To ask the Minister of Education, pursuant to AQW 14900/22-27, whether the Inclusive Education Policy will consider aspects of inclusion in education in addition to special educational needs, including (i) ethnicity; (ii) socio-economic background; (iii) gender; (iv) sexuality; and (v) community background.

The work undertaken by my officials, as part of early policy development, has highlighted that a central tenet to any inclusive education policy is that ‘all learners vulnerable to exclusion’ are considered.

This includes those learners with characteristics protected under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and enables a broader scope to be taken, recognising that children and young people can develop vulnerabilities, which require additional support, at any time.