“We’re not asking for more, but for equal” – Monica, Treloar College student
Treloar’s was one of 10 specialist further education colleges across England and Wales that participated in the research. The research investigates what inclusion means in the context of specialist FE colleges like Treloar’s, from the perspectives of learners, where all the learners have special educational needs and disabilities.
Inclusion is an important driver in current education policy, particularly in relation to special educational needs and disability (SEND) reforms in England. This report argues that the government’s thinking about inclusion is too narrow, and based on a presumption that inclusion is primarily the business of mainstream settings.
The young people consulted for this report make it clear that they feel highly included in their specialist colleges, where they are learning separately from their non-disabled peers. For them, inclusion is not about where they learn but about the quality of their learning experience. Inclusion comes from feeling that they belong, that they have agency, access to appropriate expertise and a supportive peer group with similar needs and life experiences.
Learning in a different setting from their non-disabled peers enables young people with high needs to access carefully individualised programmes, often combining elements of education, health, therapy and care. They get to develop the skills they need to lead included lives in the future, through employment, community engagement, and living as independently as possible.
The report, ‘What is inclusion and who gets to decide?’ calls for a broader definition of inclusion to be adopted, one that takes into account the views of young people with a higher level of need, whose voices have not been heard up to this point. The report recommends that government sets its sights on developing an inclusive education system in which both mainstream and specialist providers like Treloar’s play their part.
Key findings
- Learners and senior leaders see inclusion as being about belonging, choice, agency, and having opportunities to lead a fulfilling life. It is not about learning in the same setting as non-disabled young people. Instead, it is about each individual having access to appropriate expertise and the right environment in which to learn.
- Specialist colleges like Treloar's achieve inclusion through building provision around the learner, tailoring the learning experience to each individual. Multi- disciplinary teams working across education, therapy health and care work collaboratively to ensure learners feel safe, supported and listened to.
- In the specialist college environment, learners develop the skills they need to actively participate in their communities. Being educated separately from their non-disabled peers for a period of time opens up the prospect of a more included future life.
- Some approaches to inclusion adopted by specialist colleges, such as adopting relational approaches to behaviour management, are considered fairly easily transferrable to mainstream FE settings but other features are seen as unique to specialist colleges like Treloar’s including the concentration of expertise in one space, the highly adapted environment and the support of a peer group with similar needs.
Ben Bastin, Head of College said:
“Too often the views of young people with more complex needs go unheard. Our students have taken this opportunity to spell out to government why specialist colleges like Treloar’s are vital to ensuring that every young person has access to an education that is right for them. We are more than happy to share our practice with mainstream colleges and are fully supportive of the drive to make mainstream education more inclusive. But for some young people, a specialist setting is always going to be the best option.
We now need the government to follow up with policies to enable specialist colleges to play a full part in an inclusive education system. That includes fair access to government funding streams and support programmes.”
Clare Howard, CEO of Natspec said:
“We are urging both central and local governments to sit up and take notice of this report. It offers them perspectives on inclusion from previously unheard voices and presents a serious challenge to the narrow understanding of inclusion underpinning current educational reforms.
Inclusion is not about everyone being educated in the same type of setting. It’s about everyone having access to high quality provision in a place that’s right for them. To achieve this, we need an inclusive system with different types of setting who between them can meet the needs and preferences of all.”
The report was first published by Natspec on Thursday 30 July, 2026. Natspec is the membership association for organisations that offer specialist further education and training for students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities aged 16 to 25.
The full report is available to download from the Natspec website, including simplified and easy read editions.