GEC Inclusion Index - Student - Key Behavioural Area 6

Inclusion

“I believe my learning needs are fully supported here.”

45.7% agree

⬆ Improving Trend

So what?

Inclusion isn’t achieved through paperwork, labels, or slogans. It’s felt — or not — in lessons, breaktimes, and every teacher interaction. Yet only 45.7% of students across our GEC 26,000 Voices dataset agree that their learning needs are fully supported.

That means a majority of students don’t feel adequately included in their learning journey. Inclusion, when reduced to integration, becomes passive — and when misunderstood, it becomes harmful.

📣 What We Heard

“It’s not my fault I’m different but no one helps me. I get detention for not finishing work.”

“I have ADHD and I’ve been told I’m lazy so many times that I’ve started to believe it.”

“I’m Black, queer and have autism. No one in school gets what it’s like to be all three. They only ever look at one part of me.”

The GEC Platform: Proven Solution

The GEC Platform helps schools design for inclusion, not just describe it. By collecting intersectional, anonymised voice data, it highlights where inclusion is falling short — and why.

We’ve built, tested, and now support a globally used Inclusion Framework that empowers leaders to move from reactive to proactive support. Used in over 30 countries, the framework enables school teams to identify systemic gaps, co-create support, and implement inclusive practice that works for every learner.

Whether through our platform, CPD, or strategy design, we don’t just raise awareness — we build capacity to meet needs.

The Kaleidoscope View

Our Kaleidoscopic Data shows sharp disparities in inclusion experiences — particularly for students with SEND, invisible disabilities, and non-disclosed needs:

  • 33% of SEND learners strongly disagree that teachers listen to them

  • 34% of all students strongly disagree that their learning needs are met — equal to approx. 3.06 million learners if scaled nationally

  • Among students with non-disclosed SEND, only 21.2% reported feeling listened to

This isn’t just about educational support — it’s about emotional safety and academic equity. Students repeatedly described being punished for struggling, dismissed as lazy, or made to feel ashamed of their differences.

Intersectional identities further intensify exclusion. When SEND overlaps with race, gender or sexuality, students report feeling fragmented by systems that fail to see them as whole people. Inclusion becomes conditional.

But we also saw bright spots. In schools that had neuro-affirming practices, flexible assessments, or co-designed support plans, students reported higher levels of trust and engagement:

“My school uses coloured overlays and gives me time-outs when I need it. That helps me stay in class and feel OK.”

These examples show what’s possible — but they remain the exception, not the rule.

Next Steps & Free Stuff

📚 Explore inclusion-focused blogs and the GEC Pinboard, packed with neurodivergent and SEND-informed resources

🤝 Learn from GEC Circle experts like Mary Myatt and Ndah on inclusive curriculum and SEND pedagogy