Inclusion is no longer just a principle; it is a system expectation.
As SEND reform moves forward and the concept of “Experts at Hand” takes shape, the question for schools is not whether they value inclusion, but how they access the expertise needed to make it work in practice.
Across the country, leaders are grappling with rising complexity of need and finite capacity. The answer lies not in abstract policy, but in grounded, accessible support that strengthens what happens every day in classrooms.
At Barking & Dagenham School Improvement Partnership (BDSIP), this is not a new ambition; it is the foundation of our work.
Through a combination of strategic support, professional networks, and targeted development programmes, we work alongside schools to ensure inclusion is both embedded and sustainable.
Inclusion is most effective when built into the fabric of school improvement
This includes deliberately creating opportunities for schools to learn from one another, connecting leaders and practitioners, sharing effective practice, and building trusted relationships that strengthen the system as a whole.
This work is supported by a local authority that is taking a proactive and strategic approach to the model of “Experts at Hand.”
Inclusion as a system, not a standalone
Inclusion is most effective when it is built into the fabric of school improvement. It is not an additional initiative, but a lens through which leadership decisions, curriculum design, and teaching practice are shaped.
At BDSIP, we work with the LA and schools to align inclusion with their wider strategic priorities. Feedback from recent evaluations highlights that schools consistently experience our support as ‘relevant and aligned to their school development plans’, while also strengthening leadership confidence and understanding.
This alignment matters. When inclusion is integrated into whole-school strategy, it becomes more than compliance; it becomes culture.
From expertise to everyday practice
One of the central challenges for schools is translating guidance into action. Leaders and teachers are committed to inclusion but often need clarity on what effective practice looks like in their context.
BDSIP’s role is to bridge that gap. Schools value working with specialists who combine up-to-date knowledge with a deep understanding of school realities.
Our support is described as practical, responsive, and immediately applicable, whether through audits, targeted CPD, or specialist advice.
Evaluation data reflects this impact, with consistently strong ratings (3.86 out of 4) across measures including:
- Providing actionable strategies
- Supporting measurable changes in practice
- Influencing school improvement
- Enhancing leadership confidence
This consistency reflects an approach that prioritises both quality and usability, ensuring that expertise leads to tangible, sustained change in classrooms.
The strength of established networks
A key strength of our work is the depth of the commissioned professional networks already in place. We facilitate:
- SENDCo networks, enabling collaboration, shared problem-solving, and dissemination of current thinking
- Additional Resourced Provision (ARP) leadership networks, supporting mainstream schools delivering specialist inclusive bases.
These networks are a key mechanism for developing school-to-school support. By bringing together leaders who share similar challenges, they enable effective practice to travel, reduce isolation, and build collective confidence across schools and trusts.
Barking and Dagenham is investing in leaders who can anticipate and respond to future need
Within our ARP network in particular, this collaborative approach is underpinned by the sustained input of BDSIP’s inclusion advisers who work alongside leaders in their setting to develop provision that is both responsive and evidence informed.
At Becontree Primary, for example, this partnership contributed to the provision being recognised as an example of effective inclusive practice, which included hosting a visit from the Secretary of State for Education during the development of the SEND White Paper.
Building strategic leadership capacity
Alongside network leadership, Barking and Dagenham LA is taking a strategic and forward-looking approach to system development, investing in the next layer of capacity: leaders who can anticipate and respond to future need.
Our commissioned Strategic Leadership of SEND programme, now in its second year, is designed to support secondary schools as they prepare for increasing complexity, particularly as cohorts entering Year 7 bring a broader range of needs.
The programme has been evaluated as 4.8 out of five, reflecting both its relevance and impact. What stands out most strongly is the value of collaboration and shared learning.
Participants consistently highlight:
- The strength of collaborative activities
- The balance of research-informed input and practical application
- The importance of safe, open professional dialogue without judgement.
This programme is intentionally designed as a multi-year model. Its third year will focus on embedding and sharing ‘what works,’ ensuring that effective practice and scaled across schools.
This collaboration is strengthened further through wider professional learning opportunities, including conferences and cross-phase events, where schools can showcase practice, test ideas, and learn from peers beyond their immediate context.
Ultimately, inclusion is measured by impact
BDSIP’s trusted relationships and deep knowledge of local schools allow this sharing to be purposeful rather than performative.
In this way, leadership development becomes a core mechanism for inclusion, building capacity not just within individual schools, but across the system.
Delivering ‘Experts at Hand’ through local strength
In Barking & Dagenham, the local authority is already taking a strategic approach to shaping this model, recognising that BDSIP is well placed to support its delivery, particularly through a focus on universal or ordinarily available provision.
This is where the greatest difference can be made. By strengthening the quality of everyday provision, schools are better equipped to meet needs early, reducing reliance on reactive or specialist intervention.
Our approach already reflects the key features of an effective “Experts at Hand” model:
- Accessible expertise, grounded in real school contexts
- Ongoing relationships, rather than one-off engagement
- A broad specialist network, available when needed
- A focus on universal provision, ensuring inclusion is everyone’s responsibility,
Rather than creating something new, the LA is deliberately building on an established and effective model, embedding expertise within a system schools already trust.
Inclusion that works
Ultimately, inclusion is measured by impact: whether pupils experience belonging, access learning, and achieve their potential.
Our trusted partner evaluation data shows consistently high levels of satisfaction with our inclusion service, but more importantly, it reflects:
- Changes in classroom practice
- Increased confidence among leaders and staff
- Stronger, more coherent systems within schools.
Inclusion is not a fixed endpoint; it is an ongoing process. But with the right expertise, structures, and relationships in place, it becomes both achievable and sustainable.
As the SEND landscape evolves, the message is clear: ‘‘Experts at Hand’ is not just about access; it is about connection between expertise and classrooms, and between schools themselves.
When effective practice is shared through trusted relationships and supported by local system knowledge, inclusion becomes scalable, sustainable, and real.
*A version of this article appeared in the Summer issue of SENDsational Futures magazine.
