Becoming a totally inclusive school – by Angeline Aow, Sadie Hollins, and Stephen Whitehead

An in-depth review

All reviews represent the opinion of DSinclairWriting and are not sponsored; there are no affiliate links on this page.

Overall Score: 8/10

Quick Review:

‘Becoming a totally inclusive school’ supports increases in racial literacy and understanding of the current hegemonies in education. Hegemonies which are so pervasive that even experienced leaders and advocates may have bypassed them in their mission to create inclusive school cultures.

Engaging with key concepts such as contextual definitions, power and positionality, well-being, and safeguarding, ‘Becoming a totally inclusive school’ supports knowledge and perspective development to support your DEIJ journey. Rather than build the school for you, ‘Becoming a totally inclusive school’ tries to provide a space to create your own blueprint, confident that you have taken stock of the resources you are working with and concepts specific to the context you are working in.

An important point for speculative readers is that ‘Becoming a totally inclusive school’ does speak to moderate to large schools. Though inclusive in its approach, small schools (<400 students) will do well to intentionally engage with the strategies with an awareness of adjustments needed. Certain infrastructures and approaches rightfully discussed and recommended are not always accessible to a small school on the basis of size or financing. The latter also being a reflection of inequity challenges in education but still something to be acknowledged. ‘Becoming a totally inclusive school’ has a wealth of value for all schools, including small schools; the authors include a wide array of approaches and attempt to make it clear that inclusivity is in your approach rather than simply your outcomes.

Stephen Whitehead and Sadie Hollins introduce a good theoretical foundation for readers and a variety of voices and examples. Then, to take it from theory into practice, Angeline Aow’s reflective strategies and models help develop community-constructed strategies and identification of weaknesses to set a school up for development and success.

‘Becoming a totally inclusive school’ is hopefully the beginning of a new range of educational literature with a more pointed approach. With the continued development of the topics in the book, I eagerly await further editions which streamline and clarify some of the learning (especially the end-of-chapter activities) and push this dialogue even further.

I have had the privilege of speaking with Angeline Aow about ‘Becoming a totally inclusive school’ and attending her workshops. Discussing the strengths and areas for further development in the book was some of my greatest learning this year. I can attest to the quality of her work and reflection on this book. Great things are happening in this space, and this review is positioned with a high bar and positive intention.

‘Becoming a totally inclusive school’ covers new ground regarding whole-school design and culture-building. A great springboard to challenge and initiate your own thinking, ‘Becoming a totally inclusive school’ is a starting point for those who wish to learn and take their next steps into this space. DEIJ advocates will find familiarity with many key concepts while benefitting from in-depth referencing from the most recent and impactful resources. A true launchpad for educators who wish to build an inclusive school environment.

Detailed review:

Readability – 8/10

‘Becoming a totally inclusive school’ is printed in a fairly small font size and maximises text on the page, which is not conducive to highlighting. The paragraph blocks are very large in places, and I recommend getting digital versions where possible for ease of reading. The language was accessible and does not assume prior knowledge while still being useful and refreshing for those experienced with these topics. As is the case with books breaking into new territory, there was a noticeable repetition of topics which did not detract but sometimes damaged the clarity of the message.

DEIJ (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice) awareness – 9/10

‘Becoming a totally inclusive school’ is a brilliant introduction to many key topics and frameworks needed today. There is a beautiful engagement with definitions and concepts such as ‘person-first-language’ with the book as a whole being affirming for many minoritised teachers. Despite this, there is still some space for development to ensure all types of schools are considered. For example, smaller schools and schools with a high degree of homogeneity in their community which reflects geographic and socioeconomic limitations rather than ideological or inclusion-related failures. The reality of inclusion-driven but still relatively homogenous schools is a concept that is necessary to prevent the exclusion of small schools in remote areas that may not be able to attain outward markers of success despite wanting to fully embrace the ideologies and approaches.

Applicability: Work – 7/10

Angeline Aow’s learning stories, models, reflection tasks, and processes towards the end of the book are easy to engage with and can be an enlightening experience for schools and educators. This strength is clear and celebrated (I recommend attending her workshops!), but further development of the end-of-chapter activities throughout the book is needed. Clearer tasks with a more direct and objective link to actions and changes will help readers to slow down and engage with each section more before moving on.

Applicability: Life – 7/10

‘Becoming a totally inclusive school’ has a detailed collection of references that can help readers engage with these topics in ways that will influence all areas of life touched by inequitable approaches. Though very much school-focused, committed readers will see the opportunities to engage more broadly with increasing their racial literacy and expertise in the topics introduced during the book.

Classroom use – 7/10

Though more directed at broader cultural development, ‘Becoming a totally inclusive school’ will directly inform the development of relationships within the classroom. The well-discussed concepts of power and implicit bias can challenge pedagogical approaches, which may be disadvantaging certain identities.

Reading Speed – Moderate with some selective reading

As always, I am a big proponent of taking notes, but note-taking will be informed by your familiarity with the topics of this book. Highlighting key passages is a must, but the book is easy to read and refer back to. You may find that note-taking is more necessary to engage with some of the references rather than the core text.

I would position this book as something to read actively, taking notes where it inspires a thought or action. Some readers may power through this book in a few weeks. Still, those who wish to get the most out of it should be reading it with their colleagues or leadership team and taking time to engage with the activities, notably those at the end of the book, which may help to guide strategies for the upcoming school year.

Reading order – Beginning to end but selective in places

Selective reading is possible with this book; specific chapters are particularly useful and powerful, while some, especially if you are well-versed in DEIJ work at school, may be suitable to skim through. ‘Becoming a totally inclusive school’ does not heavily self-refer, so guide your reading to where you find the most value, but I would say Section III is a must and will likely guide you back to other parts of the book.

Uniqueness – Game-changer

‘Becoming a totally inclusive school’ is a game changer and occupies quite a unique position in the existing discourse. Familiar ideas are presented in ways more conducive to whole-school application and strategising. ‘Becoming a totally inclusive school’ is not perfect, but the very conflict and discussion it thus inspires is perhaps even more valuable. Approach this book critically and reap the benefits of the journey it takes you on.

‘Becoming a totally inclusive school’ may be the start of something fantastic for you and your whole school, be sure to speak widely about what you learn to reinforce the great initiatives within the book.

Daryl Sinclair is a school leader and a geography specialist who believes in a systems approach to school success. He believes that with appropriate leadership strategies, ‘systemic equity’ can be achieved. Daryl Sinclair is a strong advocate for anti-racist pedagogical approaches and the creation of learning environments in which DEIJ (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice) can be realised. Through his writing and consultancy work with exam boards, schools, and publishers, he champions the idea that the success of leadership and DEIJ initiatives is in what we DO, not simply what we believe. Daryl’s work focuses on using intentional procedures and clear rubrics to support the learning environment inclusively and sustainably.

Take your next step with DEIJ at www.Dsinclairwriting.com/consultancy

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darylsinclairgeography/

• Mail
• Medium
• LinkedIn
• Twitter