Volume 7a: Inclusive Education – Why Are Students Still Being Left Behind?

Artist Statement

“My artwork represents a circle of ‘stars’ and ‘moons’, reflecting the various learners in every classroom. To me, inclusivity is having access to the learning, friendship and classroom experiences that suit each individual best, and the acceptance that our differences are what make our galaxy so beautiful”.

– Hayley Marrs

Inclusive Education

Volume 7 is a massive volume, covering inclusivity in education, employment and housing. In this post, we start by looking at the first section – inclusive education (Vol 7a).

Education shapes opportunities across a lifetime. For children and young people with disability, inclusive education can improve academic outcomes, wellbeing, employment prospects and participation in community life. Volume 7a examined how education systems can ensure students with disability are supported to learn alongside peers.

The DRC Recommendations aimed to:

Improve the schooling outcomes for students with disability by improving enrolment process and access to reasonable adjustments
Protect students with disability from inappropriate school exclusions
Strengthen communication and complaints pathways between families and schools
Develop the capacity of teachers and school staff to deliver inclusive education, and
Develop a pathway towards ending segregation in education.

QIDAN’s analysis found that whilst some recommendations are beginning to be implemented, there was no tangible progress on key recommendations particularly in areas relating to safeguarding, oversight, and inclusion.

What QIDAN found

Limited action on school exclusions

Recommendation 7.2 calls for stronger measures to prevent the inappropriate use of exclusionary discipline against students with disability.

Governments have taken no action to protect children with disability in these situations, and in fact new statistics show an increase in the percentage of students with disability facing a school disciplinary absence[1]

Progress on reasonable adjustments remains unclear

Recommendations 7.3 and 7.12 focus on improving access and provision of reasonable adjustments at school so students with disability can participate fully in education.

While the Disability Service Plan 2025 – 2028 includes commitments to reasonable adjustments, there hasn’t been any reportable progress.

Segregation continues to grow

Recommendation 7.14 details a step-by-step approach to phasing out segregated education. However, the Queensland Government has recently invested in six new special schools, clearly showing they have no intention to stop the segregation of students with disability.

Where things stand overall

According to QIDAN’s analysis

10 (63%) recommendations have no updates on their implementation.
4 ( 25%) recommendations are at beginning stages of implementation, and
1 (6%) recommendation is in progress.

The DRC made it clear that inclusive education is not simply about access to a classroom — it is about ensuring every student can participate, belong and thrive. Continued action will be needed to ensure children and young people with disability receive the inclusive education they deserve.