ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 15 JUNE 2026!
IMPORTANT DATES
Call for abstracts opens: 24 March 2026
Registration opens: 24 March 2026
Deadline for submission of abstracts: EXTENDED TO 15 June 2026
Acceptance notification: early July 2026
Deadline for Registrations: 31 August 2026
COUNTDOWN to conference
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WELCOME TO CAPE TOWN AND THE IEC CONFERENCE [VIDEO]
Taylor & Francis and the University of Western Cape, South Africa invite you to an International Conference to Celebrate, Ruminate & Recalibrate.
Rethinking (Inclusive) Education for Challenging Times
Marking 35 years since the first publication of the International Journal of Inclusive Education, the University of the Western Cape South Africa is hosting a conference Rethinking (Inclusive) Education for Challenging Times. In the beginning, it was necessary to explain the journal’s purpose. Today, inclusive education is a part of our everyday vocabulary. Indeed, as an academic field, it has rapidly grown to be an established field of research, professional learning, development politics, community advocacy and educational organization and practice. This is generally taken as a sign of success. In many respects, it is.
This international gathering will invite us to pause to think further. As the world is threatening self-destruction, when animus towards those seeking refuge from war and poverty is fanned by hateful populist sentiment, where exclusion from schooling is growing rather than diminishing globally, it is reasonable that we reconsider the foundations and practices of inclusive education. Is inclusive education a force for radical change to meet disturbing social changes? Is it a Trojan horse promoting habituated thinking and practices of exclusion? Have we been co-opted into new forms of exclusion buried within the rhetorical flourishes of policy pronouncements and leadership doublespeak? Can we celebrate “standards” when more than 250 million children being out of school is standard? Do established schooling structures, practices and cultures deliver an education for new times?
WORKSHOP
Pre-conference Workshop
Leading Inclusive schools
An interactive workshop led by Mel Ainscow
Venue: University of the Western Cape (UWC)
Date: 26 November 2026
Cost: R1,500 (this will include teas, coffees and lunch)
The organisers of this conference warmly invite teachers, alongside policymakers, students, academics, researchers, and other stakeholders, to participate in a one-day pre-conference workshop on Inclusive Education.
This workshop will focus on a what is arguably the greatest challenge facing education systems around the world, that of finding ways of including and ensuring the learning of all students in schools. Drawing on the extensive international experience of Professor Mel Ainscow, it will support participants in considering how schools can make all students feel welcome and supported in their learning.
The day will involve presentations based on evidence from international research and structured group activities. There will be a particular focus on the implications for the development of leadership practices.
Participants will also have the opportunity to engage in dialogue with leading scholars in the field, including Prof Roger Slee and Prof Mel Ainscow, as well as with key partners such as the Western Cape Department of Education.
The workshop is designed to support professional learning, critical reflection, and practical exchange, with a strong focus on empowering teachers as central agents in building inclusive and equitable education systems.
Programme outline
Morning session:
- Global developments – towards Education for All
- Understanding the development of inclusive schools
- Changing school cultures
- The tasks of leadership
Afternoon session:
- Reviewing schools
- Formulating improvement strategies
- Developing leadership practices
- Planning next steps
During the workshop participants will be provided with professional development materials, review frameworks and tools that can be used to support improvements within schools and across educational systems.
*Those registering for the full Rethinking (Inclusive) Education for Challenging Times conference can register for this pre-conference workshop at the same time. It is offered as an additional option on the conference registration form.
Mel Ainscow CBE is Emeritus Professor, University of Manchester, Professor of Education, University of Glasgow and Adjunct Professor at Queensland University of Technology. A long-term consultant to UNESCO, he is internationally recognized as an authority on the promotion of inclusion and equity in education. His most recent book is Reforming education systems for inclusion and equity (Routledge, 2025).
XL Millennium has been appointed as conference organisers for Rethinking (Inclusive) Education for Challenging Times conference. Communication regarding the symposium may come directly from the company.
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© Rethinking (Inclusive) Education for Challenging Times 2026