Transform Inclusion Across Your MAT - Without Escalating SEND Costs
A proven framework that aligns trust-wide inclusion strategy, reduces external provision spend, and delivers consistent, Ofsted-ready outcomes across every academy.
The Strategic Challenge Facing Trust Leaders
As Multi Academy Trusts expand, maintaining consistent, high-quality inclusion across diverse school contexts becomes increasingly complex. Trust leaders are navigating unprecedented pressures:
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Inconsistent Standards Across Academies: Varying levels of SEND expertise and fragmented inclusion policies between schools create operational vulnerabilities and uneven learner outcomes.
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Escalating High-Needs Expenditure: Over-reliance on expensive external Alternative Provision (AP) and off-site placements continues to drain finite Trust resources.
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Heightened Regulatory Scrutiny: Ofsted’s Education Inspection Framework (EIF), and the use of IMF allocations, are placing intense focus on how effectively Trusts support vulnerable pupils and evaluate inclusion at a systemic level.
Our Trust Inclusion Strategy Framework bridges the gap between high-level Trust vision and practical, classroom-level execution; giving you full oversight and measurable impact.
More about the Inclusive Mainstream Fund
With the Inclusive Mainstream Fund (IMF) for 2026/2027 means all trusts are having to evaluate how best to deploy resources to strengthen their universal offer and provide evidence-based, targeted support for pupils with social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) needs. You are having to not only adhere to the ‘Assess, Plan, Do, Review’ cycle outlined in the SEND Code of Practice, but also cover the DfE’s 7 principles 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 develops belonging and attendance.
- Strong partnerships with families and wider support services.
- Inclusive environments featuring continuous accessibility improvements.
The Inclusion Mainstream Fund requirements can cause confusion, lack of clarity, inconsistent and disjointed approaches to inclusion across schools in an academy trust. We want to help you avoid an inconsistent, unmeasurable approach with your schools heading off in their own directions.
As you are no doubt aware, the IMF is intended to particularly support investment in 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.
That is where The Mentoring School steps in.
Embed a consistent framework that ensures equity across 5 to 50+ academies.
The 3-Pillar Trust Inclusion Framework
Designed specifically for the scale and operational realities of UK Multi Academy Trusts, our framework embeds sustainable capability across all your sites.
Pillar 1: Trust-Wide Inclusion & SEND Audit
We evaluate your existing provision across every academy to establish an accurate, data-driven baseline.
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Identify hidden compliance risks and policy discrepancies between schools.
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Benchmark high-needs spending and evaluate the return on investment of current interventions.
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Receive an actionable, Trust-wide roadmap aligned with Ofsted and IMF standards.
Pillar 2: Mentoring & Capability Building
We upskill your internal staff to create self-sustaining inclusion capacity within your Trust.
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Train SENCo leads, inclusion staff, and pastoral teams in evidence-based mentoring techniques.
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Empower staff to manage complex behavioural and emotional needs effectively in-house.
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Build a collaborative inter-school network of expert practitioners across your Trust.
Pillar 3: Quality Assurance & Governance Support
We provide executive oversight tools that allow Trust leaders to track progress and maintain rigour.
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Standardise monitoring tools and reporting metrics for Trust boards and local governing bodies.
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Ensure ongoing alignment with updated Department for Education (DfE) guidance and inspection frameworks.
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Demonstrate clear evidence of pupil progress, reduced exclusion rates, and early intervention impact.
Why use a mentoring framework and approach?
Mentoring has been frequently shown to have a measurable, positive, impact on behaviour, SEND, wellbeing, inclusion, and attendance.
We have over a decade of experience working with schools like yours to embed a mentoring approach that underpins a culture of belonging.
Our specialised mentor training is key to establishing a baseline of inclusive teaching approaches, whilst also supporting attendance and belonging initiatives. Empower school-level SENCOs with standardised, evidence-based mentoring models.
We work in partnership with you to provide targeted, accredited, training focused on analysing data to idendify needs. This allows staff to:
- Identify root causes – look beyond challenging behaviour to understand and address underlying SEMH triggers.
- Deliver targeted interventions – use a mental health-led framework for delivering high-quality 1:1 and small-group support.
- Provide robust evidence – use our documentation toolkits to support internal reporting and EHCP applications, demonstrating the impact of your inclusive practice as required by the new IMF guidance.
Reduce reliance on costly external provisions by embedding early internal support.
Included in the Trust Inclusion Strategy Package:
Accredited level 3 mentor training, specialised for primary and secondary schools, for 10 staff members, with the option for on-demand or live-online learning.
Regular meetings with your Inclusion Strategy Development Advisor, who will provide guidance from creating the strategy statement document for your website, through to implementing actions, supporting the training cohort, and monitoring outcomes.
You will also have the opportunity to add further members for a larger cohort, as well as choosing to conduct an Introduction to Mentoring Skills Training Day for all staff.
Our Guarantees:
Tailored Approach
We commit to working with you to create a detailed, evidence-based, inclusion strategy which can be applied to every school in your trust.
You will be assigned an expert Inclusion Strategy Development Advisor, who will begin with an in-depth analysis of your current provision. This will identify target areas and key commitments that enable you to provide a universal offer of targeted support, delivered according to internationally recognised best practice standards.
Strategy Statement
As part of this Trust Inclusion Strategy Package, we will provide expert guidance and advice to help you develop and publish your inclusion strategy statement before the 31st of December deadline.
Your dedicated Inclusion Strategy Development and Impact Coach will work with you to ensure that this document covers:
- 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
You will be assigned an expert Inclusion Strategy Development Advisor, who will begin with an in-depth analysis of your current provision. This will identify target areas and key commitments that enable you to provide a universal offer of targeted support, delivered according to internationally recognised best practice standards.
Wand to learn more about how to make the most of the Inclusive Mainstream Fund for your Trust?
Book a concise, highly focused 20-Minute Trust Inclusion Discovery Call.
What we will cover in your session:
1. A rapid review of your Trust’s current inclusion landscape and key pressure points.
2. Practical strategies to lower Alternative Provision costs while improving pupil retention.
3. Tailored recommendations on structuring an inclusion framework suited to your Trust’s size and growth phase.
Ready to get started? Build your own quote!
At a basic level the Trust Inclusion Strategy Package costs £2,950 + £1,150 per mentor, the tool below to be sent your own bespoke quotation, valid for 30 days. Still not ready after 30 days? Just come back and generate a new quote.
Please note: to ensure that your Inclusion Strategy receives the full attention that it deserves, we limit our intake to only 3 new school trusts a month.