From Student Voice to Student Partnership: Building an Inclusive Education for All

 
 
Colourfull hands below the word 'Partnership'
 

Written by Dr Nattalia Godbold, Science and Technologies Teacher, The Lakes College

Inclusive education requires shifting from traditional models of education, where students are passive recipients of knowledge, to collaborative models where students are active partners in shaping their learning experiences. At the upcoming National Education Summit in Brisbane, I will explore how student partnership is a crucial pillar of inclusive education. While student voice—the process of gathering student opinions and feedback—is a valuable first step, true inclusion requires students to be co-creators in their learning journey. This blog post introduces these concepts and previews how they will be further discussed at the conference.

Inclusive Education: More Than Just Access

Inclusive education, as defined by Booth and Ainscow (2011), is about “increasing the participation of students and reducing their exclusion from the cultures, curricula, and communities of local schools.” While much of the discussion around inclusion focuses on accessibility—such as providing assistive technologies or differentiated instruction—we can also provide inclusivity by giving all students a genuine stake in their education. In this way, inclusive education can go beyond accommodations by actively involving students in decision-making processes in the classroom.

Student Voice: A Step Toward Inclusion

Student voice plays a key role in making education more inclusive by allowing students to express their experiences, needs, and challenges. Common mechanisms include:

  • Feedback surveys on teaching and curriculum

  • Student advisory groups

  • Open forums on diversity, accessibility, and learning needs

  • Representation in institutional decision-making

Research by Rudduck and Flutter (2004) suggests that when students feel heard, they are more engaged in their learning and more likely to succeed. However, simply gathering feedback is not enough—without action, student voice initiatives risk becoming performative rather than transformative.

Student Partnership: The Future of Inclusive Learning

To create an authentically inclusive education system, we must move beyond consultation and embrace student partnership. This means recognising students as co-creators of their learning experience, rather than just participants. Partnership can take many forms, such as:

  • Co-designing curricula to reflect diverse perspectives and learning needs

  • Collaborating on assessment models that are more flexible and accessible

  • Involving students in institutional policies on accessibility, well-being, and equity

According to Cook-Sather, Bovill, & Felten (2014), student partnership fosters a sense of ownership and belonging, particularly for marginalized students. Healey, Flint, & Harrington (2014) argue that by embedding student voices into the fabric of educational institutions, partnership leads to more responsive, adaptive, and equitable learning environments.

At the conference, we will explore:

✔️ How student partnership leads to more accessible learning experiences

✔️ Strategies for implementing student partnership in school settings

✔️ Overcoming barriers to authentic collaboration between students and educators

Join the Conversation!

Inclusive education is not just about providing access—it is about co-creating learning experiences that meet the needs of all students. Let’s move beyond listening to student voices and work with students to build an education system where everyone belongs. Join me at the National Education Summit in Brisbane this year, as we explore how student partnership can drive real change in inclusive education.

Stay Connected

Follow me on http://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-n-godbold  for updates, resources, and continued discussion on inclusive education and student partnership.

Looking forward to engaging with you at the conference! 🌍✨

Nattalia is presenting at the Diverse Learners Symposium in Brisbane on Thursday 31 July 2025 on Students as partners in the curriculum: leveraging student voice to create inclusive classrooms

 
Darshana Amarsi