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TLDR
The Schools White Paper Every Child Achieving and Thriving promises stronger inclusion. At NEC we welcome this, but believe more must be done to protect student choice. We believe funding should follow the student, schools should face less red tape when working with approved providers, and inclusion should extend beyond the school building. Flexible pathways matter, especially for home educated and SEND students.
What the 2026 Schools White Paper Means for Inclusion
With the new Schools White Paper Every Child Achieving and Thriving, there is a lot of talk about making schools more inclusive. While the National Extension College (NEC) welcomes the promise of quicker support for students, we feel there is a significant missed opportunity regarding parent and student choice.
Why Student Choice Still Matters
At our college, we specialise in helping students achieve their GCSEs and A levels. Many families from the home education and SEND communities choose to study with us because our flexible, inclusive course design works for them when a standard classroom doesn’t.
As an online distance learning college specialising in GCSEs and A levels, we frequently see where the system is still missing crucial opportunities, particularly around student choice and operational efficiency.
NEC student Jasmine recently shared her experience of being home educated with listeners on LBC Radio. Hear from Jasmine about why student choice matters.
Key Questions the White Paper Must Address
The questions we are asking about the white paper Every Child Achieving and Thriving:
- Should Funding Follow the Student? – Why can’t funding follow your child? Many of you already choose us because the standard school environment just doesn’t work for your family. We see parents paying for this essential academic support themselves despite it being for vital qualifications. In countries like New Zealand, funding is much more flexible – it follows the student to the provider that actually fits their learning style. Why not here?
- Cutting Red Tape: A National Approval System – Why all the Red Tape? Right now, every single local council has to separately approve every provider. It is a huge waste of time and resources. We believe there should be one national approval system – a global directory. If a provider is vetted and approved once, any school or LA should be able to work with them instantly. This would give headteachers the freedom to pick the best support for your child without the administrative headache.
- Inclusion Beyond the School Building – The government is talking about inclusion bases in schools, but for us, true inclusion is about the way a course is designed. It’s about flexible study times and materials that work for the individual, not just a room in a building.
Building a More Flexible Education System
Our goal is to help every student achieve those vital GCSEs and A levels to secure their future. We want a system that is open to different ways of making that happen.
We believe that true inclusion embraces diverse learning pathways. By focusing on more flexible funding and a streamlined, national QA system, we can unlock greater choice for families and empower schools to deliver truly personalised academic and holistic support. We welcome further consultation on these vital areas.
What do you think?
How NEC Supports Home Educators
If you are considering home education, find out more about how NEC supports home educators.