Belonging schools: how do relatively more inclusive secondary schools approach and practice inclusion?

JENNY GRIFFITHS, TEACH FIRST, UK TOBY GREANY, UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM, UK JODIE PENNACCHIA, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM, UK JENNY GRAHAM, THE DIFFERENCE, UK ELEANOR BERNARDES, UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM, UK Background Teach First’s work on whole-child development (Griffiths, 2023) suggests that individuals in inclusive settings, particularly pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, attain better academic and other outcomes (Gray et al., 2021). However, the gap in GCSE attainment between those eligible and not eligible for free school meals remains stubbornly persistent (Farquharson et al., 2022). Suspension rates for those eligible for free school meals are four times higher and the permanent exclusion rate five times higher than for their non-eligible peers (GOV.UK, 2023). If we want all children to realise their potential through education, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, we need greater understanding of the factors that might