It should go without saying, but we’ll say it anyway: Every child deserves the opportunity to learn, participate and thrive.

However, it can be said that creating genuinely inclusive schools takes more than good intentions.

It takes the right support, thoughtful planning and an environment designed to meet the needs of every learner; not just those with identified needs which is where the government’s Inclusive Mainstream Fund comes in.

At Skolon, we’re proud to be part of the conversation, contributing to the guide and sponsoring Principle 7: of Unbarrier.Me’s Inclusive Mainstream Fund guide to facilitate inclusive environments with continuous improvements to accessibility.

Written by Nici Foote, Meet the Educator to Meet the Expert, the guide has been created to help schools and trusts understand the Inclusive Mainstream Fund, what it means for their settings and how they can put its principles into practice. It offers practical guidance on building more inclusive environments and identifying opportunities to remove barriers to learning, including through improved accessibility.

What is the Inclusive Mainstream Fund?

Introduced for the 2026–27 financial year just before the summer break, the Inclusive Mainstream Fund (IMF) aims to provide additional funding to help mainstream schools in England strengthen inclusive practice and remove barriers to learning.

Within the fund, the government has allocated £400 million a year for schools, as part of a wider fund that’s worth more than £500 million annually. The aim is to help schools move towards an education system where inclusion is built into everyday practice, with early support available without children needing a formal diagnosis or statutory process first. Read the government’s guidance.

Instead of focusing solely on individual pupils, the funding encourages schools to look at the needs of their whole cohort and identify where changes can be made to make learning more accessible. This could mean anything from investing in adaptive teaching, evidence-based interventions, more accessible learning environments or approaches that help every child feel included.

Why does it matter?

It matters because as mentioned, inclusion shouldn’t have to depend on whether a child has a diagnosis, whether their needs have been recognised or whether they know how to ask for help.

Of course, some barriers are obvious.

However, others?

Others are much harder to spot.

A pupil might struggle to access a digital resource, become overwhelmed by a complicated interface or need additional support that isn’t readily available. Without the right environment and tools, these everyday challenges can affect their ability to participate.

This benefits more than pupils with identified special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). When learning is designed to accommodate different needs and strengths from the outset, everyone has a better opportunity to engage, build confidence and make progress.

Principle 7: building accessibility into the environment

The Inclusive Mainstream Fund is built around seven principles of inclusion. For us at Skolon, Principle 7 is particularly important:

Inclusive environments with continuous improvements to accessibility.

This principle recognises that the environment surrounding a learner can make such a huge difference to their experience of education, with digital technology playing an important role here.

If you take a moment to think about the fact that pupils need to remember multiple passwords, navigate different platforms or rely on someone else to configure the right settings, technology can genuinely create additional barriers instead of removing them.

Yet by contrast, when digital learning tools are easy to access, accessibility features are readily available and the right support is built into everyday practice, pupils have a better chance of getting on with what matters: learning.

Crucially, this should apply to every child, whether their needs have been identified or not.

Why Skolon is proud to support Principle 7

At Skolon, we believe that the systems surrounding digital learning tools are just as important as the tools themselves.

Our platform brings digital learning resources together in one accessible space, helping schools simplify access and reduce the friction that can get in the way of learning. With a single login and tools available in just a few clicks, pupils can spend less time navigating technology and more time engaging with their learning.

For educators, simpler access also means less time managing platforms and logins, leaving more capacity to focus on teaching, supporting pupils and creating inclusive learning experiences.

That’s why we’re proud to be part of the guide and sponsor Principle 7. We want to help schools recognise the role that accessible digital environments can play in making inclusion a reality, not just an ambition.

Inclusion starts with removing barriers

The Inclusive Mainstream Fund gives schools an opportunity to reflect on their current provision, identify where barriers exist and make informed decisions about what their pupils need.

There isn’t one solution that will work for every school. What matters is understanding the needs of the learners in front of you and taking meaningful steps to create an environment where everyone can participate.

At Skolon, we’re proud to support that ambition. Because digital learning should work for every child, regardless of ability, and accessibility should be part of everyday learning, not an additional hurdle to overcome.

This is Skolon – we gather the best digital educational tools and make them work in the classroom.

Skolon is an independent platform for digital educational tools and learning resources, created for both teachers and students. With Skolon, accessing and using your digital educational tools is easy – security increases, administration decreases, and there’s more time for learning.

The digital educational tools come from both small and large providers, all of whom have one thing in common – they create digital educational tools that are beneficial for the school environment.