Page 36 - Education Supplement February 2026

EDITORIAL

Inclusion isn’t always

kind: when support

isolates children

or years, inclusion has been
held up as the gold standard
Fof modern education. The
idea is sound: children with
different learning profiles should
be supported within mainstream
environments, rather than
separated or sidelined. In theory,
inclusion promotes dignity, access,
and equality.

In practice, it can sometimes do the
opposite.

This tension sits at the heart of
a conversation I recently had
with Barbra Robinson, executive
principal of Orion College. Robinson
brings decades of experience
to the table, including senior
leadership roles in the UK and
extensive work as a SENCO and What is rarely factored in is how visible this process becomes to peers.
communication and interaction
specialist. What she describes is Robinson describes seeing children mocked for being “pulled out”, questioned
not a rejection of inclusion, but a about why they leave class, or quietly excluded because difference has been
sober examination of how it often highlighted rather than absorbed. Over time, some learners begin to resist
plays out on the ground. the very support designed to help them. Not because they do not need it, but
because of the social cost it imposes on them.
“Inclusion can be academically
successful,” she explains, “but The result is a paradox: academic inclusion paired with social exclusion.
socially very damaging.”
This is not a failure of compassion or effort on the part of teachers. It is a
When inclusion becomes structural blind spot. Schools are often resourced and evaluated based on
visible academic outcomes, not on belonging.
In many mainstream schools,
support is delivered through Belonging is not a soft outcome
withdrawal. A child leaves the One of the most striking aspects of Robinson’s perspective is her insistence that
classroom for extra time with a belonging is not an optional extra. It is foundational.
facilitator, a therapist, or a learning
support teacher. On paper, this is At Orion, she explains, the social dynamics are different precisely because
appropriate and well-intentioned. support is normalised. Small classes, individualised learning, and diverse profiles
The child receives targeted help. mean that no single child stands out as “the one who needs help”. Everyone has
The curriculum remains accessible. something going on.

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