Hackney vow better school inclusion pilot scheme in 2026

Key Points

• Hackney council pledges stronger school inclusion after pilot
• Pilot scheme shows improved support for vulnerable pupils
• Exclusion rates remain high, particularly for SEND students
• New SEND and Inclusion Strategy to roll out by 2026
• Council to review behaviour‑management policies with schools

Hackney (Extra London News) March 24, 2026 – Hackney has pledged to do better on school inclusion after a “promising” pilot scheme aimed at keeping more vulnerable pupils in mainstream education, as the borough’s latest Education Strategic Plan charts an ambitious path towards a more equitable system by 2026.

Local authorities, school leaders and parents have welcomed the council’s stated commitment to “learn from” the pilot’s lessons, even as inspectors and scrutiny panels continue to flag persistently high exclusion rates and the disproportionate impact on Black and Global Majority pupils and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Officials insist the 2026‑aligned reforms will shift practice from crisis‑driven responses to proactive, trauma‑informed support, while expanding specialist provision and sharpening monitoring of school behaviour policies.

What did the pilot scheme actually do?

As reported by Hackney Council’s communications team in detailed briefing notes issued in late 2025, the pilot scheme tested a three‑tiered alternative‑learning support model across a small group of mainstream settings to reduce the number of pupils pushed towards off‑roll or out‑of‑mainstream placements. The initiative paired targeted in‑school interventions such as small‑group wellbeing sessions and tailored academic support with earlier referrals to specialist services and close parent‑carer partnerships, on the premise that “early, strategic intervention” beats reactive exclusions.

Local education officers told the council’s Scrutiny Commission in November 2025 that, in the pilot schools, suspension incidents fell modestly and reintegration rates improved, prompting the authority to describe the outcomes as “promising but not yet conclusive.” This cautious framing has become central to the council’s public messaging: the experiment is not being portrayed as a silver bullet, but as evidence that more sustained, coordinated support can soften the harsh edges of exclusion‑heavy behaviour systems.

Why is Hackney focusing on inclusion in 2026?

Hackney’s push to embed inclusion more deeply by 2026 sits within a broader education‑reform agenda. As explained by Cllr Antoinnette Bramble, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Young People, in a January 2026 statement accompanying the newly approved Education Strategic Plan 2026‑2029, the borough aims to “maintain outstanding outcomes while placing child wellbeing first” and to build a system that is “child‑centred, anti‑racist and inclusive.”

In that same document, the council frames inclusion as one of five core priorities, alongside SEND and alternative‑learning provision, financial sustainability of schools, and equity for historically underserved communities such as Black Caribbean, Turkish, Kurdish and Charedi families.

The plan explicitly acknowledges that Hackney’s shift from “one of the lowest performing boroughs” twenty years ago to one now with all maintained schools rated good or better by Ofsted has left stubborn structural challenges, including rising numbers of pupils with complex needs and a relative scarcity of on‑borough specialist places.

How does the 2026‑aligned SEND and inclusion strategy fit in?

The pilot’s findings are being folded into a wider Hackney SEND and Inclusion 3‑Year Strategy, which councils and schools hope will codify more consistent, evidence‑based practice across the borough. As outlined in the council’s 2025 consultation documents, the strategy is co‑produced with children, families and practitioners and aims to “create inclusive environments and provide the right support at the right time for those with special educational needs and disabilities.”

The strategy, set out to be fully implemented by 2026, focuses on three main levers: early identification of needs, timely access to specialist services, and a stronger system‑wide framework for monitoring and accountability. As described by Hackney’s Education team, this includes expanding the number of specialist school places by 300 by 2026, not only in new or repurposed special schools but also within mainstream settings that adopt more flexible, inclusive pathways.

What are the current challenges around exclusions?

Even as the council talks up progress, data and scrutiny documents underline how far Hackney still has to go. As reported in the 2026 Council meeting minutes obtained via the OpenCouncil Network, the authority’s motion on school exclusions describes “stubbornly high” permanent exclusion and suspension rates, which sit above most other London boroughs. The document adds that Black and Global Majority pupils and those with SEND are disproportionately affected, echoing longer‑standing concerns raised by national inspectors and advocacy groups.

The Children and Young People Scrutiny Commission’s 2025 call‑for‑evidence on behaviour management and school inclusion similarly notes that the pandemic has left a “significant impact on children’s mental health and wellbeing,” which in turn affects how schools interpret and respond to challenging behaviour. In oral evidence sessions, headteachers and parents recounted instances where pupils were suspended or excluded for incidents that might have been handled through restorative or therapeutic approaches, if more resources and staff training had been available.

How are schools and unions responding?

Responses from headteachers and school leaders have been mixed. Some principals, speaking anonymously in Hackney‑based education briefings, have welcomed the pilot’s emphasis on “early intervention” and “flexible support,” arguing that they have long felt pressure to “manage” behaviour on tight budgets and with limited specialist staff. They stress that the pilot’s limited scale makes it hard to draw firm conclusions, but they welcome the council’s promise to roll out similar tiered support more widely, providing schools carry on receiving adequate funding.

Other school leaders, however, have sounded a note of caution. In a written submission to the Behaviour Management & Inclusion review, several governing bodies flagged that one‑size‑fits‑all inclusion policies can sometimes ignore the real‑time pressures of day‑to‑day classroom management, particularly in secondary schools where staff shortages are acute.

They argue that the council must ensure any new inclusion framework is accompanied by concrete investment in staffing, mental‑health support and training, rather than simply shifting more responsibility onto already overstretched teams.

What are the statutory obligations and legal risks?

The council’s 2026‑aligned plan also has to square circle with statutory obligations on exclusions and SEND provision. Under national guidance, local authorities must ensure that no pupil with an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) is excluded unless schools have met their statutory duties, including the provision of appropriate support and reasonable adjustments. 

At the same time, scrutiny documents note that the council faces legal and financial risks if schools are seen to be off‑rolling or inappropriately pressuring pupils with SEND to leave mainstream settings. To mitigate this, the authority has committed to publishing clearer exclusions data and to creating an inclusion panel that will review potential permanent exclusions, particularly where SEND or racial disparity is a factor. This panel is intended to act as a safeguard, giving families and advocates a route to challenge decisions they believe are disproportionate or discriminatory.

How are parents and families involved?

From the outset, the council has framed inclusion as a partnership with families rather than a top‑down directive. As described by the council’s consultation literature, the new SEND and Inclusion Strategy was “co‑produced by children and young people, families, professionals and practitioners,” using surveys and focus groups across Hackney. Some parents of children with SEND have publicly endorsed the approach, telling Hackney Voice and other local outlets that they felt “listened to for the first time” during the drafting process.

Others, however, have warned that trust is fragile. In submissions to the Scrutiny Commission, several parents described long waits for specialist assessments, delays in EHCP amendments and what they saw as “tokenistic” inclusion rhetoric while their children were still being pushed out of mainstream settings.

They have welcomed the promised inclusion panel and the commitment to publish more detailed exclusions data, but insist that the real test will be whether these measures translate into fewer permanent exclusions and more meaningful support in the classroom.

What are the wider implications for London’s schools?

Hackney’s 2026‑aligned reforms are being watched closely by other London boroughs and by the Greater London Authority. As noted in the 2025 London Inclusion Charter strategic guides issued by the Mayor’s office, the capital is trying to move away from a sharp divide between “mainstream” and “special” provision towards more fluid, inclusive pathways that can accommodate a wider range of needs. Hackney’s pilot scheme and its emphasis on early intervention fit squarely within that broader ambition, but they also highlight the tension between local experimentation and the need for city‑wide coherence.

Education experts quoted in London‑based policy briefings have praised Hackney for “trying to do more with limited resources,” but have also stressed that without sustained national investment in mental‑health and SEND services, even the most thoughtful local strategies may struggle to reduce exclusion rates to acceptable levels.

They argue that the lessons from Hackney’s 2026 pilot such as the value of multi‑tiered support, early referrals and stronger data‑driven monitoring could be adapted in other boroughs, if central government backs local authorities financially and legislatively.

What does “doing better” actually mean in practice?

Ultimately, the council’s promise to “do better” on school inclusion will be measured by concrete outcomes by 2026. As set out in the Education Strategic Plan 2026‑2029, Hackney aims to reduce permanent exclusion rates, narrow disparities in how Black and Global Majority pupils and those with SEND are treated, and increase the number of children with SEND who remain in mainstream or mainstream‑linked settings with appropriate support.

The plan also commits the authority to reviewing and strengthening its Safe and Inclusive Schools charter, which several secondary schools have already adopted to embed anti‑racist and trauma‑informed practices. By 2026, the council wants to see this charter embedded in all maintained schools, with regular compliance checks and staff training cycles, turning inclusion from an occasional initiative into a core, non‑negotiable standard.