A specialist review, not a tick-box pass or fail

Four stages

1. Questionnaire. The school answers 36 questions in its member portal, plus a short safeguarding declaration. This is the school’s own view.
2. Evidence. The school uploads policies and anonymised examples against a checklist of 14 items. Nothing needs to identify a child or a colleague.
3. Interviews. Three short structured interviews, 90 minutes to 2.5 hours in total, held online or remotely.
4. Report and decision. A written report with a rating for each of the six areas, the decision and what to improve.

How scoring works

• Each scored question gives a score from 0 to 1. For example Yes, Partly and No score 1, 0.5 and 0, and a claim that is documented scores more than one that is informal.
• An area’s percentage is the average of its questions. Green is 75% or above, Amber is 40% to 74% and Red is below 40%.
• The Inclusion Index is the average of the six area percentages. All six areas count equally.
• The questionnaire score is the school’s own view. The rating in the report is the assessor’s verified rating, after the evidence and the interviews. Where the context justifies it the assessor may raise or lower a rating, and the report explains why.
• The equal weighting and the cut-off points are simple starting points. We have not yet validated them statistically and we do not call the Inclusion Index validated. We will review them after the first schools complete the audit.

How conflicting evidence is handled

A school’s answer is treated as a claim until the evidence supports it. Where a policy says one thing and the interviews describe another, the rating follows what happens in practice and the report explains why. A strong questionnaire score cannot produce a strong rating on paperwork alone: a Green rating needs both documents and confirmation in the interviews.

The award rules

These rules apply to the assessor’s verified ratings, never to the questionnaire score alone.

• Neurodivergent Excellence Certified: no area rated Red, at least three areas rated Green and every must-have met.
• Certified with Distinction: all six areas rated Green and every must-have met.
• Development Required: any area rated Red or any must-have not met. The school receives a development report and can have up to two free reassessments within 12 months of the report.

The must-haves

A school cannot be certified without these.

• A documented process for identifying needs without waiting for a formal diagnosis.
• An individual support plan for every identified student.
• A documented process for workplace adjustments for staff.
• A named senior leader responsible for inclusion.
• A way for staff to raise a concern about provision, which is followed up.
• A safeguarding and child protection policy, and a documented response when a student or a member of staff may be at risk of self-harm or suicide.

Every school receives a report

Every school receives a written report, whether it passes or not. A school that passes receives the full report with its certification, certificate and badges. A school that does not yet meet the standard receives a development report that sets out exactly what to address. Certification is awarded only when the evidence meets the standard, and a pass is never guaranteed.

Disability and accessibility

Each of the six areas includes an indicator on disability and accessibility, alongside neurodivergent provision. The Framework also looks at students’ own views and at outcomes.

What the audit cannot do

• It looks at a sample of evidence and a sample of staff. It is not a count of every child or classroom.
• It is a snapshot at one point in time.
• It is not a clinical assessment and it assesses no individual child.
• It is not a statutory inspection, and it is not a crisis, clinical or counselling service.
• Where we have not yet tested something with schools we say so.