Claire Jackson
Claire Jackson is the Education Director for Galliford Try. She works with our regional teams to ensure that we remain one of the leading contractors in this sector in the UK.
Meeting the needs of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) is an increasingly essential area of focus and discussion. This year, following Education Secretary Bridget Philipson’s proposal to reform the system — ensuring that specialist provision within mainstream schools is equipped to support a diverse range of additional needs — the conversation is more vital than ever.
So, how do we achieve more inclusivity within our mainstream schools when budgets and resources are already so tightly stretched?
In the heart of Leicester, nestled within an industrial estate, Catherine Infant School stands as a potential blueprint for the future. Home to a richly diverse community where 38 languages are spoken, the new build school is based on architect Maber’s approach to neurodiverse inclusive design.
With a capacity for 420 pupils, Catherine Infant School embraces a significant proportion of children with Special Educational Needs, many of whom are neurodivergent, predominantly with autism and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Recognising the unique challenges and potential of these pupils, the school has been thoughtfully designed to create an environment where every child can thrive.
Neurodiverse inclusive design is an intentional and empathetic approach that seeks to cater for the varied sensory, social, and emotional needs of neurodivergent individuals. By embedding these principles into its core, Catherine Infant School is looking to redefine what it means to be an inclusive educational facility.
The school’s design incorporates principles aimed at fostering an environment conducive to learning and wellbeing for all pupils. These principles include:
Logical and Hierarchical Space Organisation: clear delineation and logical layout of spaces to help reduce sensory overload and foster a sense of predictability — a key factor for children with autism.
Sensory Zones: the school provides both sensory-seeking and sensory-avoidant spaces. These tailored areas allow children to either engage with stimulating environments or retreat to calmer ones, depending on their needs.
Strategic Classroom Design: the layout and colour choices within classrooms are deliberate, with muted tones and structured arrangements that minimise distractions and promote focus.
Sensory Wayfinding: navigating the school is an experience in tactile and textural as well as visual exploration, helping pupils orient themselves through sensory input. This reduces confusion and promotes independence.
Integration with Natural Elements: the school’s external landscaping , which is readily accessible and encourages unsupervised exploration provides a calming and grounding environment. Research shows that natural settings and biophilic design can significantly reduce anxiety and improve focus, making them especially beneficial for neurodivergent children.
These design principles can be delivered for a reasonably low cost, but a school’s commitment to inclusivity needs to extend beyond its physical environment. While inclusive design ensures that facilities are accessible to all, creating a truly inclusive school requires fostering a culture of inclusion. This effort should be driven by the leadership team, which plays a critical role in setting the tone and vision for inclusivity across the entire school community. Leadership teams must not only ensure that school facilities are physically inclusive but also provide staff with the necessary training, resources, and expertise to promote and enhance an inclusive environment in every aspect of school life.
In December 2024, the Government announced a significant £740m capital investment aimed at making existing mainstream schools more accessible. This funding also seeks to support the development of specialist facilities within mainstream settings. While this financial commitment is a welcome step forward, it raises important questions about how the investment should be allocated to achieve maximum impact.
One approach to consider is taking a whole-school strategy toward inclusion. By embedding inclusivity into the fabric of a school’s culture and operations, rather than creating isolated resource bases, schools may achieve a more significant and sustainable impact. A whole-school approach promotes collaboration among all staff, integrates inclusive practices into everyday teaching, and ensures that no child feels marginalised or excluded.
As the conversation around neurodiversity continues to evolve, schools like Catherine Infant provide a tangible example of how design can be leveraged to create environments where every child can flourish.