Manchester Inclusion Standard

The Manchester Inclusion Standard is a review and development tool.

Its aims are to:

• Increase understanding within schools of inclusion as an ongoing process.
• Foster the development of inclusive practice and
• Use the voices of those in the school. community, particularly pupils, as a stimulus for development.

It is important that schools using the Standard see it as an integral part of their school self-review and development processes.

Definition of Inclusion

Inclusion is the continuous process of increasing the presence, participation and achievements of all children and young people in local community schools. This requires all schools and settings to place an emphasis on improving their approaches to those who are at greater risk of marginalisation, exclusion and underachievement. It is an opportunity to improve learning and teaching in a way which is of benefit to us all, as the school community learns to live with, and learn from, diversity and the uniqueness of each individual.

This definition emphasises three key elements:

Presence is concerned with where learners are educated, and whether they attend regularly and arrive punctually. All schools and settings should enable children, young people and adults to receive their education in a mainstream setting as far as possible. Presence is about admissions, attendance, exclusions and the use of withdrawal from class.

Participation is concerned with the quality of learners' educational experience. Learners' own views should therefore form an essential part of any judgement made about the quality of their participation.

Achievement is concerned with learner outcomes across the whole curriculum. It is about having learners who make greater academic progress, feel safer, become healthier, develop better emotional and social skills, become innovative and creative, and who become more effective and constructive citizens.

The Manchester Inclusion Standard is driven by the idea that inclusion must be seen not as a separate policy alongside other school policies. Rather it must be a guiding principle that informs all activities within a school. This means that it provides an overall framework for ensuring that Every Child Matters.

The key features of the Standard are that it:

• Focuses on pupil outcomes rather than on school processes
• Requires an engagement with statistical and qualitative data
• Involves all stakeholders, including pupils, staff, parents/carers and governors
• Makes a direct contribution to the processes of self-review required by Ofsted
• Is designed to be integrated into the school year cycle