By Johan Jensen, Founder and Director, All-in Education    

In 2016, I decided to leave a senior role at a successful education charity that delivered leadership development programmes to challenging schools across the UK. My decision was driven by my passion for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and a desire to set up my own EDI consultancy –the start of what would become All-in Education.     

As many people who have started up their own business will identify with, in those early days, I was constantly thinking about my new endeavour and inclusion and diversity – everywhere I looked, anyone I talked to and everything I read was centred around EDI. On my way to a meeting one day, standing on a platform at Old Street tube station, close to where I live in London, I looked around at the other people waiting for the next train. I saw an abundance of diversity in the people around me, i.e. people who looked and perhaps behaved in a different way from me.     

I remember starting to smile and taking some pride at this evidence of the diverse and inclusive life I believed I was living. However, soon after this slightly self-congratulatory thought, and as I reflected more, I hit on a more humbling realisation when I asked myself, “But is this diversity reflected in my innermost circle of friends and colleagues?”. The answer was no.     

This was when I realised that I was living in what I have since termed an Inclusion Illusion – just because I believe inclusion and diversity is a good thing doesn’t mean that I surround myself with people who are different to me. I am not alone in living an Inclusion Illusion. I believe people tend to consciously and unconsciously prefer people similar to us, be it in educational background, gender, or ethnic background, among other characteristics – it’s called homophily, the love of the same.   

At All-in Education, we believe that the Inclusion Illusion is the biggest barrier to inclusion and belonging in schools and how they are run – in curriculum development, student engagement, organisational culture, recruitment, retention and talent management. We have seen that the Inclusion Illusion is also the hardest barrier to inclusion to break down. It requires leaders and teachers to purposefully change direction towards difference (or diversity). This isn’t easy, but it’s essential if a school wants to become more inclusive and diverse. Many academics and writers have talked about the natural phenomena of homophily and how it shapes our relations and structures (see for example, ‘Birds of a Feather: Homophily in Social Networks’ 2001 and Patricia Hill Collins on intersectionality).    

All-in Education works with school leaders who are committed, or at least strive to be committed to increasing diversity amongst their staff population. As we work with them through training and consultancy, they start to see how the Inclusion Illusion fundamentally impacts who they’re likely to recruit, who they are likely to promote, and who they’re more likely to provide professional development opportunities to – Advancing candidates and staff who are like them.   

When our clients see the impact of the Inclusion Illusion in all its forms, they also see that it doesn’t serve them well and start to actively change both behaviours in themselves and other staff, and in the systems that help to uphold the Inclusion Illusion. We have partnered with schools to remove barriers to inclusion for staff and pupils since 2018, and we have a proven track record of interventions and work with schools that create more inclusive and diverse work and learning places, such as:   

  • Increase in the overall number of high-quality applications to staff vacancies  
  • A significant increase in applications from ethnic minority candidates  
  • A 15% increase in appointments of ethnic minority staff  
  • An increase in the feeling of belonging among all staff   
  • A stronger student voice which has increased student engagement     

The journey so far of All-in Education has been one of continuous learning, growth, and transformation. From my initial realisation on the Old Street tube platform to the deep and meaningful work we now do with schools, it’s clear that breaking down the Inclusion Illusion requires both reflection and action.  As microcosms of society, schools have a unique responsibility to create environments where diversity thrives—not just in appearance but in practice and culture. The changes we’ve seen in our partner schools—more diverse staff, increased engagement, and a stronger sense of belonging—demonstrate that purposeful shifts towards inclusion are not only possible, but essential for the future of education.   

As All-in Education continues to support school leaders and staff in creating inclusive learning environments, we remain dedicated to our mission: ensuring that the principles of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion move beyond rhetoric and become a lived reality in every school. To find out more about our work, please contact us via email.