Building a Truly Inclusive Education System: Why Youth Work & Relational Support Matter
It all begins with building trust.
1. The Challenge: A System That Leaves 30% Behind
We see it every day: nearly one in three students especially those with neurodiversity, SEN, ACEs, or ADHD don’t feel included at school. The system wasn’t built for them.
As John Barneby, CEO of Oasis Community Learning, says: inclusion must be at the heart of education, not an optional extra.
Mission 44’s latest report confirms what we already know: exclusions are rising, and vulnerable young people are paying the price. Too many feel unsafe, unheard, or invisible.
2. The Rise in Persistent Absence and EBSA
Since the pandemic, persistent absence has soared 1 in 5 pupils now miss 10% or more of school. Even more alarming: over 150,000 are severely absent, missing over half their lessons. Much of this is down to EBSA & PDA (Emotionally Based School Avoidance & Pathological Demand Avoidance): when anxiety, trauma or sensory overload makes school feel impossible. These students often slip through the cracks unseen and unsupported.
And the stakes are high: absence leads to poorer academic outcomes, worsened mental health, and reduced life chances. To tackle this, we need more than a focus on attendance we need to prioritise wellbeing.
3. What Students Are Telling Us
The stats speak volumes:
Many students with SEN say school harmed their mental health.
Over 60% felt their wellbeing wasn’t heard.
Nearly 70% missed school due to anxiety.
Mission 44 is calling for a national framework for inclusion: regular student voice surveys, investment in inclusive teams, and mentors for those at risk of exclusion. So are we.
4. Youth Work: The Bridge Our System Needs
Youth work isn’t a magic fix, but it is a needed bridge. A human connection. A safe adult. A consistent presence. Exactly what our students say they need.
Youth work offers:
Relational trust: consistent adults who listen, not just assess.
Holistic care: support for the whole child, not just their grades.
Flexible, person-centred support: a space to be, not just perform.
Preventative and restorative work: mentorship, not punishment.
It’s not about replacing teachers, it’s about backing them up, alongside parents, carers, and communities.
5. The Power of Place: When a Space “Feels Like Home”
In Relational Hub’s Feels Like Home research with Youthscape, young people told us what matters most: welcoming spaces, safety, warmth, connection. Places where they’re known and welcomed. Youth hubs become that space.
One young person described one of these youth hubs simply: “It still feels like home.”
These spaces do what schools often can’t: meet young people where they are emotionally, socially, relationally.
6. What We’re Doing in Croydon: Building the Bridge
In Croydon, working alongside our brilliant academies, we’re putting this into practice right now. Here's how:
Embedding youth work in schools
Oasis Academy Arena is opening its Community Space to young people offering a youth hub that offers after-school support and in-school mentoring.Listening and co-designing
Working with Citizens UK to involve students and families in shaping solutions.Creating new school roles
Our Community Engagement Lead, funded by the InfraRed Foundation at Oasis Academy Shirley Park, supports at-risk young people and their families by streamlining referrals, building local partnerships, and tracking the impact of interventions.Mentoring for those most at risk
Mentoring and 1:1 Sessional Work for those most at risk.Thanks to funding from Mission 44 and the GLA; young people identified as vulnerable and at risk can be matched with an Oasis 360 volunteer mentor or youth support practitioner. The impact of our struggling youth having a trusted adult in their lives is life changing.Supporting parents and carers
Our Encounter group equips families with NVR (Non-Violent Resistance) tools and peer support.Redesigning new community spaces and resources for local people
In partnership with Croydon Council, Palace for Life, and the Football Foundation, we’re building a new MUGA in Ashburton Park with at least 30% free community access. This complements the £1.5m Heritage Lottery grant to make the park safer, more biodiverse, and welcoming. Later this year, we’ll launch a fundraising campaign to transform the park’s Lodge into a state-of-the-art youth and community centre.
Working in Partnership, learning from what works best
We don’t want to recreate the wheel or waste precious resources. Where possible we will work in partnership with brilliant local & national organisations who bring expertise and passion in specialist areas
7. Powered by the Oasis Hub Model
None of this is bolt-on. It flows from the Oasis DNA.
Our Hub model believes schools should be at the centre of their community, not apart from it. Education isn’t just about grades it’s about life.
By uniting education, youth work, family support, and community services, we’re creating ecosystems where every child is seen, known, and supported.
When schools and communities work as one, we don’t just improve attendance we restore hope.
Conclusion: This Isn’t Optional
If our education system keeps doing what its always done, it’ll keep letting down the same 30%. But we don’t have to. We can build schools where no child is left out, that works for everyone especially those who’ve been left behind. That means listening deeply, acting relationally, and placing inclusion at the centre of everything.
Because every child deserves to know they belong. That they matter. That they have a future.
That’s what inclusion, excellence and equity look like.