Inclusive Practice in East Lothian
4 Principles of Inclusion (UNESCO, 2017)
1. Inclusion is an ongoing process. It is a never-ending search to find better ways of responding to learner diversity. It is about respecting diversity and the different needs, abilities and characteristics of learners. It is both about learning how to support difference, and, learning how to learn from difference. In this way, differences come to be seen more positively as a stimulus for fostering learning among children and adults.
2. Inclusion is concerned with the identification and removal of barriers. Inclusion means taking positive action and intervening in order to enable achievement for all by building and fulfilling the potential of every child, young person and adult. Barriers may take different forms, some of which are to do with the way settings are organised, the forms of care and learning are provided, and the ways in which children’s progress is evaluated.
3. Inclusion is about the presence, participation, achievement and support of all learners. ‘Presence’ is concerned with where children are educated, and how reliably and punctually they attend; ‘participation’ relates to the quality of their experiences whilst they are there and, therefore, must incorporate the views of the learners themselves; ‘achievement’ is about the outcomes of learning across and ‘support’ is about ensuring appropriate and adequate support when required.
4. Inclusion involves a particular emphasis on those learners who may be at risk of marginalization, exclusion or at risk of underachievement. This indicates the moral responsibility to ensure that in particular, groups of learners who may be most at risk are carefully monitored, and that, where necessary, steps are taken to ensure they are present, participating, achieving and supported. Every learner matters and matters equally.
Article 28 of the UNCRC says that children and young people have the right to education no matter who they are.
In order to support children to be able to access their education, we need to consider the 4 Principles of Inclusion.
Is the child present, participating, supported and achieving?
Inclusion is everyone's responsibility.
The Scottish Government (2018) proposed the following vision of inclusion:
“Inclusive education in Scotland starts from the belief that education is a human right and the foundation for a more just society. An inclusive approach, with an appreciation of diversity and an ambition for all to achieve to their full potential, is essential to getting it right for every child and raising attainment for all. Inclusion is the cornerstone to help us achieve equity and excellence in education for all of our children and young people”.
East Lothian Council is committed to the vision of a more inclusive education for all our learners. This is reflected in our policies and guidance which informs the practice across our Education settings.
The key legislation that drives these policies includes, but is by no means limited to:
The Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 requires education authorities to provide education for all children in mainstream schools, except under certain circumstances. In addition, it places a new duty: to secure that the education is directed to the development of the personality, talents and mental and physical abilities of the child or young person, and to involve them in decisions which will affect them significantly.
The Education (Disability Strategies and Pupil Records)(Scotland) Act 2002. Schools must make reasonable adjustments for the needs of disabled children and schools must not discriminate against disabled children. The education authority must prepare and implement an accessibility strategy covering consecutive three year periods to remove any barriers disabled pupils face when accessing the curriculum, extra-curricular activities, school buildings and/or information.
The Children and Young People Act (2014) has wide reaching powers to promote the Scottish Government aims to encourage effective and targeted services for children and families as well as the promotion of children’s rights. Through the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) National Practice Model, the Act promotes cross-boundary models of service delivery to make best use of expertise and resources in an integrated way with the wellbeing of children and young people at its centre. GIRFEC is designed to support families by making sure children and young people can receive the right help, at the right time, from the right people. The aim is to help them to grow up feeling loved, safe and respected. It informs our planning practices in East Lothian through a staged intervention framework focusing on Universal, Additional or Targeted support.
The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (and subsequent amendments in 2009 and 2018) outlines the concept of Additional Support Needs and the functions and duties that are placed on education authorities to identify and support those needs.
Supporting Children’s Learning: Code of Practice (third edition) 2017 which explains the duties on education authorities and other agencies to support children and young people’s learning. It provides guidance on the ASL Act’s provisions as well as on the supporting framework of secondary legislation.
The Equality Act (2010) simplified and strengthened previous protections for children and young people with ‘protected characteristics’ from discrimination. This strengthened inclusion in education, including school trips and activities, for all children and young people regardless of their additional support needs or disability. The Equality Act 2020 states that a person has a disability if they have a “physical or mental impairment, and that impairment has a substantial or long term adverse effect on the ability to carry out normal day to day activities”.
The Curriculum for Excellence aims to provide a coherent, more flexible curriculum for all children and young people aged 3-18 years. The curriculum comprises the totality of experiences which are planned for children and young people wherever they are being educated. Entitlement includes: a coherent curriculum from 3-18 years; a broad general education until S3; a senior phase after S3; personal support to enable them to gain as much as possible from the curriculum; and support in moving into a positive and sustained destination beyond school.
All of the above legislation is supported by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
(UNCRC, 1989)
Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC)
GIRFEC is informed by the Children and Young People Act (2014) and is a critical model for the success of inclusion in Education.
In order to meet GTCS or SSSC standards, all practitioners must have a functional understanding of GIRFEC and what that means in terms of their practice.
East Lothian has an active GIRFEC website which supports practitioners in all areas of Education to enable them to work collaboratively with other agencies, and meet the needs of the children in their care.
The website noted above also contains all the information required to enable the Child's Planning Framework.
In East Lothian, this is a three-staged intervention framework designed to meet all learners’ needs at:
Universal,
Additional, or
Targeted Level as appropriate.
The vast majority of children's needs will be met within the universal level, and East Lothian is committed to strengthening our offer of universal practice - building capacity within our schools and Early Learning and Childcare settings in order to facilitate a truly inclusive education.
Universal Inclusive Practice
East Lothian's Early Learning and Childcare team, Educational Psychology Service, and Equity and Inclusion team currently recommend the following approaches to provide a high quality, inclusive learning experience.
Relationships
Nurture is a fundamental practice which should underpin everything we do in Early Learning & Childcare. Embedding the 6 Nurture Principles in any setting will improve relationships, and the health and wellbeing of children and their families.
In addition to this, having a solid understanding of Self and Co-Regulation will not only support practitioners with how to respond to children at all stages of development, but also how to regulate their own emotions.
Children will become distressed and dysregulated at times, as adults do. In instances where a child is frequently distressed, East Lothian's Included, Engaged & Involved: Managing Distressed and Challenging Behaviour policy advocates the practice of individual planning using a Positive Support Plan. This planning process uses the arousal cycle to identify what distress looks like for an individual and what the adults around them can do to reduce contributing factors and de-escalate the situation in the most attuned and nurturing way.
Environment
Strong relationships work most effectively alongside an optimum learning environment.
CIRCLE is a framework designed to support the implementation of inclusive practice focusing on the
1. physical environment
2. social environment, and
3. structures and routines.
East Lothian is committed to the use of this resource and further guidance on CIRCLE can be found on our EduHub site including:
downloadable, practical tools such as the CIRCLE Inclusive Classroom (learning space) Scale and the refreshed Building Connections document to support individual planning and assessment;
and professional learning in the form of short online tutorial videos detailing how to use the resource.
Language and Communication
'Language is Fun Together' is a Speech and Language Therapy programme designed to provide Early Learning & Childcare practitioners with the skills they need to support early language development but also, self-reflect and quality assure practice.
LIFT requires a multi-agency implementation team comprising of a Speech and Language therapist, Early Learning & Childcare local authority link, and at least one representative from Senior Leadership within each ELCC setting.
The programme involves prep sessions, in-person professional learning, ongoing scaffolding and support, peer review exercises and a final accreditation. It is an intensive learning opportunity spanning 12 - 18 months and as such, can only be offered to a limited number of ELCC settings at any given time.
Websites
