New Inclusive Learning Principles

A new set of Inclusive Learning Principles has been launched, developed by Activity Alliance in close collaboration with partners including the Active Partnerships National Organisation (APNO), The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA), Sport England, UK Coaching and UK Sport.

The principles have been designed to remove barriers to learning and unlock potential for everyone, with a particular focus on disabled people. The numbers make the case clearly: one in four people in the UK is disabled, yet only 9% have opportunities to coach or deliver sport and physical activity, compared to 24% of non-disabled people*. That gap needs to close, and these principles are a practical step towards making that happen.

So what are they? Rather than a checklist or a compliance exercise, the ten Inclusive Learning Principles are a flexible, practical framework for anyone creating, delivering or commissioning learning opportunities. At their heart is a straightforward but powerful idea: learning works best when it works for everyone.

That means designing learning that is accessible from the start, not as an afterthought. It means using clear language, building in flexibility, reflecting lived experience and asking better questions from the outset. Who might be excluded? What barriers exist? How do we remove them before they arise? It also means recognising that inclusion is part of everyone's role, not just a specialist concern.

Georgie Lockhart, Strategic Lead for Learning and Development at the Active Partnerships National Organisation, said the network is passionate about removing barriers to learning and will be working hard to ensure the principles are adopted across the network and beyond. 

As an Active Partnership, Yorkshire Sport Foundation is committed to supporting a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve across Yorkshire. These principles give us, and organisations across the sector, a clear and practical way to move from good intentions to real action.

You can download the Inclusive Learning Principles, the supporting guide and a self-assessment tool to help your organisation get started at the Active Partnerships website.

*Research into the workforce gap – Disabled people in the sport and physical activity workforce (Activity Alliance, January 2025)

Image credit: Activity Alliance