‘A social justice issue’: London school believes it has model for Send inclusion

Staff say the school’s model allows children to rebuild confidence and trust after years of struggle in mainstream settings. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

In many ways, it looks like any other primary school. There is a library, a cafeteria, classrooms, and a noticeboard celebrating the star of the week. But it is different in one crucial respect: in 25 years, this London alternative provision has not excluded a single pupil.

As Labour pushes to bring more children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) into mainstream schools and keep them there, questions are emerging about what this inclusion should look like in practice. Staff at TCES Nurture primary in Newham, east London, believe their model offers some answers.