Inclusive Inquiry: An Innovative Approach for Promoting Inclusion in Schools

Abstract

This article describes Inclusive Inquiry, a new approach that emerged from our earlier work, particularly two interconnected studies funded by the European Union. These studies were conducted in primary and secondary schools in five countries. We explain how the approach was developed, using examples from schools that were involved. A particular feature of the approach is the involvement of students in schools as researchers, who collaborate with their teachers and classmates in designing inclusive lessons. The approach has been found to be a powerful way of teacher professional learning, whilst at the same time developing ways of ensuring that all children are included in lessons. This suggests that inclusion is less about the introduction of particular techniques, or new organisational arrangements, and much more about processes of social learning within particular contexts. In this respect, the use of evidence as a means of stimulating experimentation and collaboration is a central strategy. We conclude that this has significant implications for leadership practice within schools. In particular, it calls for efforts to encourage coordinated and sustained efforts around the idea that changing outcomes for vulnerable groups of students is unlikely to be achieved without changes in relationships between students and teachers.