Using the Inclusive Mainstream Fund: A Guide for School Leaders

The Inclusive Mainstream Fund is a crucial resource for school leaders. It is designed to help mainstream schools improve their provision for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). If you are looking at how to use inclusive mainstream funding for schools, the key is to move away from short-term fixes. Instead, use this funding to build a sustainable, whole-school strategy that lowers barriers for struggling readers.

According to the Department for Education's guidance, Inclusive mainstream fund: support for school leaders, this funding should be used strategically to strengthen inclusive practice. For school leaders, the most effective approach is to target resources where they create lasting capacity. This means investing in high-impact staff training, robust screening tools, and evidence-based assistive technology.

What is the Inclusive Mainstream Fund?

The Inclusive Mainstream Fund is a targeted allocation designed to help schools build inclusive environments. It recognises that mainstream classrooms are the front line of SEND support.

Standard school finances often get swallowed up by day-to-day operational costs. In contrast, this fund allows school leaders to step back and think about systemic change. It is not about funding individual, short-term interventions. Rather, it is about changing how your school delivers daily quality-first teaching for pupils with learning differences like dyslexia.

For many schools, this means addressing the root causes of academic anxiety. When pupils struggle to access the curriculum, their engagement drops. We often see this show up in attendance data. If this is a challenge in your school, you can read our guide on why attendance systems flag dyslexic pupils and how to handle it.

Key Pillars of a Successful Inclusion Strategy

To make the most of your funding, your inclusion strategy should rest on three main pillars:

1. Staff Empowerment: High-quality training for teachers and teaching assistants (TAs).
2. Early Identification: Tools that help teachers spot reading difficulties before pupils fall behind.
3. Universal Design for Learning: Providing classroom tools that benefit everyone, reducing the stigma of extra support.

Building Staff Capacity

Your staff are your greatest asset. However, many general classroom teachers lack deep training in structured literacy.

You can use your funding to train staff in structured, multisensory reading approaches. This knowledge helps TAs deliver highly effective interventions. It also helps classroom teachers adapt their daily lessons. This systemic approach is similar to how forward-thinking schools use other targeted funding streams. For more on this, see our article on using Pupil Premium for effective structured literacy.

Fostering a Sense of Belonging

An inclusive strategy must also address the emotional side of learning. Pupils who struggle to read often feel isolated. This anxiety can lead to school avoidance.

When you use your funding to build a school-wide culture of support, you improve more than just reading scores. You improve well-being. For a deeper look at this connection, see our analysis of why school belonging is key to GCSE success for dyslexic pupils.

Investing in Evidence-Based Assistive Technology

Technology is one of the most cost-effective ways to scale your inclusion strategy. The right tools allow dyslexic pupils to work independently. This reduces their reliance on one-to-one TA support, freeing up your staff budget.

When evaluating assistive technology, look for tools that:

• Are grounded in structured literacy principles.
• Offer multi-sensory feedback (visual, auditory, and tactile).
• Provide clear, actionable progress data for teachers.
• Can be accessed easily both at school and at home.

This is where tools like Lexy fit into a modern classroom. Lexy is an Orton-Gillingham informed app designed for iOS and Mac. It provides multisensory structured literacy practice to help pupils build reading fluency. It is not a diagnosis or a replacement for a specialist teacher. Instead, it acts as a reliable, daily classroom aid.

To see how this fits into a school budget, you can review our schools page, which explains our classroom management options and our free tier for up to five students. You can also explore our pricing plans to see how school-wide licensing fits your budget.

Measuring the Impact of Your Inclusion Spend

School leaders must be able to justify their spending to governors, parents, and inspectors. When you allocate your Inclusive Mainstream Fund, set clear metrics for success from day one.

Quantitative Metrics

• Reading Age Progress: Use standardized assessments to track decoding and comprehension gains.
• Engagement Metrics: Track how often pupils use assistive tools and their independent completion rates.
• Attendance Rates: Monitor whether improved reading support correlates with a drop in persistent absence among SEND pupils.

Qualitative Metrics

• Staff Surveys: Ask teachers if they feel more confident supporting dyslexic learners in the mainstream classroom.
• Pupil Voice: Interview pupils to find out if they feel more confident accessing classroom texts independently.
• Parent Feedback: Work with parents to see if reading anxiety at home has decreased.

By focusing your Inclusive Mainstream Fund on sustainable training, early identification, and robust assistive technology, you build a school where every child can learn to read with confidence.