Page 37 - Education Supplement February 2026

EDITORIAL

“When everybody has something,” she It is about how often parents are reassured that inclusion is happening, while
says, “nobody is the odd one out.” their child quietly becomes more anxious, more withdrawn, or more resistant
to school.
This does not mean lowering
expectations or removing challenge. It When parents raise concerns, they are sometimes told that inclusion is the
means creating an environment where best available option or that support is already in place. What they may
support does not single a child out as struggle to articulate is that something still feels wrong. The child is present,
deficient. The aim is for school to feel but not settled. Supported, but not safe.
as ordinary as possible, even when
learning needs are complex. Robinson’s insight gives language to that discomfort.

That sense of ordinariness matters Rethinking what success looks like
more than many adults realise. Children If inclusion is measured only by access and academic progression, we miss
measure safety not only by how they its human cost. A child who is technically included but socially isolated is not
are taught, but by whether they belong. thriving. A learner who receives support but loses their sense of belonging
pays a price that does not appear on a report.
Inclusion without understanding
can miss the point Schools like Orion do not offer a universal solution, and Robinson is clear
Mainstream inclusion policies are often about that. Different environments serve different children at different times.
driven by access. The child is physically What her perspective offers is a reminder that inclusion must be evaluated
present in the classroom, following the not just by where a child sits, but by how they experience being there.
same curriculum, assessed against the
same benchmarks. What receives less Support should reduce difference, not spotlight it.
attention is whether the environment
truly accommodates how that child Inclusion should feel humane, not performative.
thinks, processes, communicates,
or regulates. When we centre belonging alongside learning, inclusion becomes what it was
always meant to be: not just a policy, but a lived experience of being held.
Robinson is careful not to frame this as
a criticism of mainstream schooling.
Teachers are under immense pressure, About Barbra Robinson
managing large classes, rigid curricula, Barbra Robinson is the Executive Principal of Orion
and increasingly narrow performance College and brings many years of hands-on
targets. Inclusion is frequently layered experience in remedial and assisted education. Her
on top of an already stretched system. background spans primary and secondary school
leadership, learner support structures, curriculum
The issue is not intention. It is fit. adaptation, and multidisciplinary collaboration
with therapists and specialists. She is particularly
Support that exists without relational experienced in supporting learners with learning
safety can unintentionally reinforce differences and in developing alternative academic
difference. Children feel watched, and vocational pathways that prioritise dignity,
managed, or corrected rather than confidence and long-term success.
understood. Over time, this shapes
how they see themselves as learners About Orion College
Orion College is an independent English-medium assisted learning school in
and as people.
Randpark Ridge, Johannesburg, supporting learners from Grade R to Grade 12.
Why this conversation matters The school offers small classes, personalised learning streams (CAPS remedial,
to parents vocational and technical pathways), and integrated therapy support, including
occupational, speech and psychological services.
I have seen what happens when a
bright, curious child is placed in a
Orion College – Contact Details
setting that does not recognise their
Address: 1 Sysie Road, Randpark Ridge, Randburg, Gauteng, South Africa
capacity. That experience is what
Tel: +27 11 795 1776
sharpens my attention to conversations
Email: primaryschool@orioncollege.co.za / highschool@orioncollege.co.za
like this. But this is not a personal story,
Website: https://www.orioncollege.co.za
and it is not about one child.

Education | February 2026 | 35