How to Make Your Mainstream School More Inclusive

23 APRIL 2025

In this article, Claire Lewis, Assistant Psychologist from The ADHD Foundation Neurodiversity Charity, explores how small changes in the school day can make a big difference for children with additional needs. With so many hours spent in school, it’s important that every child feels safe, understood, and valued. Claire shares practical ideas to help create more inclusive classrooms, so all children have the chance to feel calm, confident, and ready to learn.

Children spend at least 6 hours at school a day, 190 days per year from the age of 4 until at least 16. Or at least this is the goal. This period of time is designed to provide children with the education and socialisation skills needed in order to thrive in society and help to prepare them for adulthood.

As parents, we want our children to thrive in the school environment, but perhaps most of all, we want them to feel safe, understood and seen. This makes inclusive practice an important factor in providing an even ground to enable all children to have the best start and reach their own individual potential.

1 in 5 of us are neurodiverse, that is 20%. That means that in every classroom there might be on average 4 to 5 neurodiverse children present who may have additional needs. This is without mentioning children who are not neurodiverse yet still have additional needs. For example, the rates of childhood anxiety and depression are on the rise, and these conditions can also have a detrimental effect on a person's ability and capacity to learn at an academic level, but also on their lived educational experience.

The mainstream schooling system currently adopts a uniform way of practice, not just in the clothing the children wear, but also in the practices of teaching, support and discipline. This may be ideal for many children, but it can also fail many other children who simply do not learn or thrive in this ‘mainstream’ way.

How can we be more inclusive?

Inclusive practice in school is much easier to implement than we think. Sure, there are many ways that the mainstream school system needs to adapt in order to account for all differences, however, we can make small adjustments today that make big differences in the long-term.

Start the day in the right way

The start of the school day is a transition, and often the first transition of the day. Children with additional needs, be it neurodiverse conditions or even mental health problems, can struggle with change. Change of any kind can feel unsettling to some and even lead to emotional dysregulation. Providing a consistent calm routine to be followed of the morning can allow for an element of certainty that itself can provide a feeling of safety for a child who struggles with change. Knowing what they can expect can help to ease any potential stress, and a calm environment can set the tone for the day.

Take time to understand each child's needs

For example, eye contact can be a struggle for some children with neurodiverse conditions, such as ADHD or autism. Understanding that a child can still be listening and paying attention without maintaining eye contact can be a huge shift and expecting eye contact from those who struggle to maintain it can actually have the opposite effect desired and lead to a child disengaging completely. A better understanding of individual nuances can help provide a more psychologically safe setting for all.

Allow for movement breaks

The need for movement is not just a redundant trait of a potential or diagnosed condition, it can be a physiological necessity. Studies have shown that some people can actually learn and retain information better while moving their bodies. This is due to the dual engagement of procedural memory with the acquisition of new information, and how these two memory systems can work productively in tandem. Movement can also be a way of relieving tension and is an effective coping strategy. If a child is feeling stressed or unsettled in some way, having the ability to move around can help them to regulate. Movement can be achieved through the use of fidget toys and even allowing for small breaks where a child can get up from their chair.

Allow for quiet spaces

A lot of neurodiverse children can have a significant sensory profile. Too much sensory stimulation can be overwhelming for some, and if a person is overwhelmed, not only is this emotionally dysregulating, it also decreases the capacity to learn. This would also tie in perfectly with a child who may need movement breaks. Allowing for a quiet space, sometimes called a sensory room, enables children to seek solace in the calmness of the room and can help them to regulate themselves in times of overwhelm.

Varied free time

The mainstream curriculum is a very academic one, and with a set way of teaching. Time spent learning about other topics that do not break into the core subjects can prove beneficial. For example, some children with neurodiverse conditions can find more enjoyment in more physical subjects. Incorporating lessons that reflect this may allow for children who may struggle more academically to thrive. Simple gardening skills are a great example and can get the children out into the fresh air while also learning a skill. Allowing for more diverse subjects allows more children to feel like they may excel in different subjects.

Take away

In short, we are a way off from providing a fully inclusive educational system. To do this will require a complete overhaul of the current system. However, with just a few small achievable adjustments, we can provide a safer, more inclusive place for our children to thrive. Small steps everyday lead to big things.