines its success. One of the hardest truths for the sector is how much workforce development is needed. Concentrating knowledge within a small specialist team could inadvertently reinforce separation. The 2026 reforms emphasise evidence-informed practice and skilled delivery, reflected in training, coaching and leadership development. At Liberty, this includes whole-staff training in autism, trauma-informed practice and de-escalation, alongside accredited professional development through the improving teaching programme and postgraduate autism leadership pathways. 4. Regulation by design Supporting wellbeing and behaviour cannot be retro-fitted. Where inclusion bases rely heavily on withdrawal or containment strategies, they risk becoming places pupils are sent away from the school community, rather than supported within it. Liberty’s approach supports regulation through low-arousal environments, predictable routines, communication-friendly classrooms and a consistent de-escalation framework, creating psychological safety for pupils and staff alike. When behaviour is understood as communication, and regulation is embedded into daily teaching and relationships, inclusion bases can stabilise learning. When it is misunderstood, exclusion simply reappears in quieter forms. 5. Infrastructure that sustains capacity Perhaps the most important test of an inclusion base is whether it strengthens the system around it. Inclusion bases that succeed are those that work in partnership with families, local authorities and commissioners, aligned to place-based planning priorities, and underpinned by a clear infrastructure. A final thought Schools are right to feel the weight of expectation around inclusion bases. But this work does not require perfection. It requires clarity, consistency and a willingness to learn. Getting this right is not simply a matter of policy or provision, it is a moral imperative. Every child has the right to belong and to succeed, wherever they are taught and whatever their needs may be.