Understanding the Inclusive Mainstream Fund and what it means for schools
The Department for Education’s new Inclusive Mainstream Fund (IMF) is designed to help mainstream schools strengthen inclusive practice and improve support for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
Introduced as part of the government’s wider SEND and inclusion reforms, the IMF aims to help schools identify and support needs earlier, reduce barriers to learning and improve inclusion across the whole school environment.
For many schools, the IMF represents an opportunity to strengthen adaptive teaching, early intervention, attendance, wellbeing and belonging through more consistent whole-school approaches to inclusion.
Inclusive Mainstream Fund at a glance
- Government funding for mainstream schools in England
- Supports inclusive practice and SEND provision
- Part of wider SEND and inclusion reforms
- Schools do not apply individually for the funding
- Funding is allocated through a national formula
- Schools are expected to publish an inclusion strategy statement by December 2026
- £400 million has been allocated for 2026–27 as part of a wider £1.6 billion inclusion investment programme
What is the Inclusive Mainstream Fund and who receives the funding?
The IMF is a government grant for mainstream state-funded schools in England, including maintained schools, academies, mainstream provision within trusts. For 2026–27, the Department for Education has confirmed that the IMF forms part of a wider multi-year funding programme to support inclusion across education.
Unlike a competitive funding bid, schools do not apply individually for the grant. Funding is allocated through a national formula and paid directly to schools (or via local authorities for maintained schools).
The purpose of the fund is to help schools:
- strengthen inclusive practice
- improve early intervention
- reduce barriers to participation
- support pupils whose needs cannot be fully met through universal provision alone
- create more inclusive school cultures and environments
Importantly, the IMF is designed to support whole-school approaches, rather than isolated interventions or funding attached to individual
As part of the wider Inclusive Mainstream Fund, a separate Inclusive Early Years Fund (IEYF) will provide additional early years funding to support the early years sector.
The 7 IMF Inclusion Themes
The DfE recommends schools use IMF funding across seven key themes of inclusion:
- Ambitious leadership that embeds inclusion in all planning
- Evidence-based support focusing on early intervention
- High-quality teaching with a curriculum designed for all learners
- Accessible and enriching provision extending beyond the classroom
- A safe and respectful culture that fosters belonging and attendance
- Strong partnerships with families and wider support services
- Inclusive environments featuring continuous accessibility improvements
Together, these themes encourage schools to develop proactive, evidence-informed approaches that improve participation, belonging and outcomes for pupils with SEND and additional needs - areas that Thrive supports schools with through training, staff development and whole-school practice.
What can schools use the Inclusive Mainstream Fund for?
The IMF guidance strongly supports investment areas including:
- staff training and professional development
- early intervention and targeted support
- data collection and needs analysis
- inclusive teaching approaches
- attendance and belonging initiatives
- partnerships with families
- evidence and impact evaluation
- environmental and accessibility improvements
Examples within the guidance include:
- training and cover costs
- small-group and 1:1 interventions
- teaching assistant deployment and training
- behaviour and belonging approaches
- parent workshops and transition support
- evaluation and monitoring systems
Schools are now looking at how they can strengthen inclusive practice across the wider school environment - particularly through earlier intervention, staff development and approaches that improve attendance, wellbeing and engagement.
This is closely aligned with Thrive's whole-school approach, which supports schools to develop consistent, evidence-informed practice across classrooms, pastoral systems and wider school life.
What does the Inclusive Mainstream Fund mean for schools?
One of the most significant aspects of the IMF is the expectation that schools develop and publish an inclusion strategy statement by 31 December 2026.
This strategy should explain:
- the needs and barriers affecting pupils in the school
- how inclusion funding is being used
- how spending aligns with the seven inclusion themes
- the approaches and activities being implemented
- how impact will be monitored and evaluated
The guidance also makes clear that schools should focus on evidence-informed approaches and measurable impact. For many schools, this creates an opportunity to bring together behaviour, SEND, attendance, wellbeing and inclusion into a more joined-up whole-school strategy.
As schools begin planning how they will use IMF funding, many are focusing on:
- strengthening their universal offer
- improving consistency across staff teams
- identifying need earlier
- supporting attendance and belonging
- developing more inclusive classroom environments
- improving staff confidence and understanding around need
- evidencing impact within their inclusion strategy
The announcement comes at a time when many schools are seeking additional capacity to meet growing inclusion needs. Thrive's Inclusion Readiness in Schools Report found that just 23% of educators say they have enough time and staffing to deliver inclusion effectively in practice, making investment in mainstream provision a key focus for the sector.
How to start planning your Inclusive Mainstream Fund activity
As schools begin thinking about how to use their Inclusive Mainstream Fund, it’s worth taking a step back and looking at current provision first.
Where are pupils facing the biggest barriers? Where could needs be identified earlier? Where would staff benefit from more confidence, consistency or support?
The fund is designed to help schools strengthen inclusion across the whole school environment, so planning should connect clearly to pupil need, the seven inclusion themes and the school’s wider inclusion strategy.
Thrive can support this by helping schools understand pupils’ social and emotional needs, build staff confidence, develop consistent relational practice and monitor progress over time.
Starting to reflect on your setting's approach to inclusion? Download Thrive's Inclusive Mainstream Fund Readiness Checklist
The Inclusive Mainstream Fund Readiness Checklist is a free reflection tool designed to help schools and trusts review current provision, spot gaps and start conversations with senior leaders, SENDCos, inclusion leads and trust colleagues as they prepare their inclusion strategy statement.
With schools expected to publish their inclusion strategy statement by 31 December 2026, it can help teams begin shaping their priorities and next steps.
Download the IMF Readiness Checklist
Ready to start planning funding allocation? Download Thrive's Inclusive Mainstream Fund Strategy Planning Tool
The Inclusive Mainstream Fund Strategy Planning is a free planning tool designed to help schools and trusts shape inclusion strategy, prioritise IMF investment and build a practical roadmap for implementation.
Download the IMF Strategy Planning Tool
How Thrive supports inclusive practice
Thrive supports schools to develop relational, inclusive and evidence-informed approaches that align closely with the aims of the IMF - particularly around early intervention, emotional wellbeing, belonging and whole-school inclusion.
As schools prepare for the introduction of the Inclusive Mainstream Fund, many are looking for sustainable approaches that support inclusion across the whole school community. Explore how Thrive aligns with the 7 IMF Inclusion Themes, or speak to our team about developing your school’s IMF strategy.
Want to explore where Thrive could fit?
Book an IMF planning conversation to discuss your school’s inclusion priorities and where you may need more support with staff confidence, early identification or whole-school SEMH provision.
We’ll use the conversation to understand what you’re working towards and talk through where Thrive could fit into your plans.
Book an IMF planning conversation
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