Inclusion and Engagement Support Team

Support for children and young people who are at risk of permanent exclusion from school.

This service is provided free of charge and is available directly through referrals from school settings only.

Schools can make a referral to the service for children and young people who meet all of the following criteria:

• are from early years (EYFS) to Year 11
• are at risk of permanent exclusion
• either have an education, health and care plan (EHCP) or are on the SEND register, requiring provision or additional support beyond what is typically available within the classroom
• are currently attending school

What we do

We work with both young people and the staff who support them. Our aim is to secure positive experiences and outcomes and ensure inclusion within a mainstream setting.

We offer in the moment coaching to staff members to upskill them in supporting young people with additional needs.

A member of school staff must be present during each learning mentor visit. This helps to ensure new skills are modelled and cascaded effectively.

When we receive a referral, we will follow a staged model, as described below.

What we do not do

We do not offer training packages.

We cannot routinely attend multi-agency meetings with other professionals or parents.

Our reports are strategy based therefore do not support EHCNA or provision amends at annual reviews.

We are unable to provide support for children and young people who are not attending an educational setting.

Make a referral

Our team has reached full capacity for the 2025/2026 academic year.

We will not triage any new referrals for this year after Friday 24 April 2026.

We are developing a new offer for the academic year 2026/2027 which we will share with schools when ready. 

In the meantime, we recommend that schools contact their appropriate Inclusion Hub for further support if needed.

Contact us

If you have any questions about our service, please email: iest@Lancashire.gov.uk.

We cannot discuss individual cases before a referral is accepted and an inclusion teacher is assigned.