How Schools Can Use the New Inclusive Mainstream Fund to Create Calmer, More Inclusive Outdoor Learning Environments
The Government’s new Inclusive Mainstream Fund (IMF) represents an important step towards helping mainstream schools strengthen inclusive practice and ensure that every child can thrive in their learning environment.
The fund has been introduced to support schools in developing more inclusive approaches for children with additional needs, enabling earlier intervention, reducing barriers to learning and creating environments where pupils feel safe, supported and able to succeed.
Whilst much of the discussion around the fund has understandably focused on staffing, teaching approaches and classroom provision, there is another area that can make a significant difference to a child’s school experience – the outdoor environment.
At The Hideout House Company, we’ve worked with schools across the UK to create outdoor spaces that encourage emotional regulation, sensory exploration, wellbeing and inclusive learning. Thoughtfully designed outdoor environments don’t simply provide somewhere for children to play; they become an extension of a school’s inclusion strategy.
Why Outdoor Spaces Matter
For many children, particularly those with autism, ADHD, sensory processing differences, anxiety or social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs, the busy school environment can sometimes feel overwhelming.
Noise, movement, crowded corridors and constant sensory stimulation can make it difficult to regulate emotions and remain engaged in learning.
Having access to calm, purposeful outdoor spaces allows pupils to:
- regulate emotions before behaviours escalate
- reduce anxiety and sensory overload
- improve concentration and readiness to learn
- access one-to-one interventions
- develop communication and social skills
- build confidence and independence.
Rather than viewing outdoor spaces as simply somewhere for break times, schools are increasingly recognising their value as therapeutic learning environments that support both wellbeing and educational outcomes.
Five Ways Schools Can Use the Inclusive Mainstream Fund Outdoors
1. Create Quiet Regulation Zones
Every school has pupils who occasionally need time away from the pace and stimulation of the classroom or playground.
A dedicated outdoor quiet zone provides a safe, supervised environment where children can pause, regulate and return to learning when they are ready.
These spaces can be used for:
- emotional regulation
- restorative breaks
- ELSA sessions
- mentoring
- one-to-one conversations
- mindfulness activities
- small nurture groups.
Adding comfortable seating, natural planting and sheltered areas helps create an environment that immediately feels calmer and more welcoming.
2. Develop Outdoor Sensory Gardens
Sensory gardens have become one of the most effective ways of supporting inclusive practice.
By carefully combining planting, textures, colours, sounds and movement, schools create environments where children can explore and regulate their senses naturally.
Features may include:
- scented planting
- tactile pathways
- musical play equipment
- wildlife areas
- reflection spaces
- sensory planting beds
- interactive sensory panels.
These spaces encourage curiosity, communication and confidence whilst also supporting children who benefit from predictable, low-pressure environments.
Importantly, sensory gardens benefit all pupils—not just those with identified additional needs—and help create a culture of inclusion across the whole school.
Sensory garden design
3. Provide Flexible Outdoor Inclusion Rooms
Many interventions work best in smaller, quieter environments.
Outdoor inclusion rooms provide schools with flexible spaces that can be adapted throughout the day for a wide range of activities, including:
- speech and language interventions
- counselling
- nurture groups
- SEND support
- parental meetings
- small group teaching
- pastoral support
- wellbeing sessions.
Unlike traditional classrooms, these environments often feel less formal and more relaxing, helping children engage more positively with staff and learning activities.
4. Support Emotional Regulation Through Sound
One of the most overlooked senses in outdoor learning is sound.
Creating a calm auditory environment can have a remarkable impact on children’s emotional wellbeing and ability to regulate.
Our Sensory Hub incorporates an innovative Wi-Fi enabled Sound Mixer system that enables schools to adapt the environment instantly depending on pupils’ needs.
Staff can play:
- calming nature sounds
- gentle background music
- mindfulness sessions
- breathing exercises
- guided relaxation recordings
- storytelling
- audiobooks
- curriculum-linked audio resources
- music for outdoor performances and drama.
Because the system is wireless, content can be changed throughout the day with ease, allowing the same space to support emotional regulation in the morning, literacy activities before lunch and creative learning during the afternoon.
It transforms an outdoor shelter into a truly multi-functional learning environment.
5. Create Outdoor Learning Spaces That Support Every Child
Inclusive practice is about ensuring every child has opportunities to learn in the way that suits them best.
Outdoor classrooms provide schools with flexible environments that can be used for:
- intervention groups
- forest school activities
- curriculum delivery
- nurture provision
- emotional wellbeing sessions
- collaborative learning
- STEM activities
- creative arts.
For many children, simply changing the learning environment can reduce anxiety, improve concentration and increase participation.
The flexibility of these spaces means schools gain far more than an additional classroom—they gain another tool for delivering truly inclusive education.
Inclusion Is About Environment as Well as Teaching
Outstanding inclusive practice isn’t achieved through teaching strategies alone.
The physical environment plays a crucial role in helping children feel safe, understood and ready to learn.
By creating spaces that support emotional regulation, sensory exploration, communication and wellbeing, schools can reduce barriers to learning before they become larger challenges.
Outdoor environments provide opportunities for early intervention, restorative practice and personalised support that complement the excellent work already taking place within classrooms.
As schools begin planning how they will use the Inclusive Mainstream Fund, considering the potential of their outdoor spaces could deliver benefits that are felt across the entire school community—for pupils, staff and families alike.
How Hideout House Can Help
At The Hideout House Company, we specialise in designing and creating outdoor environments that promote inclusion, wellbeing and learning. Over the past 12 years, we’ve worked with hundreds of schools across the UK, and one trend has become increasingly clear. More schools are recognising that inclusion isn’t just about what happens inside the classroom. Carefully designed outdoor environments are becoming an essential part of supporting pupils’ emotional wellbeing, sensory needs and readiness to learn. Several schools we’ve worked with have chosen to create outdoor sensory spaces alongside quiet regulation areas, allowing staff to support children before they become overwhelmed while also creating spaces that are enjoyed by the wider school community
Whether you’re looking to develop a quiet regulation zone, sensory garden, outdoor inclusion room or a multi-functional Sensory Hub with integrated audio technology, we can help you create a bespoke solution that reflects the needs of your pupils and your school’s vision for inclusive education.
If your school is exploring ways to maximise the impact of the Inclusive Mainstream Fund, we’d be delighted to discuss how your outdoor environment can become an extension of your inclusion strategy.
To find out more, contact our team today (01832 275902 or email: info@hideouthouse.com) to arrange a free consultation and discover how together we can create outdoor spaces where every child has the opportunity to thrive.
