When we talk about student voice in education, we often think about surveys, written reflections, school council meetings, or classroom discussions. But for many children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), these traditional approaches can unintentionally exclude the very voices we are trying to hear.
If we are serious about inclusion, we need to rethink what student voice really means. It is not simply about collecting opinions; it is about understanding how each child communicates, acting on what they tell us, and working alongside families to build a complete picture of their experiences.
Student Voice Must Include All Forms of Communication
Historically, schools have relied heavily on writing as the primary way for pupils to demonstrate knowledge, express opinions, and share experiences. Yet for many children with SEND, writing is not a reliable measure of what they know, think, or feel. In some cases, writing is the barrier.
The question we should be asking is: are we truly capturing the child’s voice, or are we capturing only what they can communicate through a format that may not suit them?
Student voice should never be limited to written words since non-verbal communication is key for SEND students. For some pupils, expressing themselves via video recordings, audio recordings, photographs, symbols, gestures, facial expressions, eye gaze, communication devices, or other visual supports may provide a far more authentic representation of their knowledge and understanding.
Video, in particular, offers opportunities for observation that written notes cannot. It captures tone of voice, facial expressions, body language, and the context surrounding a child’s communication. It allows educators to revisit conversations, reflect on what was said, and reduce the risk of meaning being lost through interpretation.
This is especially important for pupils who experience difficulties with verbal articulation. Without careful consideration, adults can unintentionally influence responses through the questions they ask, the prompts they provide, or even their own assumptions about what a child is trying to communicate. When communication is limited, the responsibility to listen carefully becomes even greater.
What Experts Note About Non-Verbal Communication
Dale Pickles, Director of B Squared, joined us on a recent podcast to debate this subject and brought up a very simple point that can often be overlooked, “Joanna Grace, who does lots on sensory communication, talks about [how] you just have to learn how to listen.”
He then took this further to develop what she meant by that, “When your child is born, and you’re literally holding this thing saying ‘What am I supposed to do? Why are they crying?’ But after a while you learn to recognise that…crying is hunger, or you know that this is a nappy change. We learn how to listen.”
True student voice means recognising that communication looks different for every child. It requires us to build an understanding of individual communication preferences, observe carefully, seek clarification, and avoid making assumptions. Most importantly, it means ensuring every child has access to meaningful ways of expressing themselves, not simply the ways that are easiest for adults to record.
Student Voice Only Matters When We Act on It
Collecting student voice has become common practice in many schools. The challenge is that gathering views is only the beginning.
Listening is often misunderstood as the act of hearing words. In reality, listening is demonstrated by what happens next. Pickles sums up exactly this, “The listening is hearing the words, but then taking an action…When we listen, [we’re] hearing those things and writing it down, then we should be taking action—that’s the listening part. That’s where that child will recognise that you have listened, because they’re seeing a result.”
If a school collects pupil voice but nothing changes as a result, the process quickly loses meaning. Students can become disengaged if they feel their views are gathered simply to tick a box rather than influence decisions. Genuine listening requires action.
For children with SEND, this is particularly important. Their communication may already require significant effort, and when they take the time to share their thoughts, concerns, or preferences, they deserve to see that their contributions matter.
School staff should regularly ask themselves:
- Do we actively gather student voice?
- How do we record it?
- Do we review what pupils have communicated?
- Have we created actions based on what we have heard?
- Have those actions actually been implemented?
Student voice in schools should be at the heart of decision-making, shaping support plans, classroom practice, environmental adaptations, and wider school improvement. When children see that their views lead to change, they develop a stronger sense of belonging, trust, and agency.
This is also where inclusion becomes more than a checklist. Inclusion is not simply about implementing a set of strategies or interventions. It is about whether students feel included. Their voice is one of the most powerful indicators of whether a school culture is genuinely inclusive.
When schools listen, respond, and adapt, they send a powerful message: “Your experiences matter, and you belong here.”
Safeguarding Depends on Listening to Students and Families
Student voice cannot exist in isolation. To fully understand a child’s needs, experiences, and wellbeing, schools must also listen to the people who know them best: their families. Pickel’s statement on this really brings it to life, “For pupil voice to work, you have to have parent voice.”
Parents and carers provide essential context that schools may not see during the school day. They often have valuable insights into communication preferences, emotional wellbeing, behaviour patterns, and the strategies that work best for their child. Without this perspective, schools risk making decisions based on only part of the picture.
Effective safeguarding relies on this partnership between SEND students and guardians.
Building Trust Between Parents and Schools for Stronger Collaboration
There can sometimes be hesitation around involving parents more closely. Schools may worry that family perspectives will challenge professional opinions or create difficult conversations. However, failing to engage with parents is far more damaging than hearing views that differ from our own.
For children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), collaboration is especially important. Outcomes are not achieved solely within school walls. Children spend significant portions of their lives at home and in their communities, meaning progress depends on a shared understanding between families and professionals.
A single annual review meeting is rarely enough to build this understanding. Instead, schools should focus on creating ongoing dialogue through regular, meaningful touchpoints. These conversations do not always need to be formal. Small, consistent check-ins can be just as valuable as scheduled meetings, particularly when they include positive updates as well as concerns.
Strong relationships between schools and families build trust, improve communication, and create a richer understanding of the child. They also strengthen safeguarding by ensuring concerns, changes, or emerging needs are identified and responded to more effectively.
Ultimately, if pupil voice is about understanding the child, parent voice provides the context that helps us understand that child more fully.
Moving Beyond Words with Systems That Support
Student voice in SEND is not about collecting more data. It is about creating opportunities for every child to communicate in ways that work for them, ensuring those communications influence real decisions, and working alongside families to build a complete picture of each child’s experiences.
When we move beyond words, we begin to recognise that communication takes many forms. We stop asking children to fit into systems designed around traditional methods of expression and instead adapt our systems to fit them.
The most inclusive schools are not those that simply gather student voice. They are the schools that listen carefully, act purposefully, and work collaboratively with families to ensure every child feels heard, understood, and valued.
This is where effective systems can play an important role. CPOMS StudentSafe supports staff in capturing student voice in all its forms, helping to build a fuller understanding of each child’s experiences and perspectives. By making it easier to record, share, and act on what students communicate, it helps ensure that important voices are not overlooked. After all, student voice is not just about speaking — it is about being heard.
