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Evaluating Inclusiveness - A Guide for Scotland's Colleges

SECTION 1: THE INCLUSIVE COLLEGE

The key components of an inclusive college are its:

• ethos, values, and relationships,
• professional activity undertaken to match curriculum content and delivery arrangements to the requirements of individuals, and
• infrastructures and partnerships which enable it to respond to need flexibly and imaginatively.

In the inclusive college these components are established both through internal leadership and direction and also through the influence of the Board of Management, which can provide a powerful steer, drawing on the relevant experience of its members. Senior managers and the Board see inclusiveness as a continuing, dynamic process of identifying learners’ diverse needs and responding imaginatively.

An inclusive college

- welcomes all potential learners, within the framework of its mission and vision….
- listens and responds to all learners in a way which is respectful and which recognises their starting points…
- designs programmes and learning activities which give all learners the best possible opportunities for success…
- takes a supportive interest in all learners’ progress and outcomes and encourages them to take a purposeful approach to their learning…
- enables learners to experience challenge and success…
- promotes attainment of formal qualifications, and, equally, promotes achievements in personal growth and development, learning skills and skills for employability and citizenship…
- helps all learners prepare for future challenges in their further learning and employment…
- forms a learning community in which all members share values of respect for individuals and promotion of wellbeing of others.

Features of an inclusive college

We have found, through our programme of college reviews and through discussion with colleges and other key players in the sector, that the following features characterise inclusive colleges.

The inclusive college:

• anticipates and welcomes diversity in the characteristics and the needs of potential learners and responds to all learners in a way which is respectful and which recognises their starting points. It is well informed about legislation and associated guidance relating to equalities. The Board, senior managers and all staff promote a positive approach to diversity across college and embed inclusiveness in all activities. Through development, training and support for staff at all levels, and for the student body as appropriate, it promotes a consistent, college-wide approach that ensures parity of the quality of the college experience for learners.
• values individuals and makes arrangements which meet individual needs. Learners are confident that staff understand their circumstances and needs and are genuinely interested in their progress and success. All members of the college community share values of respect for individuals and promotion of wellbeing of others.
• identifies and addresses barriers to participation. It is well informed about possible barriers to participation among current or potential learners. It understands that barriers can be located in the individual, in the college or in the interaction between them; and that the barriers can include physical, emotional, geographical, socio-economic, and other factors.
• identifies and responds to under-represented groups or groups with unrecognised need. It does this through its detailed knowledge of social issues in the local and wider community, and it is creative in devising provision which attracts and meets the needs of learners.
• works in partnership with other agencies. It has strategic alliances with local authorities, regeneration agencies, and other key organisations working to a social inclusion agenda, and with public and private sector employers and employer bodies. It uses these partnerships to develop or contribute to education and training provision which enables learners to develop further confidence and competence in employment-related and other skills. In providing a skill mix and access to a range of funding sources, partnership working ensures a good match between the provision and what learners need.
• demonstrates an ethos which focuses on learner development, progress and outcomes with a view to sustaining attendance, achievement and attainment and developing effective lifelong learners. It promotes attainment of formal qualifications, and, equally, promotes achievements in terms of personal growth and development, skills for employability and citizenship and learning skills.
• takes a proactive, supportive interest in the progress and outcomes of all learners and encourages them to take a purposeful approach to learning. It provides guidance and support to inform their choice of a programme which matches their abilities and aspirations, helps them sustain successful participation in the programme and helps them develop further aspirations and plan next steps.
• designs programmes and learning activities which give learners the best possible opportunities for success. It provides an appropriate curriculum and appropriate delivery arrangements to meet the diverse needs of learners, where possible consulting learners on design and delivery. It recognises that standard, conventional programmes may not match the requirements of all learners and is ready to develop or adapt programmes and delivery methods that best match learner needs. It provides learning environments which are appropriate for the individuals using them.
• uses information and feedback from learners, from external organisations and from in-house and external research, including action research, to effect improvements in inclusive practice.

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