The education system is blighted by “greater competition between individual schools” which is “coming at the expense of inclusion”, a new paper by the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) is warning.
The children’s services leaders’ body is calling for education to be overhauled so that it “is about more than just the acquisition of qualifications” and “inclusive of all learners”.
Fragmentation of education in recent years is a chief concern, with schools run by multi-academy trusts instead of councils, leading to a system “less rooted in place” and failing to “reward inclusivity”, warns the ADCS.
The scrapping of the government’s Schools White Paper last year has also dented efforts to improve inclusion. The ADCS urges ministers to revisit the plans around creating “a more coherent education system” especially around standards for academy trusts and giving councils powers to compel state funded schools to admit a child if it has space.
