CYP Now - How do we achieve an inclusive education system?

As we come to the end of another academic year, I thought it was timely to focus on one of my priorities for my presidential year; to set out our ambition for an inclusive education system that enables all children to fulfil their potential.

John Pearce is director of children and young people at Durham County Council. Picture: ADCS

The 2022 Schools White Paper gave us a number of opportunities to set the foundations for a more inclusive system but these have not been taken forward now that the Schools Bill (which carried the required legislation) has been dropped.

The three major national reform programmes, Children’s Social Care Review, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities/Alternative Provision (SEND/AP) Green Paper and the Schools White Paper were complimentary and gave a system wide blueprint.

However, this will not be delivered if reform to the broader education system is not taken forward.

The SEND/AP improvement plan, recently published by government, describes a very welcome ambition to rebalance the system with mainstream inclusion at its heart.

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