Teachers, classroom assistants, school leaders, community representatives, and colleagues from the Department of Education (DE) and Education Authority (EA) joined staff from twelve South Belfast primary schools for a day of shared learning and collaboration on the theme of Inclusion.

The keynote address was delivered by Professor Martin Scanlan (Boston College), who urged participants to think about inclusion through three practical commitments:

• Strengthening schema – building the shared frameworks that support collective understanding.
• Cultivating ecosystems – focusing on weak ties to expand the relational networks that make inclusive practice possible.
• (Re)building infrastructures for inclusion – ensuring the roles, routines, and resources that underpin schools’ work are sustainable and equitable.

These messages reflect the very real challenges facing Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision—where mainstream schools are under even greater pressure to meet a growing diversity of needs. The imminent implementation of the Department’s SEN Reform Agenda, five-year Delivery Plan and associated Outcomes Framework—described officially as “the most ambitious programme of SEN reform in a generation”—signals substantial and systemic ambition. Developed in collaboration with parents, practitioners and academics, these reforms propose measures to enhance early identification, build workforce capability, improve parental confidence, and introduce clear indicators for system-wide monitoring. However, the extent to which mainstream schools—and the young people they serve—benefit will depend crucially on sustained investment, effective cross-sector collaboration, and the strengthening of peer-support structures throughout the system. This relational infrastructure will be key to translating policy into practice.

The conference programme also offered a wide range of breakout sessions focusing on inclusive classrooms, universal design for learning, inclusive literacy and numeracy, staff wellbeing, leadership for inclusion, adaptive physical activity, and newcomer education. These were facilitated by colleagues from St Mary’s University College, Queen’s University Belfast, the University of Limerick, Middletown Centre for Autism, EastSide Learning, Aware NI, Arvalee School and Resource Centre, and Fane Street Primary.

The conference also resonated with the Department’s recently announced Teacher Professional Learning Fund, which emphasises learning networks, partnerships, and clusters. This aligns closely with the SBPSP and QCAP’s model of place-based research–practice partnership (RPP), highlighting the role that school–community–university partnerships can play in shaping more equitable education systems. The scale of participation this year demonstrates a strong collective commitment to tackling the challenges of inclusion.

This event was generously supported by the QUB Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility (CESR) directorate and the Department of Education’s Research-Informed Conference Fund. QCAP wishes to thank all contributors, facilitators, and school principals for making the day such a success and for their ongoing support of the partnership.