Recent conversations about teacher professionalism have rightly returned to the idea of agency: teachers as informed, ethical decision-makers rather than passive deliverers of policy. This feels particularly urgent in the current inspection climate, where inclusion is increasingly threaded through inspection judgments, yet the conditions that enable inclusive practice are not always fully recognised. The 鈥檚 definition of professionalism offers a powerful lens. It positions professionalism as collaborative and critical engagement with knowledge, balancing commitment to pupils with teacher wellbeing, informed autonomy grounded in context and an ethical framework. In my experience, as a headteacher who has recently navigated an Ofsted inspection, these are not abstract ideals. They are the daily conditions that determine whether inclusion is meaningful, consistent and sustainable. Inclusive practice relies fundamentally on teacher agency. Teachers make hundreds of decisions each day: how to adapt instruction for a pupil with complex SEND; when to adjust a lesson in response to formative assessment; how to maintain high expectations while responding with care and precision. These decisions cannot be fully scripted. They require professional judgment, deep knowledge of pupils and the confidence to act. But high-stakes accountability systems can sit uneasily alongside this reality. When inspection is experienced as punitive or overly reductive, teacher professionalism can narrow. Practice becomes driven by compliance, with less space for responsiveness or informed risk-taking. Unintended consequence In such environments, teachers may feel compelled to prioritise what is visible over what is valuable. The unintended consequence is that inclusion, which is so dependent on flexibility, relational practice and nuanced decision-making, can be weakened. What inspection did reaffirm for me, however, is that strong inclusion is never the product of individual effort alone. It is the outcome of a professional culture. In schools where teachers engage collaboratively with research, test and refine approaches and feel trusted to exercise judgment, inclusion becomes embedded rather than bolted on. Teachers do not wait for permission to act in the best interests of their pupils. They take responsibility, draw on shared expertise and contribute to collective solutions. This is why professional development is such a critical lever. For professionalism to flourish, CPD must enable three-way communication between research, policy and practice. Teachers need space not only to engage with evidence, but to interpret, adapt and apply it within their own contexts. Just as importantly, they need opportunities to generate knowledge through observation, reflection and inquiry. When this happens, teacher agency is strengthened, and inclusion becomes sharper, more responsive and more effective. Equally important is the balance between commitment to pupils and teacher wellbeing. Intellectually and emotionally demanding Inclusive practice is intellectually and emotionally demanding. It requires sustained attention, adaptability and care. Without conditions which support wellbeing 鈥� such as manageable workload, psychological safety and professional trust 鈥� this work becomes difficult to sustain. Professionalism should not be equated with endurance at any cost. Rather, it should be understood as the ability to sustain high-quality, ethical practice over time. If we are serious about inclusion, we must be equally serious about the conditions that enable teacher professionalism. This includes re-thinking accountability systems that inadvertently constrain agency, and instead creating environments that prioritise peer learning, feedback and trust. It also requires policymakers to engage meaningfully with the profession, recognising teachers not simply as implementers of change, but as co-constructors of it. In my own setting, teacher agency is visible in everyday practice. In the teacher who adapts provision in real time for a pupil with additional needs. In the year group team that refines curriculum sequencing based on emerging understanding. In the staff member who initiates a new approach to engaging and supporting families. These are not deviations from policy, but enactments of professionalism. They reflect a shared commitment to doing what is right, informed by evidence and guided by values. Ultimately, teacher agency is not a challenge to standards. It is the means by which standards become meaningful for every child. Professionalism, when fully realised, is not about compliance, but about informed autonomy, collective responsibility and moral purpose. If inclusion is to move beyond rhetoric, it must be built on these foundations.