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Working for inclusion in schools of the United Kingdom

LEICESTER: "How to change the culture, policy and practices of schools to make them more inclusive" was the main topic of the launch event of the Council of Europe and European Union joint project “Inclusive schools: Making a difference for Roma children” (INSCHOOL) which took place on 16 April in Leicester, the United Kingdom. The workshop gathered representatives of the schools selected for the implementation of the project as well as the INSCHOOL national team, comprising experts such as facilitators who will provide direct support to schools and educational advisors who will monitor progress and identify systemic issues. The approach and methodology were presented and together they worked on the concrete steps for the coming months – in particular the development of inclusive schools development plans to be then supported by grants.

The energy, enthusiasm and commitment shown by all the UK schools to improving educational outcomes for Eastern European Roma is very exciting.  We’re looking forward to sharing creative and innovative ideas and working practices.’ Mark Penfold, INSCHOOL UK Team and contact person in Babington Academy.

 

While focusing explicitly on Roma children, in order to ensure they access quality education, the project INSCHOOL aims at achieving inclusive education for all children. Babington Academy, the INSCHOOL National Support School which hosted the event, is a concrete example of how inclusive values can be put into action – knowing that promoting an inclusive approach is a continuing process. Babington’s role will be to support three pilot schools in using the methodology based on the Index for inclusion developed by Tony Booth and Mel Ainscow, which is based on values and focuses on outcomes.

Fir Vale Academy and Oasis Academy Fir Vale (in Sheffield) as well as Bemrose School (in Derby) were selected as Pilot Schools. They will initiate a developmental process which aims to make their schooling environments more inclusive for all children, including Roma pupils.

Babington is looking forward to collaborating with our European partners to improve educational outcomes for our most marginalized groups.  We are extremely proud to be involved with this project and are delighted with the inclusion of a former Babington Academy pupil Ondrej Olah as a Roma youth ambassador for the INSCHOOL project.’ - Sara-Jane Ayne Fletcher, Principal, Babington Academy

 
INSCHOOL will start its implementation in the remaining four countries in the course of April-May.
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