Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to help ensure that the proposed school inclusion bases are designed as integrated, short-term bridges back to mainstream education rather than pathways toward permanent exclusion.

Inclusion bases will have specialisms, providing tailored and expert teaching and support for specific groups of children. We know there are lots of great examples of mainstream schools delivering specialist provision through inclusion bases, enabling children to benefit and remain part of mainstream education and wider school life.

Support bases, commissioned by individual settings and trusts will deliver ‘targeted plus’ support, whilst specialist bases, commissioned by the local authority, will deliver ‘specialist’ support.

We will shortly be publishing guidance to help mainstream settings implement high quality inclusion bases, including the importance of supporting integration.

Ofsted consider published destinations data as part of the inspection methodology when they gather inspection evidence to determine grades. The current data collection would not enable destination outcomes to be tracked in this way. Instead, inspectors will explore the extent to which inclusion bases are used in the best interests of pupils and improving their outcomes, as set out in school inspection operating guide for inspectors.