Leading inclusion with intention: Insights from the BELMAS inclusion leadership RIG launch

Abstract

This report reflects on the relaunch of the Inclusion Leadership Research Interest Group (IL RIG) under the British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society (BELMAS), which took place on 4 April 2025. The event featured a keynote address by Professor Mel Ainscow CBE, who shared insights from his decades of international work on inclusive education. Drawing on stories and research, Ainscow emphasised that inclusion is not a fixed outcome but an evolving process rooted in values, collaboration, and system-wide change. He challenged deficit-based models of inclusion and urged schools to focus on removing contextual barriers such as rigid curricula, narrow assessments, and teacher mindsets rather than attempting to “fix” learners. The report introduces Ainscow's “ecology of equity” framework, which highlights three domains for inclusive development: within schools, between schools, and beyond the school gate. Key messages include the importance of time as a resource for professional learning, the role of collective will in driving inclusive reform, and the significance of relationships and trust in enabling inter-school collaboration. The piece also reflects on the broader goals of the Inclusion Leadership RIG which are to build a global community of researchers and practitioners focused on inclusive leadership, particularly for those traditionally marginalised in education. It concludes with a reaffirmation that inclusive leadership is a cultural, not just technical, endeavour. It requires a shared belief that every learner matters and matters equally. The report serves both as a report and a call to action for more equitable and inclusive practices in educational leadership.

British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society (BELMAS) recently celebrated the successful relaunch of the Inclusion Leadership Research Interest Group (IL RIG) on April 4, 2025, with a vibrant international webinar. This newly re-established RIG is committed to exploring the fundamentals of inclusion through a leadership lens, welcoming educational leaders, researchers, practitioners, and postgraduate students from across the globe. It builds upon previous efforts while expanding its thematic scope and global reach, with a clear focus on increasing awareness and understanding of inclusive leadership and its practical implications. The group pays particular attention to those who have been traditionally marginalised or underrepresented within education and research, creating a dynamic space for knowledge-sharing, reflection, and transformation.

The launch event was led by co-convenors Dr Donnie Adams, Dr Beth Holmes, and Dr Wendy Conrad, and featured a keynote presentation by Professor Mel Ainscow CBE. Ainscow is an internationally renowned scholar of inclusive education and long-time consultant with UNESCO. Speaking from Manchester, Professor Ainscow drew on his extensive global work to offer a deeply reflective session titled “Leading Inclusive School Development.” He reminded attendees that inclusion is not a fixed endpoint but a continuous process. It is an evolving journey marked by the presence, participation, and progress of every student. He cautioned against reductionist approaches that treat inclusion as a checklist or toolkit, instead positioning it as a cultural and systemic transformation grounded in values, inquiry, and collaborative leadership.

Ainscow began by situating inclusion within the global context of the “Education for All” movement and the Sustainable Development Goal 4, noting the alarming reality that over 260 million children worldwide are still without access to formal education. He highlighted a powerful example from a shantytown in India, where a group of mothers driven by belief and collective will built a classroom from scratch to ensure their children could attend school. This story, he emphasised, encapsulates the very heart of inclusive leadership which is bringing people together to make inclusion happen. Inclusion, he argued, should not be viewed through a model that asks what is wrong with the child, but through a contextual lens that examines barriers within the school environment, curriculum, assessments, teaching methods, and even the assumptions held by teachers.

To support schools in their inclusive journey, Ainscow introduced a practical framework known as the “ecology of equity,” which emerged from a five-year collaborative research project involving 16 secondary schools in England. This framework organises inclusive development into three interconnected domains: within-school practices, between-school collaborations, and beyond-school community engagement. Within schools, he underlined the importance of investing in adult learning through professional inquiry, peer collaboration, and leadership modelling. He shared a compelling case study from New Delhi where a headteacher, affectionately referred to as “Madam,” initiated monthly teacher workshops, promoted co-teaching, and even stepped into the classroom herself to support teacher growth. Despite limited resources, this school demonstrated high levels of creativity and inclusive pedagogy, showing that resourcefulness and leadership can coexist powerfully.

Between schools, Ainscow recounted examples of cross-community partnerships such as one between a Muslim-majority school in Manchester and an Orthodox Jewish school in Bury that led to mutual professional learning, systems of student monitoring, and stronger student voice mechanisms. These collaborations flourished not just because of shared strategies but because of the relational trust established among school leaders. He stressed that such partnerships foster shared responsibility for student success.

Beyond schools, inclusive leadership must also engage with families and communities. Ainscow referenced the Portuguese education system as exemplars of systemic inclusion. It dismantled segregated special education provisions and redistributed specialised resources into mainstream schools. He urged educational leaders to consider inclusion as both a school improvement strategy and a broader reform agenda, where all stakeholders play a role in supporting students. Importantly, he called on leaders to use time as a signal of priority. “Time,” he said, “is the currency we use in schools to indicate something matters.”

In the post-presentation discussion, attendees raised pressing issues such as the fear of vulnerability among school leaders, the marginalisation of neurodiverse educators, and concerns that inclusion could be misused to reduce public education spending. Ainscow responded by reaffirming the socially complex nature of inclusive reform. Trust, relationships, and shared values, not just structures, must underpin inclusive leadership. He acknowledged that schools must also be inclusive, capable of supporting and learning from teachers with diverse lived experiences. Ainscow was unequivocal on the issue of funding. He shared inclusive education is not a cost-saving exercise, it is a social investment that demands resourcing, particularly in the form of human capital.

To conclude, Ainscow reminded participants of Edgar Schein's well-known assertion that “leadership and organisational culture are two sides of the same coin.” Truly inclusive schools, he argued, develop a shared language of values over time. One in which every student matters and matters equally. The BELMAS Inclusion Leadership RIG looks forward to building this shared language through ongoing dialogue, research, and collaboration, reaffirming that inclusive leadership is not about knowing all the answers, but about asking the right questions and committing to act collectively.