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UK Ofsted inclusion plan 'diluted' without admissions focus
Sending students away by taxi is not at all inclusive
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By Peter Clark (Senior Editor, Autism Info Center) Tuesday 7th October 2025 |
Geoff Barton, leading a new UK taskforce on inclusion, has expressed concern that Ofsted's new inspection framework is "diluted" by its failure to address school admissions.
While he welcomes inclusion having a higher profile, Barton argues that a school cannot be judged as strong on the matter if it is not representative of its local community.
He suggests it is wrong for schools to be considered inclusive if they are content for local pupils with additional needs "to be sent in a taxi elsewhere".
This view is supported by others in the sector, who argue that admissions are a critical element of inclusivity.
Ofsted defends its new framework, which introduces six new evaluation areas, stating that inclusion is a "golden thread" running through all aspects of its inspections.
The new system, which scraps overall grades, is scheduled to begin in November.
Source: Tes (UK)
https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/
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