红桃影视

Inclusive schools are those that take a 鈥渞epresentative cohort鈥� from their community, operate 鈥渃ulturally sensitive鈥� behaviour policies and have low exclusions and detentions, according to an influential think tank.

The has today published a definition of inclusion it said had been 鈥渟tress-tested, redrafted, expanded and refined with the support and engagement of a network of over 130 local education leaders鈥�.

The Labour government has said it wants to make mainstream schools more inclusive, and Ofsted鈥檚 proposed reforms will see schools judged on their inclusivity.

But the government is yet to precisely define what it considers inclusive practice in schools.

The CFYL, founded by former children鈥檚 commissioner and Labour peer Baroness Longfield, hopes government will adopt its definition.

Its report, authored by academy trust leader Jonny Uttley, states inclusive schools 鈥渢ake a representative cohort of pupils from their community, and achieve good outcomes for all these children鈥�.

‘Reflecting the demographics of the local community’

The think tank said it expected data for inclusive schools to show a 鈥渟taff and student population that broadly reflects the demographics of the local community鈥�.

This should include the proportion of pupils with education, health and care plans.

However others have raised concerned before about such a metric, as some councils have poor track records in issuing plans timely.

The report said inclusive schools would also have 鈥済ood academic outcomes for all students, measured by attainment gaps broken down by pupil characteristic鈥�, as well as strong destination data for school leavers.

Such schools should also be able to demonstrate 鈥渓ow levels of lost learning鈥� through things like exclusions and suspensions, detentions, internal exclusion and absence.

The report also sets out a 鈥渘on-exhaustive list鈥� of practices and policies 鈥渢hat we might expect to see an inclusive school implement鈥�.

Be ‘culturally sensitive’ on behaviour

These include having a behaviour policy that is 鈥渃ulturally sensitive, sets clear boundaries underpinned by appropriate consequences for poor behaviour, while encouraging pupils to take ownership of their own actions鈥�.

鈥淎t the same time, approaches to poor behaviour should recognise and respond to the contextual drivers of repeat poor behaviour and take a restorative approach.鈥�

Asked what was meant-by 鈥渃ulturally-sensitive鈥�, the think tank said the passage was 鈥渁round recognising that racial bias may sometimes influence how some teachers might implement behaviour policies鈥�.

Inclusive schools should also have 鈥渢ransparent and clear鈥� admissions arrangements where student ability plays no part.

The government鈥檚 push on inclusion has prompted some to accuse ministers of pursuing it to the detriment of academic standards and strict behaviour policies.

‘Inclusion not divorced from high standards’

But the report went on to say it was 鈥渋mportant also to define here how we do not see inclusion.

鈥淲e do not accept, as some imply, that inclusion is somehow soft or divorced from high standards, either academically or in terms of behaviour 鈥� it is not.

鈥淲e believe that every single young person deserves the very best in terms of outcomes, destinations, quality of teaching, school experience and extra-curricular opportunities.鈥�

The report called for a government green paper on options for 鈥渨holesale reform of the school system to become meaningfully inclusive, including the accountability system, with inclusion at its centre鈥�.

The DfE should also issue statutory guidance on inclusion, drawing on the report鈥檚 definition and principles, and extend its live attendance dashboard to include information on a school鈥檚 roll.

Return admissions duties to councils

RISE school improvement teams should have their remit extended to include monitoring and accountability of school roll data, and the DfE should review the right of academy trusts to be their own admissions authority, returning the duty to councils.

Training on inclusive practices should be mandatory as part of continuing professional development, and statutory guidance should be issued on managed moves. Councils should collect and publish data showing the inclusivity of local schools.

Uttley said the definition of inclusion in the report 鈥渋s a starting point for a future where mainstream inclusion is a reality.

鈥淪chools that follow this definition are those that take responsibility for the progress and wellbeing of all pupils, including, and especially, the most vulnerable or disadvantaged. This definition is not about being soft or divorced from high standards.鈥�