Welcome to March's Lead Inclusion School update. In this month’s edition, you will find:

Updates

• Inclusion 2028 Funding
• Inclusive PE Modules

Programmes 

• Bupa Live Labs
• Comets in Schools
• EE Disability Cup Festival Briefing

Events

• Dates for Your Diary
• School Games Organiser Summit 2026
• National School Sports Week 2026

Conference Award Winners

• Orchard Manor School
• Abbey School 

Resources and Opportunities

• Commonwealth Games Resources
• CPD Opportunities from nasen
• WheelPower's National Junior Sports Festival
• Girls Active Survey 2026.

Updates

Inclusion 2028 Funding

Inclusion 2028 funding for 2026/27 has been confirmed! This news reflects the incredible work this network does to improve the choices and chances for young people to participate in meaningful PE, school sport and physical activity. We are in the process of finalising the prospectus for 2026/27, listening to the feedback you’ve provided, and will share this in the coming weeks with all schools.  

If you are not able to continue within your role as a Youth Sport Trust Lead Inclusion School for the next academic year, please contact Kelly Fellows or your Development Coach to let them know.

March Hot Topic Resource: Inclusive PE Modules

Youth Sport Trust and Activity Alliance have updated the Inclusive Physical Education e-learning course which is free to access until the end of the academic year. With increasing numbers of pupils with SEND in schools, the course provides practical, time efficient guidance to help staff deliver accessible, meaningful PE and school sport for every pupil.

Redeveloped with support from Leeds Beckett University, the modules explore creating inclusive learning environments, using effective communication, and applying inclusive practice models. Completion of the course contributes to CIMSPA points, offering valuable professional development for educational practitioners.

Currently 450 practitioners have registered for the e-learning modules. To achieve our year one Inclusion 2028 target, we aim to support 650 practitioners with this resource. Please promote this resource within your upcoming discussions and newsletters to enable us to reach our final goal of year one. 

This series of e-learning modules, created in collaboration with Activity Alliance, introduces key concepts around inclusive PE, including:

• What inclusion means in practice
• Different models of inclusion
• Reflective tools to plan and improve your delivery.

Access the course here using the code ipeinclusion2028.

Programmes

Bupa Live Labs

For those who haven’t already signed up, there is still time to join the Bupa programme as the registration link is still live. You can register here.

We are in the process of co-creating the resources to support you in the delivery of the Bupa programme with the Youth Sport Trust Youth Board and Lead Inclusion Schools. We anticipate that these resources will be ready after the Easter holidays. In the meantime, please pencil in your dates for delivery and confirm these with the SEND inbox. If you have any questions, please reach out to us.

Comets in Schools

The Comets in Schools programme has now launched! All eligible schools that expressed an interest have received their training link. If you have more schools that want to take part in the training, please ask them to contact [email protected] rather than sharing the direct training link. This allows us to keep track of schools taking part and manage kit deliveries. We can also be contacted via the Girls' Football in School website. 

EE Disability Cup Festival Briefing

On Wednesday 18 March we will be hosting a briefing on the EE Disability Cup Festivals. These festivals are funded by The FA and are part of the core Lead Inclusion School work programme this year. This briefing will go through details about when and how the festivals can be delivered, and the resources you will receive to facilitate them. This briefing will be recorded for anyone unable to attend live. Please sign up here to ensure you receive the Zoom link on the day of the briefing. 

Events

Dates for Your Diary

• SEND Disney Inspired Shooting Stars, Wednesday 11 March, 3:30–4:30pm. Sign up here
• March Networking Call (Lunchtime), Tuesday 17 March, 12:00pm. Sign up here
• EE Disability Cup Festival Briefing, Wednesday 18 March, 3:30–4:15pm. Sign up here
• March Networking Call (Afternoon), Thursday 19 March, 3:30pm. Sign up here
• April Networking Call (Lunchtime), Tuesday 21 April, 12:00pm. Sign up here
• April Networking Call (Afternoon), Thursday 23 April, 3:30pm. Sign up here
• National School Sports Week 2026, 6-12 July. Sign up here.

Save the date: School Games Organiser Summit 2026

The School Games Organiser Summit will be taking place at Telford International Centre on Wednesday 3 June. Lead Inclusion Schools are invited to attend this day as an opportunity to connect with School Games Organisers and hear about what is happening in the School Games across the country. Further information, including booking links, will be shared shortly.

National School Sports Week 2026

National School Sports Week 2026 is back 6-12 July and registration is live. Sign up for free to receive resources, exciting prizes, and to be part of creating nationwide impact.

This Summer of Sport, every child deserves to feel part of the action! National School Sports Week 2026 invites schools, families and organisations to celebrate movement, confidence and joyful activity inspired by a landmark year of global sport. See our launch video here.

Conference Award Winners

Orchard Manor School Wins the Youth Sport Trust Building Belonging Award

Orchard Manor School, our Lead Inclusion School in Devon, has been recognised nationally with the Youth Sport Trust Building Belonging Award for its outstanding work using PE, sport and play to create a truly inclusive environment for pupils aged 4–19 with communication and interaction needs, including autism.

Since 2020, the school has transformed its culture through a personalised, inclusive PE curriculum led by Head of PE Catherine Kilburn. Working with the Youth Sport Trust, the School Games network and local partners, Orchard Manor ensures every pupil participates in meaningful activity each year, helping to build confidence, friendships and a renewed enjoyment of learning.

The school now offers a wide range of tailored opportunities, from sensory activities to exam-level PE and leadership programmes. Pupils regularly lead events for external organisations, while the school hosts inclusive sports festivals for hundreds of young people across Devon.

This inclusive approach has had a significant impact: behaviour incidents are down by over 40%, attendance has risen to 89.7%, and both pupil engagement and staff wellbeing have strengthened. These improvements also contributed to a Good Ofsted rating with Outstanding for Behaviour and Attitudes in 2024.

Winning the Building Belonging Award celebrates Orchard Manor’s commitment to ensuring every young person feels valued, supported and able to succeed.

Huge congratulations to Catherine Kilburn 'Killer' and the Orchard Manor Team!

Abbey School Wins the Youth Sport Trust Empowering Young Leaders Award

Abbey School, one of our Lead Inclusion Schools in South Yorkshire, has been awarded the Youth Sport Trust Empowering Young Leaders Award, recognising its outstanding commitment to providing leadership opportunities for all 220 pupils, including those with moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, autism and other complex needs.

Leadership begins in the classroom, where every pupil aged 6 to 19 takes on a Lion-Leader role, helping with tasks such as organising breakfast, checking equipment and supporting PE or sensory activities. Pupils then progress to Steam Street, the school’s jobs programme, where they apply for roles, attend interviews and earn house points, building real-world skills, independence and resilience.

Abbey School students also lead inclusive sports events, mentor younger pupils and co-deliver Trust-wide activities such as sports day. Leadership extends into the community too, through roles like Shooting Star Leaders and Girls Happiness Leaders. Notably, pupils planned and delivered an inclusive Active Winter Wonderland, attended by more than 400 children with SEND and their families.
The impact is significant: all Abbey School leavers now move into further education, training or employment, far exceeding national outcomes for similar settings.

Through their work with the Youth Sport Trust, Abbey’s young leaders have shown that every child, no matter their need or ability, can lead, inspire others and make a difference. The award celebrates their success and the school’s commitment to nurturing confident, capable future leaders.

Huge congratulations to Jill, Katie and Nile and the Abbey School Team!

Resources and Opportunities 

Commonwealth Games Resources

You can now find the updated Commonwealth Games 2026 resources on our website, along with resources to support inclusive sport delivery through themed activities linked to major international events, including the Special Olympics World Games, and the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. Here you will find challenge cards and videos to support your festivals.

CPD Opportunities from nasen

nasen are offering a month of CPD during March. These opportunities are suitable for teachers, SENCOs and teaching assistants. Most of these have no cost. A full list of what’s available can be found here.

WheelPower's National Junior Sports Festival

Registration now open for WheelPower’s National Junior Sports Festival on Saturday 9 May.
 
WheelPower’s National Junior Sports Festival is a brand-new event, held annually at Stoke Mandeville Stadium. The Junior Sports Festival is aimed at physically disabled children aged 5 to 17. Participants will rotate around 20 different wheelchair sports, delivered by experienced coaches and volunteers. 
 
The event is also very much a social event occasion where friendships and contacts are made. WheelPower’s events provide many eye-opening moments for parents and carers as they witness first-hand the amazing benefits that come from being active and playing wheelchair sport. A flyer for the event can be found here.
 
To register a child, please go to www.wheelpower.org.uk/NJSF. If you have any queries, contact WheelPower’s Sport Team at [email protected].

Girls Active Survey 2026

Schools in England once again have the opportunity to take part in the Girls Active survey this summer term. Thanks to National Lottery funding through Sport England, this survey is free for schools. It supports schools to gain student insight through an online survey to understand their students’ participation levels, attitudes, perceptions, motivations and barriers to participation.

Each school receives a personalised school insight report based on student responses. Topics covered through the survey include:

• How they feel about PE, physical activity and learning at school
• Activity levels and being more active in school
• Leading sport and physical activity
• Motivators for taking part 
• Barriers to taking part
• Attitudes towards PE and physical activity
• PE kit.

The survey is available to primary, middle, all-through and secondary schools for students in Key Stages 2-5. Schools can choose from different options, including short or long survey formats, age ranges, and whether to include both female and male participants. Schools have until Thursday 30 April to register. Students participate in the survey between Friday 8 May and Friday 19 June and schools receive their school insight report w/c 29 June.

Find out more here, including survey questions, research details, consent information, sample reports and the registration process.