SEND
The fragility of inclusive progress
Comment by Dr FREYA SPICER-WHITE, Chief Clinical Officer, Outcomes First Group, a leading provider of world class education, reflects on the fragility of inclusive practice.
As parents, teachers, SEND professionals and advocates wait patiently for the White Paper, many of us are reflecting on inclusion - what it means in practice and how it can be successfully achieved. Recently, a colleague and I were discussing whether schools are now inclusive by nature. We agreed whilst this should be the case, many settings don’t fully embrace inclusion, so we must remain mindful of inclusion’s fragility and continue to push for it.
Although I’m not here to wade into the political sphere, recent comments from Reform MP, Richard Tice, describing children wearing ear defenders in school as ‘insane’, are certainly not supporting a more inclusive, accepting society.
Parents, educators, and neurodivergent individuals themselves may feel frustrated, marginalised by comments like these, but a deeper concern is what this rhetoric reveals about the direction of public discourse on inclusion. A subtle and worrying slide backwards, away from evidence-based support, towards old narratives of conformity, compliance and blame.
Look back to education in the 1950s and 60s - left-handed children forced to write with their right hands, because their natural way of being did not ‘fit the norms’ of the classroom. It was justified as ‘discipline’, ‘good practice’ or ‘protecting the child from bad habits’ - the real harm inflicted was anxiety, shame, poorer handwriting, and in many cases, long-term academic difficulties. The history lessons are clear - when society refuses to accommodate difference and support inclusion, children pay the price.
ADHD was widely dismissed as a myth, a sign of poor parenting or an excuse for naughty behaviour. Those narratives harmed thousands of young people who struggled without understanding and support. Today, the evidence base behind ADHD is robust, and early recognition can be life changing.
Tice’s critique of ear defenders - a simple, inexpensive, research- supported tool for children with sensory processing differences - worryingly echoes these historical patterns. The suggestion that sensory aids are a symptom of over-diagnosis or parental indulgence, reframes legitimate need as something to be corrected or minimised. It casts children’s struggles as exaggerations and paints accommodations as excessive rather than promoting equity.
True inclusion requires us to recognise that children are not all wired the same. Ear defenders don’t isolate children, they liberate them. They allow autistic learners to stay in noisy classrooms rather than melting down in corridors. They allow anxious pupils to focus. They are a bridge into education, not a barrier.
The real danger isn’t a comment from a political figure, but the cumulative impact of rhetoric that delegitimises needs, questions diagnoses, and shames adjustments that help children participate. That kind of discourse risks rolling back decades of progress, returning us to a time when difference was treated as deviance or deficit, where inclusive school cultures could become under threat, and illustrates just how fragile inclusion can be if not protected.
Inclusive community and the ethos of ‘Beyond Boundaries’
Comment by RAJINDER RANDHAWA at Batley Multi Academy Trust.
The trust’s core mission is to establish a truly inclusive community that proactively works to break down barriers – a philosophy that can be encapsulated by the term ‘Beyond Boundaries’. This term applies not just to the curriculum but to every aspect of the school’s relationship with its richly diverse community in Batley. The overarching aim is to ensure that geography, background, or life circumstance never dictates a young person’s potential, creating a strong, cohesive social fabric for all.
Batley Multi Academy Trust is committed to providing inclusive and high- quality Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision across its family of schools, with a core goal of ensuring exceptional outcomes for all young people. Our strategy is centered on best practice, collaboration, and continuous review . Collaboration extends to a strong partnership with parents and carers, often through ‘Working Together Coffee Mornings,’ and strategic relationships with external agencies like Kirklees’ Cluster Groups, which provide access to professionals such as Educational Psychology and the EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) Team.
The foundation of the trust’s work is the recognition that the school is an integrated part of the ‘village’ that raises a child. This is explicitly demonstrated through their intensive community engagement, designed to be restorative and unifying in the face of local challenges, including the devastating impact of extremism and division. Our school parent/carer forums are named ‘Stronger Together’ groups. Community engagement and cohesion
The trust actively supports and integrates with local initiatives that foster social inclusion and integration, notably the More In Common network. This network acts as a catalyst for breaking down cultural silos, empowering the community, and showing that we all have “more in common” than that which divides us.
Parental and stakeholder inclusion
The Stronger Together parent/carer groups are key to fostering a supportive community Beyond Boundaries of the school gates. By operating an open- door policy and frequent, easy communication, the schools ensure all families are equal partners in their children’s education. This two-way dialogue, captured in the “you said, we did” approach, empowers parents and carers—regardless of their prior educational experience—to contribute to policy and curriculum development. The practical inclusion of the community is evidenced by the example of teaching assistants running phonics classes for parents new to English, which not only boosted confidence and literacy but also opened doors to employment.
Learning Beyond Boundaries: an inclusive education model The commitment to “No child left behind-ever” requires our schools to push education ‘Beyond Boundaries’ of traditional teaching, curriculum, and resourcing, particularly in a community facing high levels of deprivation and poverty.
Curriculum and equity
Learning is designed to be inclusive, accessible, engaging, and challenging for all learners, including those with EAL and SEND. The focus is on tackling the poverty of aspiration by creating an inclusive curriculum that connects to the world and exposes young people to opportunities they might not otherwise see. This extends beyond the classroom to funding a wide range of cultural experiences – from ski trips and opera to tours of Parliament and rock pooling at the seaside.
Professional and leadership development
The principle of creating remarkable people applies to staff as much as learners. The Batley Ethical Leadership framework and Batley Workload Charter ensure decisions are child-centred while building a supportive, sustainable culture for staff. By investing in rigorous training and bespoke CPD, the trust ensures every classroom has a great teacher, moving professional practice Beyond Boundaries of basic compliance towards genuine collaborative efficacy.
January 2026
www.education-today.co.uk 29
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