Reflections On: Inclusion, Self-Evaluation and the Surrey Inclusion Framework

We know that inclusion is key to tackling inequity in educational settings, focusing on how schools engage and support underserved learners. Regardless of what happens with Ofsted or inspection frameworks, inclusion is going to be a central focus.

If we move beyond inspection frameworks, we also know that there is a moral imperative in providing high-quality education for all. We need to continually strive to address inequality in education so that we have a system where all learners feel they belong and that they and others believe they can do well.

At SAfE our mission is to ensure that all learners have the opportunities to flourish, enjoy learning and achieve the best possible outcomes through excellent education.

Part of our work over the past few years has focused on how to engage in effective self-evaluation so all settings are encouraged to improve what they are doing rather than having to prove that what they are doing is effective. We firmly believe that if school leaders are able to develop a culture of robust school self-evaluation, then it will support continuous school improvement.

We have developed the Surrey Inclusion Framework to support schools to engage in rich discussions around inclusion focusing on 9 dimensions:

1. Intent
2. Implementation
3. Impact
4. Identification
5. Assessment and Tracking
6. Pupil Premium and SEND Funding
7. Effective use of Teaching Assistants
8. Provision Mapping
9. Working with Learners and Families

The objective behind the Surrey Inclusion Framework is to support rigorous and robust self-evaluation. This in turn helps clearly identify key areas for inclusive development based around a holistic understanding of whole school practices, the framework helps to;

• develop a clearer understanding of contextual SEND and inclusion factors to support informed decisions leading to the continuous implementation of great inclusive practices.
• empower leaders to take action based on a clear and holistic understanding of their own context.
• create a supportive environment where leaders can collaborate with a range of stakeholders, reflect and plan key improvements around inclusion.
• challenge thinking around existing practices, developing whole school approaches and provision to address the needs of all learners.
• ensure every individual in every school community has a shared responsibility for inclusion and for supporting all learners.

Our Surrey Inclusion Framework is interactive and sits on the Evaluate My School platform providing a clear visual overview on self-evaluation judgements on each of the nine dimensions. These can be visited, reviewed and revised across the academic year following discussions involving a range of stakeholders. After all, if we are reviewing our approach to inclusion then perhaps, we need feedback, thoughts and insights from across our school community to ensure they represent holistic views. Our future actions then stem from a more accurate understanding and appreciation of inclusion across our school community.

Finally, we view self-evaluation as an ongoing process, therefore, we encourage schools not to see the Surrey Inclusion Framework as a project. It is a framework that can support continuous improvement year on year. Effective inclusion is a process, a journey a school community goes on, evaluating, reflecting and refining practices over time. To this end we encourage schools to revisit the framework across the academic year to focus on specific areas and discuss further developments and improvement that can be undertaken.

Please get in contact and we can set schools up with an account to access the Surrey Inclusion Framework as well as having access to other frameworks which also support effective self-evaluation.

For access to the Surrey Inclusion Framework please contact admin@schoolsallexcel.com