Pathways to Progress: Inclusion in Practice

At The Literacy Company, we understand that inclusive practice is key to helping every pupil achieve and thrive. Under the current Ofsted framework, inclusion sits both as a distinct judgement and as a thread running through all other areas.

To support teachers in their drive towards effective inclusion across school, we are pleased to share insights from Joanne Hewson, Director of Education at Omega Trust, whose extensive experience of Ofsted and the current inspection framework brings clarity to what effective inclusion looks like in practice. Through this, you will see how Pathways to Progress can support your school in strengthening inclusive practice. This is an approach Joanne has seen first-hand with the programme used across her schools to help teachers address gaps in learning and to support small group and 1:1 provision.

Guest insight: Joanne Hewson, Director of Education, Omega Trust (June 2026) 

Inclusion is a fundamental principle within the Ofsted Toolkit and a defining feature of highly effective education. It is not an additional consideration or a separate agenda; it is the measure of how well a school understands its pupils, effectively removes barriers to learning and participation and ensures that every child can access the full richness of the curriculum and school life. This includes disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND, pupils known to social care and any child whose circumstances may affect their achievement or sense of belonging. At its best, inclusion is defined by high expectations, careful identification of need and a shared commitment to helping every pupil flourish. 

The Ofsted School Inspection Toolkit makes clear that inclusion is woven through every area of school effectiveness. It shapes the ambition and coherence of the curriculum, the quality of teaching, the progress pupils make over time, the way behaviour and attendance are understood and the support provided for pupils’ wider development and well-being. Most importantly, it is reflected in the decisions made by leaders and governors. For all schools, this means inclusion must be visible and thriving in daily practice, not simply stated in policy: pupils should be understood accurately, consistently taught well from their starting points and be identified and supported early enough to prevent gaps from widening. 

This is why developing secure foundational knowledge and skills must remain a priority, especially where pupils begin from varied starting points. Without strong foundations in executive functioning, communication, language, literacy and learning, pupils are less able to access the curriculum, participate confidently in all aspects of school life and experience success over time. They are also less likely to be well prepared for the next stages of education and for the wider opportunities and challenges that lie beyond school. Pathways to Progress is rooted in this understanding. By strengthening the essential building blocks of learning, it helps schools respond thoughtfully to need, close gaps with greater precision and make inclusion real in the everyday experience of all children, enabling them to move forward with confidence and to realise their full potential. 

What This Looks Like in Practice 

Drawing on Joanne’s expert insights, we can now consider how Pathways to Progress aligns with these principles in practice. The programme gives pupils the targeted boost they need to secure confident, accurate writing, directly supporting this inclusive approach in the classroom by removing barriers to learning. A flexible, sentence-level programme, it can be used as a small group intervention or as high-impact whole class starters, ensuring all pupils benefit from precise, focused teaching.

Each week includes three clearly structured 20-minute sessions, fully resourced and grounded in research, making it both practical and impactful for busy classrooms. 

With early identification of gaps in learning at its core, the programme enables teachers to pinpoint exactly where pupils need support. Formative assessment drives each session, ensuring teaching builds cumulatively from pupils’ starting points, while regular review secures prior learning before new skills are introduced. This careful, responsive approach mirrors Ofsted’s expectation that support is timely and effective in preventing gaps from widening. 

By strengthening sentence construction, Pathways to Progress builds confidence and ensures that new skills transfer directly into pupils’ English books. It offers a clear example of how ‘reasonable adjustments or adaptations… are well targeted, effective in reducing barriers and focused on long term success’ (Ofsted School Inspection Toolkit, page 22). 

In this way, Pathways to Progress translates the principles of inclusion into daily classroom practice, providing precise, purposeful teaching that helps every pupil move forward. 

See a free sample of Pathways to Progress here!