Our out-dated education system places too much emphasis on academic performance over wellbeing, and compliance over connection.
This puts pressure on schools, teachers and parents and, most importantly, children.
We know that when children are anxious or stressed, they cannot learn effectively.
We saw it with our own daughter when she reached Year 2. Learning was suddenly ramped up in preparation for SATs, and her wellbeing, self-esteem and love of learning all went into decline.
Although Year 2 SATs are no longer compulsory many schools have continued to use them to assess pupils, in line with the compulsory Year 6 SATs.
We have since discovered that our daughter is dyslexic and we are on the waiting list for an autism assessment. But, at the time, the after-school explosions got worse, there were more distressed behaviours and, by the end of Year 3, she was unable to cope with the pressures of school any longer.
Unsustainable pressures
She had the kindest teacher you could hope for, and the school put in place all the reasonable adjustments that it was possible to give.
But what we couldn’t change was the pressure she felt from the curriculum, the fast pace in lessons which meant she always felt behind and the increasingly difficult content and learning which she just couldn’t cope with anymore.
Like so many other children and young people, my daughter now cannot attend school, and she deserves so much more. There must be a different, better and kinder way.
The UK is an outlier in how heavily it depends on a one-size-fits-all education system
This isn’t about lowering standards. We already know that in countries like Finland, New Zealand and Canada, education systems maintain high standards while relying less on high-stakes exams and more on continuous and project-based assessment.
These systems are often associated with higher student wellbeing, stronger engagement, and more inclusive approaches to education.
The UK is now an outlier in how heavily it depends on a one-size-fits-all education system – a system that does not work for the estimated 1.6 million children in England who have an identified SEND.
That is the equivalent of one in five children in every classroom, and there will be many others who have no diagnosis but are also struggling.
SATs in primary schools
Let’s look first at primary pupils in England who face some of the highest levels of formal testing in the world.
Many parents, teachers, and school leaders say SATs place unnecessary pressure on children, impact wellbeing, and particularly affect pupils with SEND.
But until we move away from SATs the curriculum cannot change. The narrow and rigid focus on English and maths, with a particular focus on grammar, means that less time is spent on creative subjects and activities, which many SEND children might excel in.
The result is that this high pressure and narrow focus has led to many children becoming disengaged with their learning.
GCSEs
The one-size-fits-all GCSE system is failing many children, particularly those who struggle with the pressure of final exams. We have to ask ourselves: what we are examining exactly and for what purpose?
We need a more balanced approach, with moderated coursework included in every subject to create a fairer system where different needs and ways of learning are properly recognised and supported.
Why a campaign is needed
We need to see more project-based learning in primary schools, with a more inclusive and creative approach. This would help to support different learning styles and allow children to learn at their own pace, in a way which helps them to thrive.
It would mean that more children are intrinsically motivated to learn, and would allow for more teacher autonomy and flexibility, which we know helps children to be included.
Schools could take a fresh look at classroom design which also helps facilitate inclusion. Instead of 30 children sitting at their desks for most of the day, there would be movement, more chatter, more creative group work.
There would be quiet, cosy corners for those who need it, with every classroom having a creative area as well as an area for play provision.
In secondary schools, meanwhile, we need more coursework across all GCSE subjects so that children with SEND can show what they can do, rather than be penalised for what they don’t know – or what they can’t remember because dyslexia, ADHD or another SEND has robbed them of a working memory.
To quote the Department for Education’s Independent Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group, February 2026, “Schools need the flexibility and incentives to adapt environments, curricula, and assessment processes so that inclusion is embedded by design”.
So why is this not happening?
Time for change
Real inclusion happens when wellbeing is put right at the heart of education, not as a token add-on.
We know that when teaching staff are regulated and calm, it has a significant positive effect on children. However, we are seeing the opposite of this in too many schools.
Wellbeing is important for everyone in a school. It has a ripple effect.
Inclusion can only happen with reform of the whole system, including assessment
Only when we give more time for children to play, move, laugh and talk, will they be given a chance to learn in different ways, to feel motivated and inspired. That is what real inclusion looks like.
We know that far too many children are struggling with their mental health. If PSHE is given more priority in the curriculum then children can learn how to develop more empathy, acceptance of difference and kindness towards others as well as improving their emotional wellbeing.
That would certainly help schools to become more inclusive.
A call to government
The 2026 Schools White Paper and SEND reform states that it will improve inclusion in schools. This is a call to government to listen to this campaign, to the lived experience of children, parents and teachers.
So many parents have told me that their children have lost their spark and love of learning and, in some cases, devastatingly, even their love of life when they can no longer cope with the pressure of school.
How can we allow this to continue?
Improving inclusion can only happen with education reform of the whole system. Only when we see assessment change and a move away from exam based and highly academic curriculums, with children learning the same thing, in the same way, all at the same time.
This is not inclusion, and it is failing too many children.
