IncludEd 2027: the inclusion conference for UK educators

Inclusion by Design - IncludEd 2027

Saturday 16 January 2027 | 10am-4:30pm | UCL Institute of Education, London

Building an inclusive school doesn't happen by chance. It takes deliberate leadership, strong systems and shared commitment across the whole school community.

IncludEd is The Difference's ninth annual conference, bringing together 900+ teachers, school leaders, trust and local authority leaders, researchers and policymakers who are building an education system that works for every child. It began as a small gathering in response to England's exclusion crisis and has grown into a national community of people committed to making sure no child is left behind.

This year's theme, Inclusion by Design, is about moving beyond good intentions to practical, evidence-informed strategy that makes inclusion visible, measurable and sustainable. It arrives as national SEND and inclusion reform lands, and the day is built to help you understand what it means for your school, trust or local authority.

Four routes into the theme

• Built from the Universal Up - SEND reform and the inclusive classroom

• Measurable and Visible - reducing exclusion through evidence and data

• Community Collaboration - family voice, partnership and belonging

• Led From The Top - inclusive leadership and school strategy

Who you'll hear from

Confirmed speakers include Schools Minister Georgia Gould, in conversation with young people from the Haringey Learning Partnership; Professor Carlene Firmin on contextual safeguarding; and Dr Anne Heavey on the evolving SEND Code of Practice. They are joined by 40+ workshops and keynotes from sector experts, practitioners and researchers, including leaders from Ofsted and the DfE.

On the programme

• Getting national inclusion reform right: the Schools Minister on the lessons of the first year, taking questions from young people and the audience

• Recognising need when it first presents: how the SEND Code of Practice is moving from "areas of need" to "areas of development", and how teachers can respond

• The Measure of the Moment: how will we know if this decade of school reform has worked? A panel chaired by Schools Week's Deputy Editor

• Contextual safeguarding: keeping young people safe from threats outside the home, and what it means for your school's safeguarding strategy

• Inclusion in inspections: alumni of The Difference's programmes on evidencing impact under the new Ofsted framework

• But does my inclusion base work? How to measure the success of inclusion provision

• Lead, not lag: how trusts can use data to spot the young people most likely to lose learning

• Boosting belonging: the "circles" model in action in two very different schools

• Inclusion strategy: what a strategy that changes staff confidence and outcomes looks like

• Admissions changes: lessons from schools that have already shifted their intake

• Applying a restorative approach to working with parents

• Transforming inclusion across a local authority

You'll leave with

• Policy and practice insights - what's working following national reform, and how to write your inclusion strategy and use data to reduce lost learning

• Whole-school frameworks - practical approaches to SEND reform and the inclusive classroom, and how to draw on your community for stronger collaboration

• Powerful networks - connections with 900+ colleagues across teaching, leadership, policy and research, and The Difference's network of 150+ partner schools

There will also be a vibrant exhibition, and time to connect with the people driving change across the sector.