Using the Inclusive Mainstream Fund to embed oracy across your school
What Is The Inclusive Mainstream Fund?
Did you know all schools stand to receive £1000s to support their inclusion strategies with Primaries receiving £14,000 on average and Secondaries around £48,000? To find out exactly how much your school will receive, enter your URN into the DfE’s calculator here.
The Inclusive Mainstream Fund is intended to strengthen universal provision so more pupils with SEND can thrive in mainstream classrooms. Voice 21 membership is a strong use of this funding because it helps schools embed evidence-informed, whole-school oracy that improves access to learning, participation, belonging and outcomes.
What is the fund for?
Strengthening universal provision in mainstream classrooms
The Inclusive Mainstream Fund is designed to help schools invest in sustainable, whole-school practice that improves access to learning, identifies need early and creates inclusive environments by design. The strongest use of the fund is not a bolt-on intervention, but an evidence-informed approach that benefits all pupils while having particular impact for pupils with SEND.
Why this matters
Speech, language and communication needs are among the most common and often unmet needs in school. When schools improve how pupils learn through talk and are taught to talk, they make the curriculum more accessible and create clearer opportunities to notice barriers that would otherwise remain hidden.
➕ 6 Months
EEF reports that oral language interventions have a high average impact, with around six months’ additional progress.
✏️ Whole-school by design
Voice 21 membership focuses on universal provision, professional development, shared frameworks and sustained implementation across the school.
🗣️ Inclusion through talk and communication
Structured classroom talk helps schools identify needs earlier, open multiple routes into learning and ensure more pupils are heard.
If you want to read the guidance you can visit Inclusive mainstream fund: 2026 to 2027.
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Why oracy and Voice 21 are a great use of the fund
Voice 21 membership directly supports universal provision through a whole-school approach to oracy. It aligns with the fund’s focus on inclusive pedagogy, adaptive teaching, staff development, monitoring and sustained improvement.
Oracy is not just a curriculum. It is a pedagogy that improves access to learning across phases and subjects. It creates a universal layer of provision that supports all pupils, including those with SEND, by making thinking visible and participation more deliberate.
What high-quality oracy creates
- Talk-rich classrooms where teachers can better identify needs early.
- Multiple ways to access learning, especially for pupils who struggle with writing.
- Structured participation so learning is not driven only by the most confident voices.
- Stronger relationships, belonging, behaviour and attendance through being heard.
Put simply, oracy helps schools remove barriers to learning that are otherwise hard to see or address.
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Embedding oracy as a whole-school priority helps leaders build a joined-up understanding of pupil need, monitor inclusion in live classroom practice and create a culture of continuous improvement.
Talk-rich teaching gives staff earlier insight into speech, language and communication needs, misconceptions and participation gaps, strengthening the universal layer of provision alongside targeted support.
Oracy helps teachers design lessons where pupils explain, question, reason and rehearse ideas. This is particularly powerful for pupils with SEND, EAL or barriers linked to written expression.
Oracy underpins collaboration, student leadership, transition, emotional regulation and preparation for adult life, making wider school opportunities more accessible to all pupils.
Schools report that oracy helps pupils express needs positively, strengthens relationships with adults and peers, and builds confidence through being listened to and taken seriously.
For pupils who struggle with traditional written approaches, oracy offers alternative routes to demonstrate understanding, participate meaningfully and experience a stronger sense of mattering in school.