Inclusive Mainstream Fund: How Schools Can Use It for Sensory-Friendly Spaces, Quiet Rooms and Inclusion Bases

This year mainstream schools in England are receiving an allocation through the Inclusive Mainstream Fund (IMF). The Department for Education has published best-practice guidance for schools setting out how the money can be used to build a system that is "inclusive by design". One of the clearest themes in that guidance is the physical environment: calm, accessible, sensory-friendly spaces that help pupils regulate, learn and stay in mainstream education.

This guide explains what the guidance actually says, how a sensory space or quiet room fits within it, and how to plan, evidence and report the spend so it stands up to scrutiny from governors, your trust and families.

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What is the Inclusive Mainstream Fund?

The Inclusive Mainstream Fund is a grant announced in the schools white paper Every child achieving and thriving and the SEND reform consultation Putting children and young people first. Its purpose is to give mainstream schools more resource to remove commonly occurring and predictable barriers to learning for all pupils, not only those with SEND, and to fund targeted, evidence-based support where the universal offer is not enough.

Schools are expected to:

• understand the needs of their cohort first
• plan whole-school approaches to inclusion
• publish an inclusion strategy from December 2026, including how their IMF funding has been deployed

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What the guidance says about environments and quiet spaces

The DfE frames inclusion around seven principles. One of them is "inclusive environments with continuous improvements to accessibility". Under Creating inclusive environments, the guidance says classrooms should "minimise distraction, and meet a range of sensory and regulatory needs", and that all spaces should "aid learning, development and regulation". Examples include:

• improving classrooms, corridors and other high-traffic spaces to meet a range of sensory needs, such as acoustics, lighting, temperature and removing visual clutter
• creating visual supports such as timetables and communication aids
• enhanced onboarding and phased transitions
• carefully selected technology to support a range of needs

Under A safe and respectful culture, the guidance also lists the development of quiet spaces to be used at lunchtimes or breaktimes for pupils who need them.

The examples are described as "not prescriptive or exhaustive", so each school decides what will make the biggest difference for its own pupils. A well-planned sensory space, calming room or inclusion base is one way to deliver these principles in practice.

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Sensory space, quiet room or inclusion base: what is the difference?

Option	What it is	Best for
Sensory-friendly classroom	Adjusting an existing classroom: softer lighting, acoustic panels, reduced clutter, a calm corner	Whole-class, universal offer
Quiet room or calming room	A small, low-stimulus space pupils can use to regulate, often at breaks or when overwhelmed	Pupils who find busy spaces hard
Sensory room	A dedicated room with regulating equipment such as lighting, tactile and calming resources	Planned regulation sessions
Inclusion base	A flexible, staffed space supporting learning, regulation and reintegration into class	Pupils at risk of leaving mainstream
Indoor or garden POD	A self-contained, ready-made calming space that needs no building works indoors	Schools short on spare rooms

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Planning a sensory space with your IMF allocation: a checklist

1. Start with your cohort data. Which pupils are struggling with regulation, attendance or time out of class? The guidance expects spending to follow need.
2. Link it to a principle. Record it under "inclusive environments" or "safe and respectful culture" in your inclusion strategy.
3. Decide the model. Universal (sensory-friendly classrooms), targeted (a quiet room or inclusion base) or both.
4. Plan staffing and training. A space works best when staff know how to use it. Pair the space with practical staff CPD on regulation and neurodiversity.
5. Set clear use and safeguarding rules. A calming space is a support, never a place of isolation or sanction.
6. Measure impact. Track time in class, incidents, attendance and pupil voice before and after.
7. Report it. Include what you funded, why, and what changed, in your published inclusion strategy.

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How Find Your Inner Peace can help

We work with mainstream schools to turn the guidance into something real and measurable:

• Peace PODs: ready-made indoor and garden calming spaces for regulation, ideal where there is no spare room.
• Sensory and calming room design: practical advice on lighting, acoustics, layout and equipment.
• CPD-accredited staff training: neurodiversity and regulation training so staff can use the space well.
• Impact reporting support: simple before-and-after measures you can include in your inclusion strategy.

Our training is listed with the CPD Standards Office, and our work is led by a neurodivergent founder with lived experience of what helps.

For costs, see our sensory rooms for schools guide. Always check your own allocation, conditions and reporting requirements with the official DfE guidance and your local authority or trust.