September 2026: What’s Changing, What We Heard, and What Comes Next

Nat W
May 11, 2026

As shared earlier this year, Inclusion College Hook is planning to move to a full‑day college model from September 2026, with learners attending from 9.30am–3.00pm, five days a week.

We heard clearly that families are worried about stamina, choice, and how individual needs will be supported within a longer college day.

Why we are making this change

The move to a full‑day model is part of our longer‑term ambition to create a clear pathway to independence for our learners. Extending the college day gives us greater opportunity to:

Build stronger, more consistent relationships with learners

Offer a broader and more flexible curriculum

Develop independence, employability and life skills

Support social, emotional and mental health needs more effectively

Prepare learners gradually for adulthood and next steps

This change is not about doing “more school”, but about providing the right balance of learning, regulation, and support in a specialist SEMH environment.

Overview

What a “full day” will look like at Inclusion College

We know some families raised concerns that a full day may feel overwhelming or too similar to mainstream provision. It’s important to clarify that our model will be very different.

The day will run from 9.30am to 3.00pm
Learners will not be expected to sit in lessons all day
Time will be structured to include regulation, movement, practical learning, vocational activity and therapeutic input
Class sizes will remain small: up to 8 learners per class, supported by 2 members of staff
Total student numbers will be capped at 48

Our trauma‑informed approach, flexibility and focus on neurodiversity will remain central to everything we do.

Individual planning and flexibility

Many parents shared understandable concerns about how learners who currently attend mornings or afternoons only might manage longer days. Everyone will have an individual transition and support plan, focused on maintaining choice and influence for the learner while building towards longer days. This could look like:

Building stamina and engagement gradually
Supporting emotional regulation and wellbeing
Responding flexibly to what works (and what doesn’t)
Reviewing and adapting plans over time

We recognise there will be uncertainty as we learn together, and we are committed to working closely with learners and families to adjust plans where needed throughout this process.

Practical arrangements

We also discussed several operational areas at the forum:

Transport: We will work with families and transport partners on an individual basis to support the new timings.

Lunch arrangements: Learners will continue to bring food or purchase food using vouchers where applicable. We are also exploring healthier on‑site options.

College environment: Work is underway to improve indoor and outdoor spaces to better support a full‑day model. Phase 1 will be carried out over the half term break.

We will keep parents updated as these areas progress.

Next Parent Forum

Thursday June 11th
6:30 - 7:30pm

This session will:

Offer a walk‑through of the updated college environment
Share more detail about what a typical full day will look like in practice
Provide further opportunity for questions, discussion and reassurance

Thank you to all families who continue to engage with us so constructively. Your questions, feedback and honesty are helping to shape this transition, and we remain committed to working closely together over the coming months.

See what else we have been up to at Inclusion College Hook