Beyond Inclusion: Designing Curricula Where Every Student Belongs

Inclusion isn’t an add-on, it’s a design principle that raises attainment.

When we talk about inclusion in education, the conversation often begins and ends with representation: a diverse text here, a case study there. But true inclusion is not about surface-level gestures, it’s about designing curricula across all subjects that allow every learner to feel seen, valued, and capable of success. A curriculum built on belonging doesn’t just raise attainment for particular groups; it creates classrooms where all students are motivated to learn and ambitious for their futures.

Before I continue, I want to make it abundantly clear that I am writing this as a cis, white, able bodied, bisexual female and I acknowledge the inherent privilege that comes from my background. It has become a cornerstone of my practice to learn the difference between tokenism and how to listen, learn and change my curricula so that it is representative of the students in front of me. So that they feel seen, held and able to succeed in drama. “A curriculum should be ambitious and designed to give all learners… the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life” (Ofsted, 2024).

Reflection:

“Can my students see themselves in the curriculum?”

“Are my curriculum plans allowing students to see different opinions, view points and livelihoods?”

In my favourite film, Ten Things I Hate About You (1999), ironically based on my favourite play, by my favourite dead white man, William Shakespeare, there is an excellent scene in Kat Sickler’s English Classroom.

Although this film was shot in 1999, the sentiment is alarmingly still the same today. Whilst we acknowledge the importance for Shakespeare and Dickens, in 2020, Teach First issued their Missing Pages report which highlighted that the largest exam board of GCSE English Literature did not feature a single black author on their specification, and it only included 2 texts by ethnic majority authors. 

The call for change is so loud. 

A Teacher Tapp poll, reveals that:  

• nearly all teachers (98%) believe it is “important” or “very important” that books written by ethnic minority authors are studied as part of the English curriculum in secondary schools

• three quarters (75%) of English teachers have concerns about a lack of ethnic diversity in the curriculum across schools 

• over a quarter (27%) of headteachers say students have raised concerns about a lack of ethnic diversity in the curriculum with them

  
  

End Sexism in Schools states “Male writers continue to dominate the GCSE English Literature set text lists with very little changing. For 2024 GCSEs, only 5% of pupils in England and Wales studied a whole text – a novel or play – by a female author (2% in 2022). Yet again, teachers chose the same few male authored texts with male protagonists: 93% study A Christmas Carol or Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and 76% study An Inspector Calls.”

We also know that LGBTQIA+ authors couldn’t be celebrated until the end of Section 28 in 2003.

Refection:

How many of your students are being missed in your curriculum?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines tokenism as something that a person or organisation does that seems to support or help a group of people who are treated unfairly in society, such as giving a member of that group an important or public position, but which is not meant to make changes that would help that group of people in a lasting way. 

Diverse Educators has an excellent Toolkit page Diversity in the Curriculum Toolkit | Diverse Educators with brilliant toolkits for different subject areas in order to avoid tokenism when curriculum planning. 

In 2020 I attended some online training with Bennie Kara to celebrate the launch of her excellent book Diversity in Schools. Kara said: “It is no longer acceptable to claim your school celebrates diversity because there are posters of black sportspeople in the PE department corridors, or because there is an effort to put in an assembly on black history in October every year.”

When mapping new curriculum plans, I always keep these two things in mind. Allyship and Equity. As a teacher, our natural response is to be an ally for our pupils’ unique and diverse experiences. This allows us to make equitable changes in our curriculum. Acknowledging that everyone has a different starting point and adjusting subject matter so that everybody can be seen, feel involved and can access the learning. 

I then look at my offering. Are there play texts of varying experiences, cultures and experiences? Are they embedded? Have I done enough learning to feel confident in answering any questions my students may have about these? Do I feel able to challenge the often learned and misinformed prejudices?

These are the questions I ask myself when curriculum mapping. It is incredibly important that belonging is not an afterthought, and it cannot be confined to a single subject. Whether we teach science, history, maths, or the arts, the curriculum choices we make shape how students see themselves and the world. When schools commit to designing knowledge-rich, representative, and relevant curricula, they do more than improve outcomes, they send a powerful message that every learner has both a place and a future within education. My challenge to curriculum leaders is this: audit your subject through the lens of belonging. Because when students feel they belong in the curriculum, they are far more likely to thrive beyond it.

References:

All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Oracy (2021) Speak for Change. London: APPG on Oracy. Available at: https://www.education-uk.org (Accessed: 28 August 2025).

Arts Council England and Durham University (2019) Durham Commission on Creativity in Education. London: Arts Council England. Available at: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk (Accessed: 28 August 2025).

Department for Education (DfE) (2011, updated 2021) Teachers’ Standards. London: Department for Education. Available at: https://www.gov.uk (Accessed: 28 August 2025).

Kara, B. (2021). Diversity in schools. Los Angeles ; London: Corwin, A Sage Company.

OECD (2022) Creative Thinking in Schools Across the World. Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Available at: https://www.oecd.org (Accessed: 28 August 2025).

Ofsted (2024) Education Inspection Framework. London: Ofsted. Available at: https://www.gov.uk (Accessed: 28 August 2025).

The Head Teacher (2024) Sophie Thomson: How to Diversify your Curriculum. Available at: https://www.theheadteacher.com/attainment-and-assessment/teaching-practice/how-to-diversify-your-curriculum (Accessed: 28 August 2025)

Teach First (2020) Missing pages INCREASING RACIAL DIVERSITY IN THE LITERATURE WE TEACH. (n.d.). Available at: https://stage.charity.teachfirst.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-09/English%20Curriculum%20Diversity%20Report..pdf (Accessed: 28 August 2025)