National Inclusion Week

Every year National Inclusion Week has a theme and in 2021 the theme is ‘unity’. But what does inclusion mean for school life?
Inclusion is about:

• Respecting diversity
• Benefiting all – not just those that might be left out.
• Young people in school that might be left out.
• Providing equal access to education and making provisions for some young people to be included.

Inclusion is seen as a universal human right. The aim of inclusion is to respect and include all people regardless of race, gender, disability, medical or other need. It is about giving equal access and opportunities and getting rid of discrimination and intolerance (removal of barriers). It affects all aspects of public life.

You may like to get involved in National Inclusion Week and raise awareness in your school or wider community. To help you, we have 3 top tips to get you started in raising awareness of inclusion:

1. Explore the main themes – start by asking pupils in staff in your school to consider what inclusion, equality and diversity means to them. You could create a display in a public area of your school and invite people to write their ideas on; or you could develop a survey to ask pupils in your school their views on inclusion. A good place to start is by speaking to your form tutor in school and sharing your ideas.
2. Make it real – use real life examples (if you don’t have permission, remember to fully anonymise) and relate inclusion to your school aims – you may need to speak with teachers or form tutors to help you.
3. Unite with others – speak to your school council and share ideas of how you can promote inclusion during the week or put together a team of people from your school who are interested in promoting inclusion.