Inclusion agenda

At Alliant, on each campus, there are diversity committees that have a budget to sponsor cocurricular programs, initiatives, and events for the campus community. The campus committees are composed of students, staff, and faculty. This helps to break down the barriers between these three groups and, as a consequence, to address some of the elitism that is a feature of most higher education institutions (Smith, 2009). Elitism is a rarely addressed ism, but one that surely can get in the way of campus communities fully achieving their diversity and inclusion agenda. 

There is a plethora of policies on education, social welfare and even health in which inclusion is inscribed and since the emergence of New Labour s social inclusion agenda in the UK, it has reached into many areas of life and work. As Wamock (2005) bitterly notes, inclusion is a fundamental concept in government s thinking about schools, leisure, employment, higher education and the arts and performs, not as policy but as ideology. 

In more recent years, the inclusion agenda and context has shifted from pupils with SEN to those with the full range of barriers to learning including ... 

The inclusion agenda is wide and varied and needs to be understood by everyone involved in meeting pupil needs. The Inclusion Team need to brainstorm ideas about informing all staff with respea to the varied needs of pupils. 

Hold briefings for everyone in the organisation to ensure a clear understanding of the inclusion agenda and to start the debate about the implications for the organisation. 

Develop an issues paper which looks at the impact the inclusion agenda is likely to have on your organisation. This will get you thinking about what you need to do. The practical guidance in the following chapters will help you actually do it. 

In order to provide equality of opportunity, fulfil the inclusion agenda and to help all children achieve a high standard and reach their full potential, the government introduced the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act in 2001. This Act, linked to a revised SEN Code of Practice, took effect from January 2002. 

In addition to formal training, the school will need to work with individuals and organisations within the local community to raise awareness of the school s approach to inclusion, to involve the community more in the life of the school and to consider how the school can support the community, for example, through Extended School provision and Sure Start children s centre. Similarly, community organisations will need to consider how they, in turn, can support the school s inclusion agenda. 

Vision and strategic planning are imperative to make inclusion happen and to achieve successful outcomes for all pupils. The vision must come fi om the governing body and Senior Leadership Team in order to provide strategic direction and inspiration for all those involved in the inclusion agenda. 

The governing body as a whole works to ensure that the inclusion agenda permeates every aspect of the school s work. 

Governors clearly play an important role in the inclusion agenda and schools need to ensure that governors are appointed with the appropriate skills and experience, and that they receive ongoing training and support in order to fulfil their duties. 

Act 2004. Lead professionals will support those children, young people and families who have additional needs that require input from more than one practitioner. The reason for introducing a lead professional model is to ensure that they secure more coherent, pupil-centred and effeaive services. This role is much needed within the inclusion agenda. Past experience shows that ... 

Measuring best value and ensuring the efficient use of resources within the inclusion agenda can be an absolute minefield. However, it is essential that this process is undertaken, for the following reasons ... 

With the rise in the number of services provided for the wider inclusion agenda, it is essential that they are of high quality and have the maximum impact on pupils. 

On the CD, Chapter 6 Example 1 is a useful framework for senior managers to write a costed action plan for the inclusion agenda. 

The government attaches great importance to learning from efifeaive partnership working. A key part of their future policy is the devolution of responsibilities and resources from local authorities to groups of schools and other partners. Hence, within the inclusion agenda, schools will need to have an accurate assessment of... 

Establishing a best value/efficiency model within the inclusion agenda... 

Using the available inputs, a range of services will be provided to meet the inclusion agenda. Examples include learning mentors, teaching assistants, LSU staff. Connexions personal advisers, counsellors, the Youth Offending Team, therapists and pastoral support... 

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