Inclusion Charter launched in Camden

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has launched a charter to help tackle rising suspensions and absenteeism during a visit to Camden. London’s Inclusion Charter has been developed by the Mayor of London’s Violence Reduction Unit in partnership with young people, schools, education specialists and local authorities.

It is the first city-wide charter of its type and is underpinned by four guiding principles centred on inclusive practice that is backed up by research on the views of young people, parents and teachers. These principals are:

• Embedding Equity and Diversity
• Students as Active Citizens
• Being Adaptable and Reflective
• Beyond Academic Achievement

The Charter is supported by a new £1.4 million partnership between the Mayor’s VRU and UNICEF UK that will provide free resources and training to support inclusive practices for all state-funded school and education settings in London for the next four years.

The Charter was developed with community groups, anti-racist organisations and education specialists including Mission44, the Fair Education Alliance and the Who's Losing Learning Coalition.

The Charter Launch was attended by local London Assembly Member Anne Clarke, who said:

‘I am delighted that the Mayor is encouraging a new approach to tackle the serious problem of suspensions and absenteeism in a thoughtful and effective way. By listening to the voices of young people, and working with schools, local authorities, charities and professional bodies, the Mayor and the Violence Reduction Unit have written a charter that offer a practical way forward. Missing school has a serious impact on a pupil’s educational outcomes and future life chances.

The Mayor and I are not advocating a zero-tolerance approach to exclusions or suspensions as we firmly believe that those decisions must be made by governors and headteachers as there may be times whereby exclusion or suspension is necessary for the safety and wellbeing of children and staff.’