Young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) deserve equal access to the sports they love, yet a clear gap remains between what they want (participation in traditional school sports) and what is typically offered (often limited to disability‑specific activities). Inclusion in Action seeks to close this gap by equipping teachers with practical confidence and empowering young leaders to transform school culture.

Every county in England will host an immersive Live Lab: an in-person CPD for practitioners to attend locally, sharing best practice and knowledge of how to deliver inclusive traditional sports. Each school will use this inspiration to co-design inclusive extracurricular clubs with their pupils, ensuring everyone can participate fully and help shape the activities they want to see.

The need has never been greater. In 2024/25, 19.2% of pupils in England (1.7 million children) were identified as having SEND - a 5.6% increase from the previous year. Yet support systems have not kept pace: 14% still do not have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP), funding is not increasing at the same rate, and absence rates remain worryingly high. Pupils with an EHCP record in particular have an overall absence rate of 13.7% and a persistent absence rate of 36.9%. 

School sport can be a powerful part of the solution. When pupils feel included and have something positive to look forward to, behaviour improves, belonging increases, and attendance can follow. However, four in five teachers say they want more guidance on supporting SEND pupils, and trainee teachers receive minimal PE training with no mandatory requirement for inclusive PE before entering the profession. As a result, pupils with SEND are often excluded from PE or redirected elsewhere. One pupil recently shared that they spent an entire PE lesson bouncing a ball against a wall “to beat their best score” while their classmates played tennis together.

In 2024, ParalympicsGB launched the Equal Play campaign, calling for no child to be left on the sidelines, but recent data from Activity Alliance found that still only one in four pupils with SEND regularly take part in PE or school sport. Inclusion in Action, powered by Bupa Healthcare, directly addresses this challenge by giving teachers the tools and young people the voice to reshape what inclusion looks like in practice. The result is a school environment where pupils with SEND aren’t separated or substituted: they are included, valued, and given every chance to shine.

Anna Russell, Bupa Foundation Director said: “At the Bupa Foundation, our purpose is to help create healthier communities, and we know that sport can play a powerful role in helping children feel happy, confident and connected. We believe every child, including those with additional needs, should have the chance to enjoy being active alongside their peers. By bringing children together through inclusive sport, Inclusion in Action helps nurture belonging, build understanding and support healthier, more inclusive school communities.”

Alison Oliver MBE, Chief Executive at Youth Sport Trust said: “At Youth Sport Trust we know when young people feel included and have activities they genuinely enjoy, the impact can extend far beyond physical health benefits, supporting their confidence, relationships with others, engagement and belonging at school and attendance. For young people with SEND, traditional approaches to school sport and physical activity do not work, and even poorly adapted programmes mean many are still unintentionally excluded because activities have not been designed with inclusion in mind from the outset. We must stop expecting young people to fit into systems and activities not designed and built around their needs and experiences.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Bupa Foundation for their commitment to tackling these issues and for supporting our SEND inclusion work. Through their support we will be able to extend the reach of our ‘Inclusion in Action Live Labs’; immersive teacher professional development facilitated by observing lead practitioners in action.  We want to give teachers confidence and expertise to deliver PE and sport in ways which are inclusive by design and shaped by the voices of pupils. Through this approach we are able to break down barriers to participation and create positive, meaningful and truly inclusive environments for everyone.”

Rob Belbin who leading the delivery of the Bupa Programme as the Youth Sport Trust’s Lead Inclusion School Bincombe Valley Primary School in Dorset shared "We are thrilled to be able to deliver the Bupa Inclusion in Action Live Lab as part of our CPD program for teachers and teaching assistants. The training and associated resources are exactly what schools have been asking for. There are so many innovative ideas to play adaptive traditional sport that fits with what young people are asking for. The program will allow schools to train leaders, use resources and make clubs meaningful, accessible and fun, with practical SEND-informed adaptations that reduce barriers and help pupils take part fully. We can’t wait to hear the stories and see the impact it has”

To find out your nearest Bupa Inclusion in Action Live Lab or for more information about the programme, please contact the Youth Sport Trust Inclusion Team at [email protected].