At TTCT we are now designing our schools around the needs of our most vulnerable students. A significant piece of learning for the trust has been the shift from a deficit model to an asset-based approach. 

Inclusion is no longer treated as a separate area of work; it’s embedded in everything they do, with every senior leader understanding its importance and how it connects to their work.

Since working with The Difference, we have seen significant results, including a 1.1% increase in attendance across the trust, with an even greater improvement among their PP students. This impact has been achieved within 12 to 18 months. 

By focusing on whole-school inclusion and getting the universal offer right first, rather than prioritising systems and practices further along the exclusions continuum, such as alternative provision, we can reduce the need for referrals and create a more inclusive and supportive environment for all.

I think this is a landscape where change can happen…there’s a realisation that high academic outcomes and whole-school inclusion are not separate things: you can have both. This has really created new momentum to improve inclusion for every TTCT student.

– Wesley Davies, The Two Counties Trust