THE INCLUSION INDEX · NATIONAL RESEARCH · 2026
Student voice
Listen to the experiences students value, then ask who can depend on them. Explore relationships, learning, participation and belonging.
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57.7%
Learn about a role model like them
1,064 / 1,845 recorded answers
We listened when students said: “I know what a role model is and I have learned about one who is like me.”
Why? Learning about someone like you and having a chance to take a visible role are different experiences. Our research tells us it is important to ask about both.
They said:
“Most students that are the same race as me or that are the same age as me get picked for key roles here.”
Student · ST01-Q1
“I do not want to be a Student council so its fine for me but sometimes I want to be something in a play and I do not get picked but I do not really mind.”
Student · ST01-Q2
A question for your setting
How are role models, curriculum examples and selection for visible roles reviewed with students who seldom put themselves forward?
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64.6%
Have an adult for an honest conversation
1,192 / 1,845 recorded answers
We listened when students said: “I have at least one adult I can speak honestly to here.”
Why? A trusted adult gives a student someone to approach. It is crucial to ask how that relationship works when help is needed.
Students told us:
“I can talk to everyone here but the person I speak honestly with the most is my current teacher.”
Student · ST02-Q1
“i am constantly being bullied here but i have a great teacher, my ratings will be lowered down later”
Student · ST02-Q2
A question for your setting
Can every student identify an accessible adult, and what happens when that adult is absent?
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69.6%
Feel they belong
1,284 / 1,845 recorded answers
We listened when students said: “I belong here.”
Why? Friendship and a supportive teacher can help a student feel part of a community. Our research tells us it is meaningful to ask whether they also feel safe and able to be themselves.
They said:
““because i have freinds and a nice teacher”
Student · ST03-Q1
“I am happy here because my friend, i feel like i can talk to her, without being left out.”
Student · ST03-Q2
A question for your setting
What helps students feel accepted without hiding parts of themselves, and where does that experience become less reliable?
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73.9%
Recognise a welcoming focus
1,363 / 1,845 recorded answers
We listened when students said: “We focus on welcoming and including everyone here.”
Why? A welcome can feel different in a classroom, corridor or friendship group. Our research tells us it is imporant to ask listen to what happens between formal activities.
They said:
“Teachers include everyone and students include most people”
Student · ST04-Q1
“I don't think everyone is included here. There are friend groups that play together but I don't think they play with others that they don't really know.”
Student · ST04-Q2
A question for your setting
How do students experience inclusion in classrooms, corridors, lunch spaces and informal friendship groups?
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69.0%
Feel their learning needs are fully supported
1,273 / 1,844 recorded answers
We listened when students said: “I believe my learning needs are fully supported here.”
Why? Support matters in everyday learning. Our research tells us it is important to ask whether agreed adjustments happen consistently across lessons.
They said:
“teachers always helpthey let me share my ideas thats fun.”
Student · ST05-Q1
“Some teachers give other students accommodations, but they don’t give others the same accommodations.”
Student · ST05-Q2
A question for your setting
How do teachers check that agreed support is available across lessons, assessments and changes of staff?
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44.9%
Feel seen in the curriculum
829 / 1,845 recorded answers
We listened when students said: “I feel 'seen' in the curriculum. The curriculum here is diverse and represents me.”
Why? A topic or example can help a student recognise their own life in the curriculum. Our research tells us it is crucial to check that the question is understood as well as the response.
They said:
“We did a unit on our country so I feel very included with my nationality.”
Student · ST06-Q1
“It does not represent me….”
Student · ST06-Q2
A question for your setting
Which texts, topics and examples help students recognise their lives, and how will younger students understand the question?
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71.6%
Feel safe
1,321 / 1,845 recorded answers
We listened when students said: “I feel safe here.”
Why? Feeling safe and receiving help after something upsetting are related experiences. Our research tells us each needs attention.
They said:
“i can speak honestly to a member of leadership team . I also feel safe talking to them.”
Student · ST07-Q1
“Some times my friend gets bullied and I have to intervene”
Student · ST07-Q2
A question for your setting
Who can students approach after harm, and how will they know that something has changed?
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70.9%
Take part beyond lessons
1,308 / 1,844 recorded answers
We listened when students said: “I take part in activities outside of lessons, like clubs, sports, arts and music.”
Why? Taking part is a starting point. Our research tells us that leaders need to explore choice, cost, timing and access, including activities outside school.
Students said:
“I do lessons like violin, football and more but outside of school.”
Student · ST08-Q1
“i cant even get into the club i want”
Student · ST08-Q2
A question for your setting
Who wants to participate but cannot, and which changes would make the activity accessible?
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80.1%
Learn about people who are different
1,478 / 1,845 recorded answers
We listened when students said: “I learn about people who are different to me.”
Why? Learning about difference creates opportunities for discussion. Our research tells us to ask students how that learning connects to everyday respect.
Students said:
“Can year 4-6 have units about different cultures”
Student · ST09-Q1
A question for your setting
How does learning about difference connect with everyday respect, and which concepts need clearer examples?
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66.9%
Disagree that unsafe feelings caused missed time
1,234 / 1,845 recorded answers
We listened when students said: “I have missed time here due to feeling unsafe.”
Why? This question asks about missed time attributed to feeling unsafe. Its favourable response is disagreement; it is not an attendance rate.
They said:
“At my last school i did not really like going to school but here i love to because i have friends and the teachers are kind.”
Student · ST10-Q1
A question for your setting
When attendance becomes difficult, how are safety, relationships and support explored with the student and family?
EXPLORE TEN THEMES
Who feels they belong?
Bringing inclusion into focus with Kaleidoscopic Data™
An overall result can hide very different experiences. Kaleidoscopic Data™ helps us see whose experience of belonging is more positive, who is being underserved, and what schools and education leaders can investigate next.
Looking beyond the overall result reveals differences in students’ experiences of belonging.
Positive responses were higher among students reporting never having lower socioeconomic status (72.5%) than among those currently reporting it (52.5%).
Experiences also differed across ethnicity: 72.7% of responses from students of mixed backgrounds were positive, compared with 58.8% from Black, African, Caribbean or Black British students.
Boys gave more positive responses than girls, while girls more often selected neutral answers; negative responses were similar.
These patterns invite school leaders to look more closely at whose lives are recognised in their contexts, and who can depend on the relationships, resources and opportunities that help students belong.
Helping shape your Inclusion Strategy
The DfE’s guidance for England asks schools to understand barriers to learning and participation, involve pupils and families, and review outcomes including belonging. Read the guidance→
Kaleidoscopic Data™ can help bring lived experience into that process: recognising what people value, identifying whose experiences are less positive and informing priorities across the seven principles of inclusion. Read alongside evidence from your own community, the Index offers questions to strengthen your strategy. Returning to those voices over time can help you understand whether people are experiencing the changes you intended.
Explore how Kaleidoscope can support your Inclusion Strategy →
What would this look like in your community?
Use local voice to recognise strengths, agree priorities
and review what changes.
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The Inclusion Index · September 2026