The Importance Of Social Justice And Inclusion In Education

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Introduction
Social justice and inclusion have become important parts of the modern world, especially within the Scottish education system. They allow pupils to reach their full potential and to become fully integrated whilst at school, regardless of background or disability. However these terms are ever changing and require a lot of thought and determination to be fully fulfilled within schools. This paper will look at the importance of social justice and inclusion as well as considering different views on the topics. It will also focus on the teacher’s role in achieving an inclusive environment within school and the implications for learning.

Literature review
Defining social justice and inclusion
The concepts of social justice and inclusion
When looking at a definition of social justice in education, the goals become more specific.
When focussing on schools it is important that social justice ensures that gaining a valuable education is a right offered to all regardless of the child’s background. Education should also not be treated like a “prize” to be given to those who deserve it, it should be offered to every child within the school in order to provide them with the ability to reach their full potential in the future by achieving intellectual growth (Reay 2014). Although focussing on school this view continues to promote social justice as a tool for removing discrimination from learning, making it a truly equal experience.
Many authorities and schools take their cue from the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child which was laid out in 1989. It states that all children have the right to an education, and that this education should come with equal opportunities. It continues to ensure that children have equal opportunities, as is states these should be made available and accessible to pupils at all levels of the school (United Nations, 1989). It goes even further and encourages schools to enforce regular attendance and to encourage pupils to stay in education for as long as possible. By promoting this culture within schools, pupils may feel supported and willing to take
However, as well as being included it is also important that those who are at school feel that they belong and are respected and valued. They should also feel supported by the school they are in, and a sense of commitment to provide them with the same opportunities as other pupils (Miller and Katz, 2002). This will ensure that all individuals are valued and should help to remove discriminatory barriers which may limit involvement.
Inclusion can also be viewed as how the schools reacts to these demands. If inclusion is about increasing participation for all pupils then it can be defined as supporting schools to become more responsive to the array of children that need to be included (Booth and Ainscow, 2011). In order to be truly inclusive schools will require help and guidance in order to offer all the services which will be required for taking on pupils whose needs may be more demanding than others.
Despite inclusion having varying definitions it is generally agreed that is involves increasing participation for all pupils whilst decreasing exclusion within mainstream Scottish schools (Booth and Ainscow,

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