Internal Inclusion - Good Practice Guidance

What is internal Inclusion?

An internal inclusion in an internal process within the School and is used when the objective is to remove the pupil from the class, but not from the School site, for disciplinary reasons. It may be a formal process within the school, but it is not a legal exclusion (i.e a permanent exclusion or a fixed period of exclusion). Recommendations that have been made by (Bennett, 2017) states that 'internal inclusion units should be used to offer Targeted early specialist intervention with the primary aim of reintegrating students back into the mainstream school Community'. Internal Inclusion doesn't have to be reported to the government as part of the school exclusions statistics (where a child is kept out of School), however, this does not mean that robust records of internal exclusions should not be maintained; neither should the decision to internally exclude be taken lightly.

Internal Inclusion should not become a

A provision for long term respite care
An isolation booth for pupils who may need specific support
A badge of honour for children and young people (to gain inappropriate approval from their peers)
A fast track to permanent exclusion

Why would I internally include rather than internally exclude?

There can be many benefits to internal inclusion rather than external excluding for both the school and pupils, if done correctly. For the school, a key benefit of internal inclusion is that is can allow for the immediate removal of a child, from the classroom which will allow for the rest of the class to continue with their learning and limit the distress on the class and teacher in certain scenarios where they may be used (e.g. the removed pupil is in a state of emotional dysregulation). For the removed pupil, it allows for the child to be retained within school (and therefore more 'included') and receiving a higher level of support academically and emotionally than they would if they were internally excluded; providing an internal inclusion is conducted correctly.

In addition to this it will be important to work towards internal inclusion rather than an internal exclusion. Whilst there is no official definition of each of these concepts, we uphold that an 'internal exclusion' is a form of punishment used in schools where pupils are removed from the mainstream classroom and sent to an on-site area for a period of time where they simply complete their work. There is minimal additional input from staff or other adaptations made to support them. In contrast to this, we uphold that an 'internal inclusion' is where the procedure we just described is enhanced to be more nurturing, supportive and likely to have a greater impact on the pupils behaviour. We believe an internal exclusion can be made 'inclusive' by offering the child additional supportive measures during the period of removal from the mainstream class with the ultimate aim of systematically working towards the full reintegration of the child back into the classroom, this can include:

Opportunities to receive adult support with academic work;
Opportunities to explore their social, emotional and mental health difficulties with an adult. This could be completed by school staff or an external qualified professional. There are many therapeutic techniques or strategies that can support with this work, such as using a solution focused approach or a cognitive-behavioural approach to explore their difficulties and identify solutions;
The use of alternative behaviour management strategies during the removal period that can better accommodate the child's needs but are impractical for the whole school.

What do I practically need for an internal inclusion?

Whilst limited research has been conducted in this area as of yet, the application of findings from similar areas and basic psychological and developmental theory can lead to a more productive and supportive internal inclusion. The unit can best be used when there is a young person who is at risk of exclusion and supports them to be reintegrated back into mainstream provision (see Reintegration Good Practice Guides). A practical guide for Schools to be using internal inclusion include:

Work to be provided for the pupil during the time in inclusion
School equipment - to ensure that the young person is able to have resources available to complete work, computers, desk, space etc
Staff presence - to ensure that the young person is able to not feel 'isolated' and therefore feeling supported during the time within inclusion
Understanding - Young person should be informed of how long the internal inclusion should be and the period that has been set by the School, dependent on the situation

Further information

Internal inclusion is used within the school which in turn should be reflected in the Schools behaviour policy
The pupil continue to be marked as present on the register during the course of their internal inclusion. This will ensure that the pupil is accounted for in an emergency
Where pupil is regularly using internal inclusion a school should explore the pupils learning and social, emotional and mental-health needs. This may require seeking advice from other professionals as necessary. The period of internal isolation should be conservative and not last for prolonged periods of time (e.g. no more than 1 to 3 days depending on the level/duration of support needed).

A good practice guide for a young person who is receiving an internal inclusion:

Internal exclusion should be imposed for no longer than 2-3 days
Young people on internal inclusion should report to reception at the start of the School day. A designated member of staff will collect young person and explain the protocol.
Young people spend their entire day in inclusion and take their breaks under supervision, at an alternative time to the rest of the School.
Teaching staff are requested to provide work for the Inclusion room in advance, as much as possible. If this is not appropriate, there are materials from all departments that the pupils can work from. The Inclusion room is under the supervision of the 'Pastoral Support Worker'
In addition to completing work, pupils also have the opportunity to talk to the Pastoral Support Worker, if appropriate to support behaviours that challenge. All young people who have an Internal inclusion, have a letter sent out outlining the offense and subsequent action
Young people on internal inclusion will normally be dismissed for up to one hour at the end of the School day. This is because many students socialise on or around the premises for up to 30 minutes after the end of the school day. As a result, it may be in the interests of discipline to require internally included students to finish school up to one hour later than their peers. If this decision is taken, it will be communicated to the students' parents or carers.
Opportunities to receive adult support with academic work;
The use of alternative behaviour management strategies during the inclusion period can better accommodate the child's needs but are impractical for the whole school.
There could be a difference dependent on the School settings, i.e. Special Schools may offer different approaches to how an internal inclusion looks like within their setting
Some children may benefit from several times within internal inclusion, so it will be important to have regular communication between parents and schools during these times, so information is shared

SMART outcomes should be incorporated within any work that is being carried out with young people, with relevant targets to eradicate any behaviour that challenges

What if Internal/External Exclusion doesn't work

If an internal exclusion doesn't work, then Schools should seek other appropriate methods within the Prevent Exclusions Guidance which has been provided for Schools (see alternative options for Schools). If all options have been exhausted around Preventing Exclusions, Schools should seek guidance from the Local Authority by emailing exclusionsupport@Hillingdon.gov.uk.

References

Tom Bennet, 2017 - Independent Review of behaviour in Schools

Published by Hillingdon Council - January 2021