SEND and Inclusion – the difference?

Published: March 13th, 2025

The SEND system in our schools is governed by legal frameworks such as: The Equality Act 2010, Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND Code of Practice. Schools are therefore required to meet children’s individual needs through tailored approaches and resources. The key word here is ‘individual’. Children with SEND do not all belong in the same box. Their interventions need to be  personalised. The SEND system has two main stages. The first stage is managed by SENCOs, as part of the overall  ‘School Support’ for additional needs. A second stage, for children with more severe difficulties, may involve an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), more structured, allocated by the Local Authority, and managed by the school.  

The SEND system is reputed to be in an utter mess. Parents are complaining that their children are not receiving the additional support they need. And that situation is bound to have negative consequences for schools as a whole, as SENCOs and teachers across the curriculum strive to deliver the National Curriculum to every child, as best they can.

Inclusion can be traced back to the Salamanca Statement (1994), and the UN convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006), both of which helped to reinforce commitment to inclusion in mainstream settings. But what is inclusion; how does this concept differ from exclusion in terms of what actually happens in our classrooms? Inclusion sought to dispense with the separatist idea that every child with SEND needed to attend a special school. In the eighties, my role was to support teachers in mainstream schools, as more children with SEND were starting to be included in their classrooms. Many teachers did not how to address this new approach: lessons having previously been delivered to children with very similar abilities and aptitudes. Diversity has become another key word in education.  

So, how has this initial concept of Inclusion evolved? And how does inclusion also recognise diversity – linked to SEND? We could describe inclusion as a broader concept of SEND, the aim being to create spaces in schools where every child thrives, and develops that essential sense of belonging; also enabling achievement. Inclusion is a journey, one that recognises how students change as they grow and mature. It is about flexibility, as opposed to rigidity. 

After forty years of striving to include all children, except those with severe difficulties, in mainstream – we are not there yet. Reports continually remind us that true inclusion has not yet been achieved for every child. Too many children with SEND are not attending school. Too many are not achieving as they should. Too many are confused and bored with what the National Curriculum seeks to deliver. 

All this, while teachers run themselves ragged, trying their best to meet all of the needs in their diverse classrooms. Teacher stress is rife. Inclusion is not just about supporting children with SEND in school, but enabling their wider participation: being part of after school clubs and events. Inclusion creates a warm and comfortable feeling of ‘fitting in’. 

So, what is the answer? The solution cannot be solely about extra money for staff and resources. It’s about training also – ensuring that every teacher and assistant has the essential skills to deliver what is needed. A final important point: entrepreneurs, such as Elon Musk (autistic), remind us all that SEND must never be automatically equated with CANNOT. On the contrary, given a fair and equal opportunity, far more children with learning difficulties CAN achieve – and even reach amazing heights. SEND – let’s raise the bar for every child.

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