The Inclusion Guide for PE Leaders: From Policy to Practice

Neil @ Future Action
16 minutes ago
6 min read

Inclusion is the word of the moment — but how do we make it real for every child, every day?

The National Context

Right now, inclusion is everywhere in the headlines:

From November 2025, Ofsted’s new framework will introduce a five-point grading scale, a specific grade for inclusion, and parent-friendly report cards.
The DfE’s curriculum and assessment review is due this autumn and could call for a brand-new PE curriculum.
And a planned £30m PE & School Sport Partnership Network is being launched to make sure girls, SEND pupils and disadvantaged children all get meaningful access to PE and school sport.

These are positive moves. But here’s the challenge:

👉 Policy changes don’t automatically transform practice. What matters is what happens in your classrooms, your sports halls, and your playgrounds.

And that’s where schools need clarity and confidence.

What Schools Are Grappling With

If you’re leading PE, these questions probably feel close to home:

SEND — Are children with additional needs given safe, supportive and engaging opportunities?
Pupil Premium — Do disadvantaged pupils get the same chances to thrive, belong and build confidence?
Children in Care & those with a Social Worker — Do the young people carrying Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have nurturing adults they can trust?
Whole Cohort — Are your pathways designed to excite every child, not just the sporty few?

➡️ These aren’t theoretical. They’re the day-to-day realities that can keep you awake at night. And I know that feeling well.

My Journey: From Feeling Helpless to Finding a Way Forward

From 2013–2022, I was Director of Sport, Health and RSHE in an inner-city secondary where 77% of pupils were Pupil Premium and there was a 13-year gap in life expectancy depending which side of the main road a child was born on.

I felt hopeless at times. I could see the impact of trauma and disadvantage on my students, but I didn’t have the strategies to make a real difference.

So I began experimenting. Trying, failing, learning. Over time, we discovered approaches that helped students feel safer, more confident, and more engaged.

Out of that journey came Future Action. Today, we’re proud to partner with over 300 schools across four continents, and in 2025 our work was recognised nationally when RISE Up was named the UK’s Leading Student Wellbeing Teacher Training Programme. But the real success lies in the daily difference educators are making with young people.

Together we built the RISE Up Programme — and over time, we’ve learned some powerful lessons about what truly works for children and staff. Here are a few that stand out.

What We’ve Learned Works

Many ADHD students thrive when they have RISE Up sport sanctuaries — safe spaces to regulate through movement before re-engaging in learning. Movement helps release excess energy and regulate the nervous system, widening their window of tolerance.
Many autistic children build confidence and belonging through inclusive team opportunities. Shared activities stimulate the brain’s social engagement system, strengthening trust and reducing anxiety.
Many children in care, those with a social worker, and Pupil Premium pupils flourish when surrounded by nurturing, trusted adults who help them feel safe and valued. Consistent, emotionally available relationships calm the stress response and build secure attachments.
In complex needs schools, simple approaches like walk and talks, dance and swimming have proved especially powerful in supporting regulation and connection. These activities combine rhythm and co-regulation, which can help students feel grounded and safe.
For blind and visually impaired children, closed loop repeaters such as using a rowing machine or cross trainer provide rhythmic, predictable movement that creates safety, calms the amygdala, and builds confidence.

➡️ And for many autistic and complex needs children, opportunities like these are vital. They may not be able to access clubs outside of school — which means the inclusive, carefully designed programmes we create in school can be life-changing.

But above all, every one of these approaches is wrapped in care. At the heart of RISE Up are outstanding relationships with brilliant young people — because however effective the strategies, it’s the trust, safety, and connection we build that makes the biggest difference.

This is what RISE Up offers: practical, tried-and-tested strategies to meet these needs with empathy and consistency — in a bespoke approach for your children.

And while these examples show what’s possible on the ground, they also connect to a bigger national conversation. The H.I.D.E. framework sets out the priorities — here’s how RISE Up helps you deliver them in practice

From H.I.D.E. to RISE

National conversations are focused on being:

Holistic
Inclusive
Focused on the Disadvantaged
Driving Engagement

At Future Action, we’ve been helping schools deliver this for 5 years:

✅ Holistic — The RISE Up Wellbeing Programme grows physical, cognitive, emotional & social wellbeing alongside movement for mental wellbeing, regulation and belonging.

✅ Inclusion — Trauma-Informed PE helps staff understand ACEs and build trust, safety and belonging through practical strategies.

✅ Disadvantaged — We empower educators to support children in care, those with a social worker, and Pupil Premium students. We’re proud to be trusted partners of the Attachment Research Community.

✅ Engagement — From option-based PE to sports councils to kit considerations, young people co-create meaningful, relevant experiences. We’ve seen real success particularly around girls’ engagement in PE.

📊 And the results speak for themselves:

Liverpool RISE Up – 39% boost in teacher perceptions of wellbeing
Belvedere Academy – Greater engagement for girls + national award recognition
Kings Leadership Academy Liverpool – Reduced behaviour send outs in PE from 13 to 1 per lesson.
Bure Park Specialist School – Physical holds cut from 50 → 10 in two years
Charles Darwin Primary – Improved attendance & smoother transitions
Harleston Sancroft – Greater support for vulnerable pupils
Teign School – Exceptional engagement from previously disengaged students in clubs

That’s why over 300 schools worldwide are part of the RISE Up community — because they’ve seen what’s possible when inclusion is more than a policy word.

The RISE Up Package of Support

We know inclusion isn’t fixed with one-off training. Schools need a clear pathway — and that’s what the RISE Up Package provides.

It gives you everything you need to move from:

1️⃣ Intent → creating a bespoke strategic vision and implementation plan

2️⃣ Implementation → delivering high-quality CPD and ongoing support

3️⃣ Impact → evidencing outcomes for Ofsted, governors and parents

The package includes:

🆕 A Co-created Strategic Vision – personalised to your context

🆕A 90-Day Implementation Plan to help you overcome overwhelm

🆕 Ongoing Support Throughout the Year – to keep momentum strong

🆕 RISE AI Support 24/7 – ask questions, get quick guidance, or plan sessions

✔️ Unlimited staff access to online CPD programmes:

✔️ Editable resource pack to save you time and tailor to your young people

✔️ A copy of my book 'Time to RISE Up – Supporting Students’ Mental Health in Schools'

✔️ Support to co-create a case study to evidence your impact

✔️ Access to your local & global RISE Up community of best practice

💡 The difference? It’s not piecemeal. It’s a guided journey from vision, to implementation, to measurable impact — with support every step of the way.

Final Reflection

Inclusion can’t be achieved by ticking boxes. It’s about creating safe, connected, movement-rich environments where every child feels they belong.

For schools navigating new frameworks and rising expectations, my message is this: you don’t have to do it alone.

Through RISE Up, we’ll walk alongside you — from intent, to implementation, to impact — so you and your staff feel supported every step of the way.

Your Next Step

If you’re ready to start building a more inclusive PE programme:

✅ [1] Join our waiting list – explore partnerships, training, consultancy, or request your copy of Time to RISE Up:👉 Join the Waiting List here

📝 [2] Complete your School Wellbeing Scorecard – a free 3-minute tool to map your current provision and highlight key areas to strengthen:👉 Complete the Scorecard here