Thinking Deeply about Primary Education Accessible by Default: In Action
Sep 29, 2025
Lloyd Williams Jones, an experienced primary school leader about to take headship, and Shannen Doherty, an incoming deputy headteacher, dive into inclusive education challenges. They discuss the impact of systemic issues on SEND provision and the shift towards universal design in teaching. Shannen emphasizes the importance of not relying on labels while urging collective commitment from school stakeholders. Lloyd advocates for a culture change in leadership, stressing that inclusive teaching ultimately benefits all students. Their insightful conversation highlights practical strategies to embed inclusivity in schools.
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Paper Felt Like A Wake-Up Call
- The Goodrich/Barker/McRae paper names systemic problems and felt like a necessary 'shots fired' moment to participants.
- Lloyd says it connected national levers with classroom realities and forced a profession-wide conversation.
Shift From Labels To Universal Design
- Shannen welcomed the paper for shifting focus from individuals to universal design and teacher empowerment.
- She highlighted that labels and external fixes often distract from strong classroom practice.
Get System Leaders To Read The Paper
- Make the paper compulsory reading for inspectors, trust leaders and local authority improvement teams.
- Shannen argues whole-system buy-in prevents frontline teachers being undermined by conflicting advice.