When I arrived in Nigeria to speak at the National Inclusion Conference, I expected to learn about a country, culture and education system very different from the UK.
What I did not expect was to be reminded that inclusion is a global language.
The conference, held at Rugby School in Lagos, brought together educators, researchers, policy makers, parents and practitioners from across Nigeria and beyond to explore one simple but profound question: how do we create schools where every child belongs?
The two-day event featured keynotes, workshops and panel discussions focused on inclusion, neurodiversity and educational equity.
What made the event particularly powerful was the breadth of representation. Through the work of Daniel Sobel, an internationally respected leader in inclusive education, and the International Forums of Inclusion Practitioners (IFIP), inclusion is increasingly becoming a global movement rather than a local conversation.
Across the world, inclusion is sometimes portrayed as an ideological debate. In reality, it is a practical one
The event attracted government ministers and advisers, commissioners responsible for education services, school owners, membership organisations, educational psychologists, SEND practitioners, counsellors, parents and, most importantly, hundreds of teachers.
More than just a classroom issue
The diversity of the audience sent a clear message: inclusion is no longer viewed as simply a classroom issue. It is increasingly recognised as a strategic matter that affects the success of entire education systems.
As someone who has spent more than three decades working with children and young people who have struggled in education, I recognised the conversation immediately.
It is the same conversation taking place in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Dublin, Sydney and New York.
It is the same conversation taking place in state schools, private schools, special schools and alternative providers across the world.
The circumstances may differ, but the challenge remains remarkably similar.
How do we create schools that are genuinely inclusive rather than simply appearing inclusive?
How do we ensure that children who learn differently, think differently or experience the world differently are not merely admitted into schools, but are supported to thrive once they arrive?
Working in challenging circumstances
During my workshop, attended by well over one hundred delegates, I was struck by the enthusiasm, curiosity and honesty of the participants.
Teachers, school leaders, counsellors, SEND practitioners and school owners wanted practical answers.
They wanted to learn. They wanted to improve. Most importantly, they wanted to do better for the children in their care.
Many of the delegates were working in circumstances that would challenge even the most experienced educators.
Resources were often limited. Specialist training was scarce. Formal SEND structures that we sometimes take for granted in the UK were often still developing.
Yet despite these challenges, the commitment to inclusion was unmistakable.
The delegates were not asking whether inclusion mattered. They were asking how to make it work.
That distinction is important. Across the world, inclusion is sometimes portrayed as an ideological debate. In reality, it is a practical one.
Every teacher understands the experience of trying to support a child who is struggling.
Every parent understands the anxiety of watching a child become unhappy at school.
Every school leader understands the challenge of balancing the needs of individuals with the needs of the wider community.
Inclusion begins with a willingness to recognise that diversity of thinking, learning and experience enriches every school community
Inclusion sits at the heart of all of these challenges.
Done well, inclusion is one of the most powerful tools we have for improving safeguarding, attendance, wellbeing, engagement and outcomes.
Done badly, it becomes symbolic rather than meaningful.
Children may be physically present in school but emotionally absent. They may be included on paper while feeling isolated in practice.
True inclusion requires something deeper – intentional belonging.
Creating a sense of belonging
Belonging is not created through policies alone, but through relationships, understanding, culture and daily practice. It is created when adults choose to see difference not as a problem to be solved but as a strength to be celebrated.
One of the strongest messages I took away from Nigeria was that many schools are eager to begin that journey.
The educators I met were not looking for expensive solutions. They were looking for sustainable solutions. That is an important lesson for all of us.
Inclusion does not always require vast resources. Additional resources are undoubtedly helpful, but some of the most significant changes begin with mindset rather than money.
They begin with a willingness to celebrate difference and to recognise that diversity of thinking, learning and experience enriches every school community.
It begins with asking different questions.
What if behaviour is communication?
What if attendance problems are a symptom rather than the problem itself?
What if the child who appears disengaged is actually overwhelmed?
What if difference is not something to be fixed but something to be understood?
When schools begin asking these questions, transformation becomes possible.
Building capacity for change
At Great Minds Therapy & Training, this philosophy sits at the centre of our work.
Our goal is not to create dependency on external experts, but to help schools build their own capacity for inclusion.
Through parent and staff training, therapeutic support and immersive whole-school inclusion programmes, we help schools develop internal inclusion teams and champions from within their existing workforce.
The aim is sustainability. The most effective schools are not those that rely on a single SEND specialist. They are schools where inclusion becomes everyone’s responsibility.
Teachers, leaders, support staff, families and pupils all have a role to play.
Reaching every child
Technology can support that journey too. Our vision for the Great Minds Inclusion Gateway is to provide schools with practical tools, resources, assessments and guidance that help ensure the right support reaches the right child at the right time.
But no portal, programme or training course can replace the most important ingredient of all. Human commitment.
What inspired me most about the National Inclusion Conference was not simply the presentations or discussions, valuable though they were. It was the people.
It was the determination of teachers who wanted to learn more.
It was the courage of parents advocating for their children.
It was the openness of school leaders willing to challenge established practices.
It was the commitment of policy makers and educational leaders who recognised that inclusion is fundamental to the future of education.
Most of all, it was the collective belief that schools can do better.
As I left Lagos, I found myself feeling optimistic. Not because the challenges facing inclusion have been solved. They have not.
But because wherever I travel, whether in the UK, Europe, Asia, the Middle East or Africa, I continue to meet educators who share the same aspiration.
They want every child to belong.
