Nottinghamshire is set to receive a significant increase in funding to expand support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), as part of the government’s major new investment to deliver more inclusive education across England.
Under the first wave of a record £3 billion programme, Nottinghamshire County Council will receive more than £16 million to create additional specialist places and improve facilities, enabling more children and young people in Rushcliffe and beyond to attend school closer to home.
The funding forms part of an £860 million national allocation to councils – the largest-ever single high needs capital investment – designed to expand Inclusion Bases within mainstream schools and embed specialist support earlier.
The investment represents a key step in the government’s wider SEND reforms, aimed at ending the postcode lottery in provision and restoring confidence among families.
Councils receiving funding will be required to prioritise the creation of places in mainstream settings and adopt inclusive strategies that reduce the need for long-distance travel, while ensuring that children with the most complex needs continue to receive appropriate specialist support.
Inclusion Bases will play a central role in this transformation, allowing pupils to move flexibly between mainstream classrooms and specialist provision.
Funding can also be used to improve school environments, including upgrades to ventilation, acoustics and lighting, ensuring spaces are designed to meet a wide range of needs from the outset.
The announcement follows extensive engagement by James Naish, Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe, who convened a series of local SEND roundtable discussions in September 2025.
More than 200 educators, parents and carers shared their views before he produced a report with 29 recommendations, including a call for creating “a ‘hub and spoke’ system of SEND hubs linked to special schools, with guaranteed expertise and capacity across linked localities”. This report was shared with the Department for Education prior to the publication of its Schools White Paper in February.
James Naish said: “From my conversations with families, teachers and support staff across Rushcliffe, I have heard clearly that parents want their child to receive the right support close to home, without having to fight through a system that only responds when needs have already reached crisis point.
“This investment is a welcome step towards changing that reality. By expanding inclusion in mainstream schools and strengthening specialist provision where it is most needed, we can build a system that is proactive, transparent and centred on the child.
“However, it is vital that Inclusion Bases are more than a room. Staff operating in the Bases must be trained and resourced properly. Ideally, we need a proper ‘hub and spoke’ system with Inclusion Bases linked directly to special schools, so we can give every young person the opportunity to achieve and thrive.”
The £16 million allocation sits alongside a further £500 million per year being provided directly to nurseries, schools and colleges to improve inclusion. New estimates indicate that the average primary school will receive around £14,000 through the Inclusive Mainstream Fund on top of their core funding allocations, with secondary schools receiving approximately £48,000 in the 2026–27 academic year.
Following the publication of the Schools White Paper and the Education Estates Strategy, the funding allocated today marks an important step to realising an inclusive education that delivers high standards for all pupils in every setting.
