Championing Co-production in the Design of Inclusive Practices: Positioning Children and Young People’s voices at the heart of education

Welcome to this new collection of writings about ensuring the voices of children and young people relating to their experiences of inclusion or marginalisation are placed at the heart of school education policies and practices. The idea for this text arose following our presentation at the nasen conference in July 2022 and conversations we had with other academics, teachers and practitioners at the event. There was a sense that a text was needed that was a departure from the more usually seen texts which offer only an academic ‘walk-through’ of issues or a ‘how to’ guide for current practitioners. Accordingly. this text offers a range of voices, from academics, practitioners, children and young people themselves.

The text brings together 11 chapters to look broadly at inclusion, blending academic, professional and personal perspectives and amplifying the voices of children and young people. Case studies are provided of innovative, creative or multisensory pedagogies which have enabled the wide ranging, diverse voices and experiences of children and young people to be actively engaged in the design of inclusive practices within education. The purpose here is not merely to demonstrate the value of particular approaches, but to offer an exciting array of difference in both approaches and perspectives which will allow for new ways of thinking around inclusion to emerge.

Each chapter will begin with an executive summary and end with a section containing guided reflective questions which could be used as prompt questions within taught higher education courses, as Continuing Professional Development starting points for settings such as schools, youth groups and health care facilities, or as part of a more individual journey towards a path of more inclusive practice, Each chapter will also include ‘take away activities’ with suggestions for adapting the approaches discussed in ways that can suit individual’s diverse settings. In doing so this text offers a clear and unique approach to thinking about how inclusion can be enacted in ways that really actively engage with the children and young people who are the reason for practitioners wanting to enhance school education policy and practice.