The Government is right to say that inclusion matters. The Prime Minister has accepted that young people cannot succeed unless they feel they belong in school, and recent commitments made in response to campaigning across the sector mark a welcome shift in tone.
But warm words are not enough. With the Schools White Paper imminent, the real test is whether the Government is prepared to turn consensus into action – and to set out concrete reforms that make inclusion a lived reality in every classroom, for every child.
English education has much to be proud of. Over the past fifteen years, attainment has risen, literacy and numeracy have improved, and England has climbed international rankings. Those gains matter: strong GCSEs remain the single biggest protective factor against becoming NEET, with long-term consequences for employment, earnings and wellbeing.
Yet this progress has not been shared equally. In 2024, fewer than half of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds met the expected standard at Key Stage 2, compared with 69% of their peers. By secondary school, gaps widen further: attainment falls to around 50% for Black Caribbean and Mixed White–Black Caribbean pupils, and to just 20% for Gypsy, Roma and Irish Traveller children. At GCSE, disadvantaged pupils of every ethnicity are far less likely to pass English and maths, leaving an attainment gap of around 30 percentage points.
These are not marginal issues affecting a small minority. They are systemic failures, now being compounded by a growing crisis of disengagement.
Last year alone, 34 million days of learning were lost to unauthorised absence and suspension, almost double pre-pandemic levels. Disadvantaged pupils are twice as likely to be persistently absent, four times more likely to be suspended, and five times more likely to be permanently excluded. Young people cannot attain if they are not in school – and they cannot stay in school if the system does not work for them.
Impetus’ research with Public First reinforces this picture. Survey data shows widespread problems with belonging and engagement: many pupils, across backgrounds, say school is a source of stress, that support is hard to access, and that disengagement often feels like the only way to protect their mental health. This is not a lack of ambition; it is a signal that the system is failing to respond early enough when young people struggle.
Mission 44’s research tells a similar story. Its nationwide survey found that nearly one in five young people say school or college feels unsafe or unwelcome, 41% report that staff haven’t listened to their wellbeing concerns and large numbers feel unable to talk to adults about how they’re feeling – all underscoring how too many pupils, especially the most vulnerable, feel pushed out rather than supported.
If the Schools White Paper is to meet the moment, it must move beyond reaffirming the importance of inclusion and spell out how it will be delivered.
Three priorities stand out.
1. Inclusion must be a universal offer rooted in early intervention, not a specialist add-on.
Support too often sits behind high thresholds, formal diagnoses or crisis points. The White Paper should commit to early identification of predictable needs – academic, behavioural and wellbeing-related – and to support being available before challenges escalate into absence, suspension or exclusion.
2. Schools must prioritise building a diverse, capable workforce, equipped to deliver inclusive practice.
Teachers and school leaders want to help every child succeed, but many lack the training, time and tools to do so. Comprehensive training in inclusive practice and a more diverse teacher workforce that reflects the communities they serve must be a core pillar of reform, backed by the resourcing this requires.
3. The system must track what really matters.
Attendance and attainment data alone are not enough. Schools need systematic insight into lost learning, pupil experience, belonging and engagement, so emerging risks can be identified early and addressed intelligently. Without this, we will continue to intervene too late, at far greater human and financial cost.
Some schools are already showing what is possible, delivering strong outcomes through inclusive cultures that keep pupils engaged and supported. But too often they succeed in spite of the system, not because of it. The White Paper is the chance to make that approach the norm rather than the exception.
The Government has recognised the importance of inclusion and the Prime Minister’s commitments – including those made directly to Mission 44 last year – signal a welcome change in direction.
Now must come delivery. If inclusion is truly baked in – resourced, measured and prioritised – attendance will rise, disengagement will fall and attainment will follow. If it is not, gaps will widen, exclusions will increase and another generation of young people will pay the price, with implications not just for their futures, but for our society and economy at large.
The Schools White Paper must be the moment when intention becomes infrastructure – and when every child is given not just the chance to achieve, but the support they need to thrive.
