‘Excellent education is inclusive education’– City St George’s hosts its annual learning conference

City St George’s hosted academics from all over London to attend the annual Learning conference this summer. The theme for this year was ‘Excellent education is inclusive education’. The seminars and workshops discussed how to support diverse learners through inclusive education and innovative practice.

​The keynote speaker was Virna Rossi, Associate Professor and PG Cert Course Leader at Ravensbourne University London, author of Inclusive Learning Design in Higher Education.

Her work focuses on inclusive learning design and assessment, supporting educators in implementing inclusive practices for diverse student groups. In her speech, she introduced the ‘roots to shoots’ approach. It treats course and curriculum design like a tree, helping educators build inclusive roots to cultivate equitable learning environments.

She asked complex questions like “How do we create the conditions in which more students can flourish?” and explained the need for educators to adopt new methods to make students feel valued and seen. The real world is often designed for consistency, but instead, it should be designed for differences. The students need opportunities to exercise their agency. This can be done with easy techniques like asking for regular feedback, making the topics more relatable by connecting them with the students’ personal experiences, and involving students in shaping learning activities, assessment, and resources.

​Along with workshops, talks, and papers, there was also a playful learning area that put teachers in students' shoes and asked them to create something from scratch. This included designing the model of the future university using Lego with Professor Susannah Quinsee, Vice-President of Digital and Student Experience. Academics were also making collages and pin badges using magazines, depicting the different perceptions of what inclusion means to people. These mind-stimulating activities illustrated how playful and creative approaches can enrich learning while supporting inclusivity.

One of the workshops, ‘From Curriculum to Capability: Assessing Graduate Attributes Inclusively’, was hosted by Helen Kempster and Ben Butler from City St George’s Careers and Employability team. They explored the possibility of identifying Graduate Attributes in the day-to-day lives of students. Graduate Attributes are developed to build long-term career readiness and adaptability. While these attributes are designed to make students more employable, it is important to identify and foster them while still in university.

Helen Kempster, Deputy Director of Careers & Employability at City St George’s, said:

Many students develop valuable skills throughout their studies but often struggle to recognise and articulate them. Embedding Graduate Attributes within teaching, learning and assessment helps make these capabilities more visible and gives students the language and confidence to communicate their strengths to employers. The key message is that employability shouldn't sit alongside the curriculum; it should be integrated within it.

Another workshop hosted by Dr Jane Secker, Dr Julie Voce, and Helen Kempster engaged the participants in an intriguing game of identifying how to make career decisions in the early stages of university. Building on principles demonstrated in The Publishing Trap, which shows how game mechanics can surface complex decision-making, trade-offs and power dynamics in academic pathways, they adapted similar approaches to students’ employability journeys.

The activity positioned participants as diverse student personas who navigate key choices across the university experience, from induction to graduation. It exhibited how opportunities and constraints unfold over time and the impact they have on their careers.

By stepping into the shoes of different student personas and making decisions on their behalf, it can become clear that what might seem like an obvious career or learning choice for one student isn't necessarily accessible to another.

As the conference concluded in celebration and a drinks reception, educators left with a new perspective on how to stay more relevant and inclusive.

Helen Kempster said:

The conference reinforced that inclusive education is about designing learning with students, not just for them. From co-creation and student voice to immersive technologies, Attributes and playful learning, the sessions demonstrated practical ways to create engaging learning experiences that build confidence, belonging and future-ready skills for all students.