ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that the concept of 'learner voice' is complex. If schools and colleges really want to engage with all their learners, they need to understand the deeper issues involved and respond accordingly. Teaching Assistants have a key role to play in this process. Many education settings have well-established systems for collecting learners' views on their services. These typically include school councils, class representatives, questionnaires, focus groups, evaluation of curriculum content and involvement with staff selection procedures. Seeking children and young people's views on issues that affect them is central to the Children and Families Act 2014. This builds on the original UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and UK initiatives such as Every Child Matters: Change for Children. School staffs are at the front line of inclusion initiatives, but often their training concentrates on meeting skills criteria rather than critically examining the multiple factors involved in classroom practice that create, or exacerbate, barriers to participation.
