What role can special schools play in strengthening mainstream inclusion? This is a question I’m asked frequently and is highly relevant right now, as the for the government’s call for evidence on examples of good inclusive practice in schools closes today.
The Inclusion in Practice initiative is being led by the Department for Education’s expert advisory group on inclusion, which is chaired by Tom Rees. Let’s hope they have found plenty that can be celebrated and shared. Among the examples of good practice, I’m expecting to see many strong collaborations between mainstream and specialist settings.
These are important to highlight because when special and mainstream settings collaborate strategically, the benefits are felt right across the school community. Special schools have a vital and evolving role beyond simply serving as placements for learners with the most complex needs; they offer both practical expertise and a philosophical foundation for a more equitable education system.
The number of learners now with education, health and care plans (EHCPs), and the complexity of their needs, can often leave mainstream staff feeling overwhelmed and underprepared. Special schools, by contrast, are staffed with practitioners whom we perceive as experts in SEND - although, incidentally, they can also feel they lack diagnostic knowledge.
Collaboration with special schools
The difference is that in special schools, systems are more explicitly designed to help staff learn about their pupils and what it is they need to make progress. There is a relentless focus on building deep, holistic knowledge of individual learners, using formative assessments and close observations to tailor support and teaching approaches.
This depth of understanding - knowing the child as an individual, not simply by their diagnosis - can be transformative when shared with mainstream colleagues, helping to shift the focus from managing behaviour to adapting pedagogy.
We’ve come a long way from special schools being seen as doing “outreach” work to help mainstream schools with “difficult” children. Senior staff at special schools used to tell me that a request to visit a mainstream school was to provide “top tips” to a teaching assistant on how to support the “tricky behaviours of a child with learning difficulties”.
Today requests from mainstream schools are increasingly purposeful and strategic, as these schools recognise the need for approaches that are co-developed, understood by all and help the wider school population to learn about pedagogy, curriculum and leadership.
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One mainstream leader recently told me that joint observations with colleagues from a local special school had been beneficial. “Sounds obvious,” she said, “but at our school we are now talking about evidence-informed practice in a new way. We look at gathered examples of pupil behaviour, pupil voice and pupil outputs, and forensically unpick these for one or two priority pupils to find how we can better tailor support.”
Staff already had these skills, she added, but there wasn’t an expectation to make use of them within school processes. As she explained to me: “It isn’t knowing more about autism, per se; it’s knowing more about our autistic learners that allows us to plan provision effectively”.
So, what’s next for developing good practice in this area? Multi-academy trusts (or less formal groupings) with both special and mainstream schools are uniquely positioned for this flow of expertise through holding regular joint CPD sessions, hosting secondments and performing shared self-evaluation. This arrangement must work both ways: special schools could gain access to extracurricular activities and transition planning, and benefit from raised awareness, for example.
I’d love to see growing networks of schools recognise their strengths and implement a network-wide development plan for mainstream/special collaborations. This will take time and visionary leadership, requiring teams to build trust and set clear expectations. It can’t be top-down or tick-box, but must be based on dynamic exchange and genuine partnership that recognises special schools as pillars of an inclusive system.
Margaret Mulholland is the special educational needs and inclusion specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders
