Building a Truly Inclusive Education System: Why building the bridge between Youth Work & Education Matters
Let’s be honest: our education system isn’t working for everyone.
Far from it.
Right now, nearly 1 in 3 young people — particularly those with neurodiversity, Special Educational Needs (SEN), or Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) — are being left behind. They often don’t feel seen, heard, or even safe in school.
As John Barneby, CEO of Oasis Community Learning, puts it:
“Inclusion can’t be an add-on. It has to be the heartbeat of how we do education.”
Mission 44’s latest report says the same. Exclusions are rising, and it’s our most vulnerable students paying the price. Too many young people feel invisible in the very places designed to help them thrive.
Behind the Numbers: What’s Really Going On
Post-pandemic, things have only worsened.
1 in 5 pupils now miss at least 10% of school.
Over 150,000 young people are severely absent — missing more than half their education.
But let’s be clear: this isn’t about laziness.
Often it’s linked to things like Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) or Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) — where anxiety, trauma, or sensory overload make school feel not just hard, but impossible.
These young people aren’t “acting out.”
They’re crying out.
And when school stops feeling safe, they retreat.
The result? Lower grades, worsening mental health, and fewer chances later in life.
So, if we solely focus on is attendance and results — we miss the point.
Inclusion isn’t a side issue. It needs to be the foundation.
What Young People Are Actually Telling Us
They’re not whispering — they’re shouting:
Over 60% of students with SEN say school has negatively affected their mental health.
Nearly 70% have missed school due to anxiety.
Many say their wellbeing isn’t being heard, let alone supported.
Mission 44 calls for a national inclusion framework, regular student voice surveys, and more investment in inclusive teams and mentors.
We back this 100%.
Why Youth Work Matters More Than Ever
Schools are buckling under the weight of a collapsing support system. CAMHS, social services — overstretched or inaccessible. Teachers are doing a heroic job, but they can’t and shouldn’t do it all.
This is where youth work steps in — not as a magic fix, but as a vital bridge between education and community.
It offers something too many young people are missing:
A consistent, trusted adult who listens, supports, and walks alongside them.
This isn’t about replacing teachers.
It’s about strengthening the team around the child — including their teachers, families, carers, and communities.
What Youth Work Brings
Relational trust – someone who listens without judgment.
Holistic support & opportunities – care for the whole person, not just academic performance.
Flexibility – a space to be, not just a place to perform.
Prevention and restoration – mentoring and therapeutic support over punishment and exclusion.
Welcoming Safe spaces – before and after school, built around young people’s needs.
These aren’t just nice-to-haves.
They’re the ingredients for real change. Because when trust is built, people thrive.
Spaces That Feel Like Home
In the Feels Like Home research by Relational Hub and Youthscape, young people made it crystal clear:
What matters most is simple but profound — warmth, safety, connection, belonging.
One young person said it best about the youth hub they attend:
“It feels like home.”
Youth hubs aren't just buildings — they’re emotional safe havens, where young people are seen, known, and welcomed in ways that schools often can’t provide on their own.
What This Looks Like in Croydon (Building the bridge)
We’re not talking theory — this is already happening in Croydon, where Oasis is working hand-in-hand with our local academies and partners to build something different.
✔️ Embedding youth work in schools
At Oasis Academy Arena, we’re launching a Community Space that offers after-school support, mentoring, and family engagement. At Oasis Academy Shirley Park we’re working in partnership with local and national youthwork organisations, welcoming them into school to offer holistic, therapeutic support for those most ‘at-risk’.
✔️ Listening and co-designing
Partnering with Citizens UK, we’re listening to and involving students, families, and community groups in designing solutions, not just receiving them.
✔️ Creating new roles for inclusion and community safety
At Oasis Academy Shirley Park, our Community Engagement Lead, funded by the InfraRed Foundation, supports at-risk students through partnerships, streamlining referrals, and impact tracking.
✔️ Mentoring for those at highest risk
Thanks to Mission 44 and the Greater London Authority, vulnerable young people are matched with volunteer mentors or youth support practitioners through Oasis 360 Mentoring.
✔️ Supporting families too
Through our Oasis Encounter Group, that meets around a meal and offers free childcare, we’re equipping parents with NVR tools and creating spaces for peer to peer support.
✔️ Redesigning community spaces
Together with Croydon Council, Palace for Life, Croydon Voluntary Action and the Football Foundation, we’re building a new MUGA in Ashburton Park (with more than 30% free community access), alongside partnering with Croydon Council receiving a £1.5m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund for a park regeneration project.
And coming soon: a campaign to transform the park’s Lodge into a cutting-edge youth and community centre.
No Need to Reinvent the Wheel — Just Working Together
We’re not out to compete or duplicate. We want to collaborate with brilliant local and national organisations already doing great work. We’ll keep learning, keep adapting, and keep building contextualised, sustainable models of change.
The Oasis model: Community at the Centre
All of this flows from the Oasis’ model — it’s not an extra. It’s our DNA.
At our core, our model brings together schools, youth work, family support, and wider community engagement under one local leadership structure, creating a cohesive network that supports young people and families not just academically, but socially, emotionally, and practically. It’s not just about running a great school—it’s about building a thriving community where every individual, regardless of background, has the opportunity to flourish.
This Is Just The Start
If we carry on as we are, we’ll keep letting down the same 30%. But it doesn’t have to be that way. At Oasis, we’re not claiming youth work is a silver bullet. But embedding youth work into education? It’s a vital step toward the bigger change our education system desperately needs. Every child deserves to feel that they belong. Every child deserves to feel like they matter. Every child deserves to believe they have a future.
This is what inclusion can start to looks like. That’s the standard we are aiming for.
To learn more about our work in Croydon please visit: www.oasis-ashburtonpark.org
To learn more about Oasis’ work throughout the UK please visit www.oasisuk.org