Inclusion in education is widely discussed, yet many school leaders and educators still ask the same question: what does inclusive practice actually look like in everyday school life?
In a recent webinar Daniel Sobel, Chair of IFIP, President of the World Inclusion Congress, and CEO of Inclusion Expert, alongside Viv Trask-Hall, Head of Theory and Practice at Thrive Approach and Distinguished Fellow International Forums of Inclusion Practitioners, reflect on how schools can create environments where every child feels safe, valued and able to learn.
Daniel’s international work - now spanning around 140 countries - highlights something many practitioners recognise: despite different contexts, many systems face the same widening gap between policy aspiration and what is possible on the ground. The reassurance in this is not about lowering expectations, but about acknowledging that complexity is universal. It encourages a more compassionate lens, both toward ourselves and the systems we work within.
His examples - from a Dominican Republic school built around metacognition, to an Indian school committing to its pupils for 25 years - remind us that learning about inclusion must be global and reciprocal. There is as much to learn from schools in Zambia or the Philippines as anywhere else, if we are willing to listen.
Information Rich, Useful Knowledge Poor
One line from Daniel captures a challenge familiar to anyone working in or alongside schools: “Information rich but useful knowledge poor.” Extensive documentation about children can create volume without clarity. What educators need most is not quantity, but focus - the few actionable insights that reshape tomorrow’s interactions.
Daniel poses a question that gets to the heart of this:
If you could only tell a teacher three things about a child, what would they be - and how will those three things change what the adult does tomorrow?
This echoes Thrive’s relational principles, championed by Viv Trask-Hall, Thrive’s Head of Theory and Practice, who emphasises that clarity is an act of care: when staff are given what truly matters, children feel the difference.
Inclusion 2.0: Designing With Diversity First
Daniel describes how education systems have often been built first, with inclusion added later - a retrofit rather than a foundation. Inclusion 2.0 reverses this thinking. Instead of adding the “garden” after the house is complete, the garden is designed first.
This reframing prompts essential questions:
- What environments genuinely help children to learn?
- What systems help young people feel they belong?
- What daily adult behaviours make emotional safety a norm rather than a luxury?
These questions align deeply with the Thrive Approach. Viv Trask-Hall often highlights that emotional safety, not compliance, is the bedrock of learning - especially for vulnerable and care experienced young people, whose nervous systems read the world through the lens of past experience.
Inclusion Begins When Things Get Difficult
Daniel points out that inclusion isn’t tested when children are calm, compliant or regulated. It begins when things become hard.
The shift from “This child can’t be included here” to “I am struggling to include this child right now” moves responsibility away from the child’s identity and towards the adult’s mindset. It is the kind of reflective shift Viv Trask-Hall often invites practitioners to make: to view behaviour not as a problem to manage, but as communication to understand.
This shift is especially vital when working with children whose experiences of trauma, instability or care have shaped their expectations of adults. The adult’s response can either reinforce old narratives of rejection or offer new relational possibilities.
Viv explained, “We are helping to heal wounds that we did not create”.
“When dealing with our most vulnerable learners” she said, “they often ask for help in the most challenging of ways, and this is where truly inclusive practice is essential. In these moments we need to pull together and bring children closer rather than push them away.”
Belonging Is Not Enough - Mattering Is the Measure
A distinction drawn powerfully within Thrive - and echoed here - is the difference between belonging and mattering.
- Belonging is being part of a community.
- Mattering is believing the community would be different without you.
For many children and young people, especially those with SEND, care experienced or who carry layers of vulnerability, mattering is the missing piece. A young person can appear compliant and engaged while feeling entirely replaceable. When children feel they matter - that their presence changes something - behaviour, motivation and engagement shift.
Viv Trask-Hall’s work in this field underscores that mattering is relational, not procedural. It grows from attuned noticing, relational consistency, and adults who hold unconditional positive regard and share this in ways that can be received by that child.
The Smallest Actions, the Greatest Impact
When asked what educators could do the next day to enhance inclusion, Daniel’s answer was simple:Offer genuine, specific encouragement.
Not systems-led praise. Not points. But real, human noticing:
- “I really valued your contribution today.”
- “I saw how hard you worked on that.”
- “I’m glad you’re here.”
These micro moments build mattering. They are also the core of Thrive’s relational practices: moments where adults communicate safety, presence and belief.
Three Foundations for Truly Inclusive Culture
Bringing Daniel and Viv’s insights together with Thrive principles, three priorities stand out for any school aiming to improve inclusion:
- Build a staff team with wholehearted commitment to relational approaches. Inclusion begins with adults who believe relationships are central, not supplementary.
- Invest in staff so they can build meaningful, attuned relationships with children. Skills, capacity, and emotional confidence must be cultivated - especially for supporting vulnerable and care experienced young people.
- Increase the sense of mattering and honour families’ lived experience. When children and families feel seen, heard and valued, the culture shifts. Mattering becomes measurable.
A Culture, Not a Strategy
Taken together, these ideas remind us that inclusion is not a toolkit or a programme. It is a cultural commitment; a way of being with children, families and colleagues.
It starts not with systems, but with us.
Want to hear the full discussion?
Watch the on-demand recording now to hear the full conversation and practical insights for your setting.
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