Introduction by Jane Parfrement, Chief Executive, The Staff College
The recently published policy paper “Every child achieving and thriving” outlines the government’s proposals for reforming the schools and SEND systems in England. As a White Paper, it provides a unique opportunity for us all to provide commentary on a series of proposals aimed at creating a schooling system which has equity and belonging at its heart; a system where inclusive practice is a habit not a goal.
The drive for inclusive schooling is not confined to the UK; it’s a global phenomenon underpinned by many years of research and countless examples of what’s possible to achieve when policy supports practice through clear moral purpose and collective endeavour.
Given our current national conversation regarding inclusive schooling, it is particularly timely that The Staff College is launching Every Learner Matters, an international initiative aimed at creating a series of global conversations which will explore the challenges facing national schooling systems as they work towards inclusive practice where every learner matters and matters equally.
I hope that ELM will provide an added dimension to our conversations in the UK and through this, contribute to our inclusive thinking, policy and practice.
Every Learner Matters
A recent UNESCO Global Monitoring Report pointed out that an estimated 272 million children and young people are still not in school. Meanwhile, the OECD reports that the poorest learners, living in the poorest areas, achieve less well than their wealthier peers, with these patterns found across higher and lower income countries. Ensuring inclusion and equity in education is, therefore, a major challenge facing countries across the world.
Every Learner Matters has been set up to encourage global conversations about what can be done to move policies and practices forward in relation to this challenging agenda. The conversations will focus on developments in a range of countries, chosen because they throw light on the challenges facing their attempts to create and sustain schooling systems based on equity and inclusive practice.
The programme is hosted by The Staff College, which provides professional development and leadership support for those working in public serving sectors and partner organisations across the United Kingdom. It is coordinated by a steering group made up of Mel Ainscow, Anton Florek and Richard Ingram, who each have experience of international policy developments.
The Process
The Every Learner Matters conversations will focus on the following questions:
- Is the education system in the selected country adequately preparing all learners to thrive in a complex and changing world?
- How far are existing policies fostering inclusion and equity in education?
- Are these policies working for all children and young people?
- If not, what are the barriers and how might these be addressed?
Annually there will be four one-hour conversations, each focusing on developments in one country. These conversations are open to anyone interested in the agenda, including practitioners, families and young people, community members, researchers and policy makers.
Each conversation will be stimulated by speakers with ‘insider’ knowledge of policy developments in their country who will make short introductory presentations to encourage discussion. They will be recorded and made available freely via the ELM website. They will also inform a series of occasional think-pieces, edited by the steering group and published by The Staff College.
The Programme
In 2026, the four participating countries are:
| Country | When |
|---|---|
| Australia | 31st March 2026 (8am BST) |
| Chile | 28th May 2026 (4pm BST) |
| The Netherlands | 15th September 2026 (9.30am BST) |
| Portugal | 2nd November 2026 (9.30am GMT) |