The Difference Schools Partnership

A three-year programme to develop sector-leading inclusion in ten schools across the country.

Length: 3 years (June 2026 to March 2029)

Cost: this programme is being generously funded through a coalition of funders

Who: Secondary schools in England

Delivery: Hybrid with travel (see more detail in the prospectus)

• Realise your inclusion ambitions and reduce lost learning that takes place through suspensions, absence and repeat room removals.
• Develop confidence and a three-year strategy as a senior team via professional development support and practice research from The Difference, worth £50,000 a year and funded by philanthropy.
• Grow sector-leading practice on internal provision and mainstream inclusion.
• Join a national community of leaders through annual conferences, research visits and facilitated peer reviews.
• Become a beacon within your group of schools as your practice develops and sets a standard for your trust or local authority.

For more detail, download The Difference Schools Partnership brochure.

*Applications are now closed for this year’s The Difference Schools Partnerships cohort. If you still need inclusion support, you can express your interest below.

The Difference Schools Partnership will partner with and support ten headteachers and their leadership teams to change the picture in their schools, and support national understanding about the journey to improve inclusion. 

The Difference Schools Partnership offers:

• A three year programme – Coaching, site visits, taught content, a development framework, and a network of peers will develop each school’s capacity to support more pupils to stay in school, and in lessons.
• Measurable change for students – Develop senior team confidence, a thriving Internal Provision which supports (re)integration, and whole-staff relational practices that increase pupil belonging, engagement and success.
• A national way forward – Together, let’s illustrate what effective inclusion leadership looks like, share learning across your group of schools and provide evidence for national change.

Schools will:

• Build a three-year inclusion strategy with an expert Implementation Partner from The Difference
• Improve the quality and impact of internal provision
• Strengthen staff practice and confidence across the whole school
• Improve pupil belonging, engagement and outcomes
• Take part in training, annual conferences, research visits and peer reviews
• Join a network of leaders shaping national understanding of effective inclusion
• Become a beacon school within your trust or local authority

*Applications are now closed for this year’s The Difference Schools Partnerships cohort. If you still need inclusion support, you can express your interest below.

This programme is designed for Headteachers and Senior Leadership Teams in secondary schools in England who are ready to lead ambitious, long-term inclusion change.

Successful schools will have the backing of their trust CEO or Director of Education in their local authority, with a commitment to sharing learning across their wider network.

Ideal for schools who want to:

• Build whole-school relational practice and belonging
• Reduce suspensions, removals and persistent absence
• Strengthen their internal provision
• Develop a confident senior team with shared expertise
• Contribute to national learning on inclusion

*Applications are now closed for this year’s The Difference Schools Partnerships cohort. If you still need inclusion support, you can express your interest below.

Internal Provision is a broad term describing in-school support for children that acts in place of or alongside the main school. Practice varies from school to school, meaning that internal provision is also known as resourced provision, resource base, student support centre, inclusion hub, internal alternative provision, support hub, and learning support unit. For more information, see the Department for Education’s Explorative Research into In-School Support Units.

The Difference recently published our practice research What Works: Four Tenets of Effective Internal Provision, and this expertise is informing the Department for Education’s forthcoming guidance on SEN Units and Resourced Provision.

*Applications are now closed for this year’s The Difference Schools Partnerships cohort. If you still need inclusion support, you can express your interest below.

The Difference Schools Partnership is generously funded through a coalition of funders.

Schools receive professional development, coaching, research and network support, worth £50,000 each year – at no cost to the school.

Travel costs may be required for in-person events; full details are available in the programme brochure.

*Applications are now closed for this year’s The Difference Schools Partnerships cohort. If you still need inclusion support, you can express your interest below.

Applications close at 11pm on Tuesday 24 February 2026. Download our Difference Schools Partnership brochure for more information.

The application process has three steps:

1. Expression of Interest
   Complete our short online form to register your interest and receive updates.
2. Written Application
   Headteachers submit an application outlining your context and ambitions, with a supporting reference from your CEO or Director of Children’s Services. We’ll send an application form following your Expression of Interest.
3. Online and in-person Interviews (March–April 2026)
   We’ll meet with the Headteacher and senior leader overseeing inclusion for a more detailed discussion.

The programme starts June 2026.

*Applications are now closed for this year’s The Difference Schools Partnerships cohort. If you still need inclusion support, you can express your interest below.

*Applications are now closed for this year’s The Difference Schools Partnerships cohort. If you still need inclusion support, you can express your interest below.

Eligibility – Suspensions at my school are higher/lower than the national average. Is this the right programme for me? 

• This programme is for schools looking to reduce lost learning. To some schools, this may be learning lost due to suspensions, but it may also include internal exclusion and room removals, or overt-forms of self-exclusion like truancy. Our research, Who is losing learning? (2024), gives a broader definition of this concept. Schools looking to address all forms of lost learning in their school are encouraged to apply.

Eligibility – Can Primary Schools/ Special Schools/ Alternative Provision apply? 

• In this first year of the programme, we’re only accepting applications from mainstream secondary schools. The programme is funded for mainstream secondaries in this first cohort because the greatest levels of suspension and exclusion statistically take place in secondary years. We hope that future cohorts will include Primary and other types of schools as we know there’s significant need here, too. 

Prescriptive – How prescriptive is the programme?

• The Difference doesn’t operate like IKEA – we don’t prescribe flat pack solutions to schools. We support senior leaders to develop the solutions that work in their context and communities. That having been said, we’ve recently published our Principles of Effective Internal Alternative Provision and we will be supporting schools within that framework.

Starting point – We already have some internal alternative provision and it’s working well. How will The Difference Schools Partnership work with me? 

• Great! We won’t get in the way of what’s strong. Instead, we’ll help you grow what you’re doing. An aim of The Difference Schools Partnership is maximising the impact of internal provision so that it enhances whole-school inclusion.

Trends – My inclusion metrics are showing a positive trend already. Is this the right programme for me? 

• The Difference Schools Partnership seeks to work with schools committed to improving inclusion outcomes. Each school has a different context and different starting points and we encourage applications from the breadth of experiences of the country. 

Attainment – My school is ‘Requires Improvement’. Can I still apply to the programme? 

• Yes. We’re encouraging applications from schools looking to commit to improving inclusion outcomes. Given the level of senior leader participation, please consider whether you will have the capacity to commit to the different aspects of the programme before applying. 

Funding – How does the £50,000 of annual support work?

• The professional development support and practice research that participating schools will receive from The Difference is worth up to £50,000 annually. The programme is fully funded by philanthropy, so participating schools will not be expected to cover these costs. Please note that participating schools will not receive any direct funding from The Difference.

Other offers – My school isn’t eligible for this programme. But I’d still like support developing my internal provision. Can you help? 

• The Difference delivers Internal Provision Professional Development Days. Click here to find out more. We also run the Inclusive Leadership Course for senior leaders. As well as looking at effective internal provision, we also cover leadership of whole-school inclusion, strategy, relational practice and safeguarding.