Promoting culturally inclusive schools in a globalised world: learning from a collaborative case study

Our pilot study aims to investigate the conceptualisation and operationalisation of culturally inclusive schools. We have an agreement in principle with a school in Edinburgh to be the research case study.



The lack of conceptual clarity on the definition of inclusive education (Ainscow, 2020; Huag, 2017) was restated in a recent report by UNESCO (2020) Towards inclusion in education: Status, trends and challenges. The Report, based on a review of international experiences, research and policy documents states that inclusive education is viewed in some countries as “serving children with disabilities within general education settings” while, internationally, it is increasingly seen more broadly “as a principle that supports and welcomes diversity amongst all learners...to eliminate social exclusion that is a consequence of attitudes and responses to diversity in race, social class, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, migrant status and ability” (p.24). Our research perfectly aligns within this broadening understanding of inclusive education. For an in-depth exploration our research aims to focus on understandings of cultural inclusiveness in relation to diversity in race and ethnicity.