Secondary school leaders across the country are now being told to plan for inclusion bases. For some, that will feel overdue. For others, it will feel daunting.

Many schools already have such provision, though - indeed, over the past 10 years I have led specialist provision across primary, secondary, further education and residential settings, all operating inclusion bases.

Doing this, I have learned that inclusion provision rarely succeeds or fails on intent. It succeeds or struggles on detail. Design - and, more importantly, specification - is the difference between a base that enables learning and one that becomes a source of friction.

It may be early days but for any school that is keen to start thinking about how to meet this requirement, here are some things I think are vital to get right.

Setting up an inclusion base

1. Plan for needs

Special educational needs and disabilities is a broad term and different schools will likely have different types of student profile they will need to serve.

For example, based on current data, many secondary schools are likely to find their inclusion base used heavily by pupils whose presenting needs are autism and/or social, emotional and mental health (SEMH).

These needs may also be alongside cognition and learning needs, including moderate learning difficulties, and/or speech, language and communication needs, unless local commissioning is designed differently.

However, every school will be different. As such, when designing you need to look at the data and consider need now and where it may be in three to five years’ time - and recognise it may change beyond this, too.

That means early, robust conversations with the local authority and, where relevant, the trust’s central team: what need profiles are most prevalent locally? What is rising fastest? What is being met in mainstream already? And what is currently driving placement breakdowns and exclusions.

In short, the environment should not dictate the provision; the needs should.

2. Consider the specs

When leaders talk about “design”, the focus often turns to layout and aesthetics. However, in higher-demand environments specification of practical aspects must be as important. For instance, you need to think carefully about some of the following aspects:

• Door strength and glazing placement.
• Window restrictors.
• Tamper-resistant fixtures.
• Ceiling type and height.
• Alarm and thermostat positioning.
• Robust fittings that cannot easily be damaged or removed.
   

These become daily operational realities, particularly where students experience dysregulation and impulsivity.

Get this right and it enables an environment that removes friction; where it does not, staff end up managing environmental vulnerabilities rather than focusing on teaching and regulation.

3. Design for zoning and regulation

Without careful zoning, students’ needs can conflict.

Autistic students may require low distraction and sensory stimulus, alongside access to safe, calm spaces. Students with SEMH needs may require additional space to move, the ability to withdraw and quiet, supportive environments for behaviour support.

Zoning translates those principles into practice: low-arousal rooms, structured teaching spaces, breakout areas and calm regulation zones.

Movement between spaces should be predictable and supervised. Flow matters as much as square footage, because corridors and transitions are often where demand spikes first.

4. Reintegration is a whole-school strategy

Design of an inclusion base also needs to consider its place within the wider school. From a building perspective, where the base sits on the site matters.

In my experience, inclusion provision works most effectively when it is positioned in a way that reinforces that it is part of the school rather than separate from it.

That physical positioning can influence how students experience belonging and connection to the school community.

An inclusion base should not become a destination. It is an extension of the school’s provision, designed to support students when they need it.

For many children, access will fluctuate: some may attend full-time, others for part of the day, and some at specific moments of need. The physical location, therefore, needs to enable flexible movement between the base and mainstream classrooms without reinforcing separation.

Inclusion should not be treated as an architectural add-on; it should be embedded within the life and structure of the school.

5. Regulation should build independence

Regulation is developmental. As pupils grow older, the strategies they rely on must translate beyond school.

In practical terms, this means that rather than investing solely in highly specialised sensory environments, schools should consider incorporating structured physical regulation opportunities: supervised gym equipment, strength-based exercise and structured pad work focused on fitness, coordination and controlled movement.

For some students, structured movement is central to regulation. Teaching the safe use of equipment within school can reduce anxiety about accessing community facilities later and builds transferable skills that matter for adulthood and participation.

Alongside this, use affordable, commercially available regulation tools - lighting adaptations, low-cost sensory equipment and portable audio systems - that students and families could realistically replicate at home.

This can help to avoid dependence on a single specialist room, and it teaches strategies that could travel with the child beyond the school gates.

Barry Reed is the founding headteacher of Gilbert Ward Academy in Northumberland, a special secondary school for students with SEMH needs and autistic students, part of Prosper Learning Trust

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