Mission 44’s latest research is a sobering but essential reminder of the entrenched inequalities in our schools. So how can we begin to finally put this right?
The stats, from a nationally representative survey of students and staff conducted by Opinium, reveal how young people from disadvantaged backgrounds feel unsupported and unheard. They are also more likely to miss out on learning through suspensions, exclusions and persistent absence.
These longstanding patterns must be addressed. That’s why we are joining Teach First, the Children’s Society and other trusts to back Sir Lewis Hamilton and Mission 44’s call for urgent action to build a truly inclusive education system.
Together, we are calling for a national framework for inclusion, an annual national student experience survey, targeted funding for an inclusive workforce and mentorship programmes for students at risk of exclusion.
These are not abstract policy ideas; they are tangible, actionable steps that will directly and positively impact the lives of young people – especially those who have been systematically marginalised.
While the government must of course take a leading role, the responsibility also sits with all of us (schools, trusts and communities) to make it a reality.
We saw that much-needed collaboration last week, when students from Oasis Shirley Park joined a roundtable at 10 Downing Street with Sir Lewis Hamilton, the prime minister, the education secretary and education leaders.
The discussions resulted in the government pledging to create a national best-practice framework to increase pupil engagement, to publish more data on young people’s experiences and to support more diverse teachers into the classroom.
The responsibility sits with all of us
This is all very welcome, and we are proud to play a role in influencing these commitments. For the past few years, Oasis and Mission 44 have worked together to create real, lasting change for young people facing significant challenges.
Together, we’ve developed holistic, wrap-around support designed to meet the academic, emotional, relational, and community needs of every child.
For example, the Oasis 360 mentoring programme operating across five of our academies in Croydon and Enfield pairs trusted adult mentors with young people who face a myriad of challenges, including being at risk of exclusion. It offers an hour of dedicated one-to-one support each week over an 18-month period.
This consistent, caring presence helps young people navigate difficult challenges by building their self-esteem and setting achievable goals.
And we’re seeing how powerful this relationship-based approach can be. Mentors become a trusted figure in a young person’s life – someone to talk to, to learn from and to help them see a different path. The results speak for themselves: improved behaviour, better emotional wellbeing and stronger academic performance.
Inclusion starts with strong, supported home relationships, so Mission 44 also supports our community-based programmes for parents. This includes Oasis Encounter, which offers parents and carers experiencing relational or behavioural challenges a safe, supportive space to work with trained mental health practitioners and peers.
Encounter strengthens the home-school relationship and empowers families to further support their children.
Inclusion isn’t an add-on, it’s a fundamental part of who we are, rooted in our values. We bring this to life in multiple ways: from staff inclusion training and belonging networks for diverse groups, to inclusive governance structures and policies that ensure fairness and dignity in the workplace.
It’s encouraging to see this approach valued across the sector, particularly within the government’s expert advisory group for inclusion, chaired by Ormiston’s Tom Rees.
It’s our responsibility as education leaders to celebrate the rich diversity that our young people have to offer and work together to meet all their unique needs.
We stand a much greater chance of achieving this with joined-up relationships and shared accountability.
It is up to us as teachers, school leaders, local authorities and MAT colleagues to change the system. If we are truly committed to creating local schools where no one is left out, then we must support all schools to welcome all students.
This change won’t come from one trust, one charity or one report; it will come when we work together to create the local, place-based-model we all want to see.
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