Preparing for Life: How Belmont School Is Redefining Inclusion and Progress At Belmont School in London, Assistant Headteacher for Inclusion and SENDCo, Alex Revens, is part of the team leading a child-centred approach to education for pupils with severe and complex learning needs. With a specialist resource provision supporting nearly 40 pupils, Belmont’s inclusive model is built around high aspirations, strength-based learning, and a curriculum focussing on real-life preparation.
“We’re not preparing children for a neurotypical life. We’re preparing them for their life.”
The team at Belmont School recognise that every child’s journey is unique — and so is the way progress is understood and celebrated. At Belmont, ‘progress’ doesn’t mean test scores or standard benchmarks. It means those moments of wonder, small steps and real growth. And thanks to tools like Evidence for Learning, families are deeply involved in capturing and recognising these achievements every day.
A Curriculum Designed for Real Life
Belmont’s bespoke curriculum is structured around three learning pathways, responsive to each child’s needs and capabilities. Children aren’t limited to one path — they move fluidly based on what’s right for them at that moment, whether that’s subject-specific learning, sensory exploration, or life skills development.
Importantly, every child accesses the mainstream environment at least once a week. The curriculum itself is broken into areas such as communication, independence, problem-solving, and outdoor learning — all carefully aligned with preparing pupils not just for school, but for the world beyond.
“Preparing for life means the next phase, the next holiday, the next plane flight, or even a birthday.”
The vision of preparation stretches far beyond academic readiness. For some students, “life” might mean transitioning into adulthood. For others, it might mean gaining independence in daily routines, or learning how to navigate a holiday or unexpected change in their schedule.
Structured and Unstructured Experiences
One of the most distinctive features of Belmont’s approach is its embrace of structured and unstructured experiences. While many SEND settings focus on rigid frameworks to support predictability, Belmont intentionally incorporates unpredictability to help students thrive in the real world.
“We create intentional lack of structure, because the world they’re entering isn’t structured.”
This approach reflects a deep understanding of what true inclusion looks like — preparing children with the confidence, resilience, and skills they’ll need in real life.
Families as Co-Creators
Perhaps most powerfully, Belmont sees families and pupils themselves as central to shaping the learning experience. From medium-term planning to daily progress tracking via the Family App, parents are not just informed — they’re fully included. Pupils too, where possible, use tools like the Learner App to reflect on their learning, express preferences, and shape what comes next.
It’s a fully collaborative model that values lived experience as much as professional expertise.
Belmont School’s inclusive, aspirational, and deeply personal approach offers a powerful model for how mainstream schools can truly meet the needs of pupils with complex SEND. By celebrating moments, championing strengths, and preparing for life — not just learning — they’re making education more meaningful.
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