More leaders are considering inclusion bases as a way of offering targeted or specialist support for children and young people with additional needs. They are a key part of the government’s SEND reforms and are likely to become a more familiar part of mainstream education. If inclusion bases are to play a bigger role, how can schools make informed decisions about when and how to use them? Our work with schools, trusts and local authorities has highlighted one message above all: start with the needs of pupils. Being clear about who the base is intended to support, and the needs it is there to meet, gives leaders a stronger basis for deciding what it is trying to achieve and how it should work. At one trust, leaders across several primary schools identified pupils with complex communication and interaction needs who were relying heavily on 1:1 support and reduced timetables. They concluded that even with a strong mainstream offer, those pupils’ needs could be met more consistently through a dedicated, expertly staffed base. At another primary, leaders began with a specific group of pupils with autism whose needs were not being met well enough in mainstream classrooms, despite adaptations to teaching. Clear entry criteria They then developed clear entry criteria for an inclusion base, drawing on classroom observations, specialist reports, EHCPs where they were in place and family input to decide whether the base was the right fit for each child. In both cases, leaders had tried to meet those needs within mainstream first. The base followed from a clear understanding of what pupils needed. If that sequence is reversed, the risk is that the base starts to shape which pupils are seen as suitable for it. That judgment needs to stay under review, but this does not mean continually redesigning the base. Individual pupils’ needs may change, and the mix of needs within the cohort may shift from year to year. This could mean changes in curriculum and assessment if the cohort’s needs change too. Several leaders told us that planned review points help them check that the base still makes sense for the group it serves, and for each pupil within it. One concern around inclusion bases is whether pupils could become increasingly separated from mainstream classrooms and peers. Uncomfortable question Leaders can keep asking: “Is this base the best response to this pupil’s needs, or is the existence of the base beginning to drive the decision?” That can be an uncomfortable question, but it is an important one to keep asking. For some pupils, specialist teaching in a different environment may be exactly what helps them learn and thrive. The leaders we worked with were therefore thinking carefully about the balance between specialist support and connection to the wider school. At one trust, pupils move in and out of inclusion bases flexibly, according to their individual needs and next steps. They access as much time as they can manage in mainstream classes and take part in whole-school activities and enrichment alongside their peers. Another trust has approached the same question through the design of its spaces and routines. Visual supports travel with pupils into mainstream lessons, and transitions between the base and the wider school are designed around pupils’ needs. There is no fixed formula for the right balance. Leaders need to consider what each pupil gains from specialist support, what they can access successfully in mainstream and how those experiences fit together. Staff need expertise Professional development for staff should start from the same place. The best available evidence points to high-quality, evidence-informed teaching as the foundation for supporting all learners, including pupils with additional needs. Staff need the expertise to notice, understand and respond to pupils’ needs as they change. At one school we worked with, leaders reshaped support staff contracts so colleagues could take part in daily targeted development before pupils arrived, alongside longer sessions each half term. Training focused on areas such as communication and sensory regulation, with inclusion staff modelling strategies and giving feedback in classrooms. That investment helps staff adapt teaching and support as pupils develop. Decisions about curriculum, staffing and environment should evolve in the same way – grounded in what pupils need, informed by what staff are seeing and revisited as circumstances change. Schools are being asked to absorb a huge amount of reform, and there will be understandable pressure to move quickly as inclusion bases expand. There is no single blueprint for getting this right. Leaders should give themselves permission to take time to listen, to learn from what happens in practice and to adjust before decisions become fixed. Doing so can give leaders greater confidence the choices they make are right for the pupils in their care.