What is Voice Inclusive Practice?

  • What is Voice Inclusive Practice?

Voice Inclusive Practice positions children at the centre of inquiry and ensures decision-making processes are informed by an ongoing and open dialogue with children on matters affecting them. Read Voice Inclusive Practice (VIP): A charter for authentic student engagement and Empowering the disempowered through voice inclusive practice: Children’s views on adult-centric educational provision.

Many principles of voice inclusive practice align with child-centred education, however thinking of student voice inclusion as a synonym for child-centred education, limits its potential. Voice Inclusive Practice engages with the child as both a recipient and as a key participant in the learning process. It also acknowledges the collaborative potential of learning environments that represent all stakeholder perspectives including teachers, parents, and children. There is much theoretical research that supports these methods (e.g. Bandura, 1997; Beattie, 2012; Bruner, 1996; Dewey, 1916; Fielding, 2004; Lundy, 2007, 2018; McIntyre, Pedder & Rudduck, 2005).

Voice Inclusive Practice consists of four core elements:

  • Authentic: Free of burden or guilt
  • Achievable: Everyday achievable
  • Integral: Beyond the pleasure or convenience of the adult
  • Compatible with the rights, responsibilities or citizenship of adults

Student expectations of voice action draw upon the extent they perceive adults at the school will value their contributions. But action should not be dependent on perceived value. Student views aren’t the only ones that matter, but they are important.

Why is ‘voice’ important?

“The power of education is realised when students experience it as something they do, rather than have done to them.”

Foundations of Voice Inclusive Practice

There are many Participatory Models with student voice at the centre.

‘Voice’ represents the enactment of a child’s participatory rights to express an opinion, remain silent, access information, and be included in decision-making processes. Read more (United Nations, 2009)

The positive benefits of ‘voice’ for students, staff, and school communities have been demonstrated and there are many great examples of voice inclusive practices occurring in schools. .

The importance of ‘voice’ is also emphasised in Australian educational reviews such as the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and the Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools. The latter also highlights that “achievement and engagement are higher at schools that allow students to voice their opinions in decision making about their education” (p. 26) Read more

Some governments around the world also place student views at the centre of their national strategies. Read the Government of Ireland National Strategy on Children and Young People’s Participation in Decision-Making (pp. 21-22) or are making steady progress towards this realisation in countries such as Scotland. Read the Scottish Government’s Children and young people’s voices matter: progress report.

Read more about Applying Voice Inclusive Practice