Sarah Vickrage of Fellowship of Inspection Nominees explains how staff retention improves if providers apply inclusive practice to staff as well as to learners.
Ofsted and Inclusion
There is a clear commitment to inclusion and inclusive practice when it comes to learners within further education with this being further amplified under the new Ofsted framework. Across the sector, significant investment of time and resources have gone into supporting learners with SEND, embedding equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategies, and adopting trauma-informed and inclusive pedagogies. These efforts matter, and they have improved access and outcomes for many learners. But why does inclusion so often stop with learners?
An inclusive culture should extend to the staff who design the curriculum, deliver teaching, support learners and hold institutions together under increasing pressure. At present, this is an area where FE too often can fall short. Staff inclusion can be treated as a private matter, a human resources process or something to be managed on a case-by-case basis rather than embedded culturally. It is assumed, informal and overlooked.
A diverse workforce
This oversight is particularly problematic given the diversity of the workforce. FE staff include disabled (both visible and non-visible) and neurodivergent colleagues, staff with long-term health conditions, carers, parents, and those from minoritised backgrounds. Many work part time or hourly paid contracts, often with limited autonomy over timetables and workloads.
Despite this diversity, FE workplaces are frequently designed around an unspoken “ideal worker” norm; full-time, consistently available, resilient to workload pressure, comfortable with open-plan environments and rapid organisational change. Those who fall outside this norm are often expected to adapt quietly, rather than institutions adapting to them.
Research across education sectors shows that disabled staff and those with caring responsibilities are less likely to disclose their needs due to fear of stigma or negative career impact. FE is unlikely to be immune from these dynamics.
While many colleges and providers have inclusive intentions, staff lived experiences often reveal where the systemic gaps lie. They reveal inconsistent approaches to reasonable adjustments, limited understanding of neurodiversity and invisible disabilities, cultures of presenteeism that undermines flexible working, workload models that assume unlimited capacity and CPD, meetings and communications that are inaccessible by default.
Crucially, these are not simply procedural issues. They reflect deeper cultural assumptions about professionalism, commitment and “coping” in education. In a sector already facing recruitment and retention challenges, such assumptions are increasingly unsustainable
Much more than a compliance issue
Whilst it is tempting to frame staff inclusion primarily as a compliance issue, legal compliance should be the minimum standard, not the ambition. The same proactive principles with which we meet our learners should also apply to staff. True inclusive cultures do not rely solely on disclosure, diagnosis or individual negotiation. They are built through universal design in environments, systems and expectations that work for a wide range of people from the outset.
Leadership is central here. Inclusive practice for staff cannot be delegated solely to HR teams. It requires leaders and managers who understand inclusion as part of organisational culture, not an administrative process.
But what does this look like and why does it matter? Inclusive practice for staff does not require radical reinvention. Many approaches are already familiar from learner-focused inclusion. Normalising flexible working and varied working patterns where roles allow, designing meetings, CPD and communications to be accessible by default and offering clarity and transparency around workload expectations are just a few examples.
There is a strong moral case for inclusive practice for staff, but here is also a practical one too. Evidence consistently shows that inclusive practices improve wellbeing, engagement and retention across the workforce.
Improved staff retention
Staff who feel valued, supported and included are more likely to remain in the sector, more likely to innovate in their teaching, and are better placed to model inclusive behaviours for learners. Conversely, cultures that normalise burnout and silence around need, undermine the very values educators seeks to instil in their students.
If we expect staff to create inclusive learning environments, we must ask whether they are experiencing inclusion themselves. Education has long positioned itself as a sector rooted in social justice, second chances and widening participation. To maintain credibility in that mission, it must look inward as well as outward. The question for leaders is no longer whether staff inclusion matters, but whether the sector can afford to continue without it.
