Nursery World - A Unique Child: A-Z of inclusive practice

By Mary Dickins, early years consultant (All Together Consultancy/London Met. University).

'Inclusion is a process of identifying, understanding and breaking down barriers to participation and belonging'. (Early Childhood Forum, 2003)

Research indicates that there are many children in the UK who do not achieve their full potential in educational or life terms. The underpinning issues are complex, and the temptation to generalise or predict about particular groups should be resisted, as adults' low expectations will contribute to poor outcomes for children.

Statistics from the Foundation Stage Profile Results for England for 2007-08 showed that girls continue to outperform boys in all 13 of the assessment scales. The gap appears particularly wide in the areas of social and emotional development, literacy, writing and creative development.

A report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in 2007 found that the great majority of low achievers are white and British, and there are far more boys than girls. Many of them come from disadvantaged backgrounds where there is a high unemployment rate.

Low achievers are commonly to be found in poor urban areas, but there are considerable variations between comparable local authority areas. Some schools with high proportions of disadvantaged pupils do much better than others, and there is also a wide range of performance among different ethnic groups.

The research found that white British pupils were more likely than other ethnic groups to persist in low achievement. If they started in the lowest categories of achievement in primary school, they were also more likely than other ethnic groups to remain there at the end of secondary school.

Children with Special Educational Needs comprise an unacceptably high proportion of low achievers, and studies have shown that much more could be done to assist them through their schooling. The same is true of looked-after children.

While educational achievement is only one aspect of a child's life, it is the experience of failure and the subsequent impact on self-esteem and identity that can be especially damaging.

An inclusive setting will set out to ensure that every unique and individual child does as well as they can in order to lead full and satisfying lives.

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