In May 2015, the World Forum on Education reaffirmed its commitment to inclusive education as a strategy to achieve education for all by adopting the Incheon Declaration and theEducation 2030Framework for Action. These policy documents emphasise inclusion and equity as foundational to quality education consistent with UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 which calls upon education systems ‘to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’. A key SDG target (4a) refers specifically to the need for ‘safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all’. This is important because violence against children has been shown to have serious consequences for children’s educational outcomes and recent international data show that violent discipline, including corporal punishment, is the most common form of violence against children, affecting up to ¾ of all children (UNICEF, 2014), and children who are victims of violence are more likely to leave school permanently (Widom 2000; Duncan, 2000).  UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report (2016) has recognized school based violence as a global phenomenon. Though many countries have moved to ban corporal punishment in schools, there is evidence that its use persists particularly in low-income countries where it has yet to be outlawed (Portela and Pells, 2015). It is clear that educational interventions that offer an alternative to corporal punishment in schools are crucial to ensuring that the policies which outlaw it can be implemented effectively. There is an urgent need to replace corporal punishment with effective alternatives.

Supported by the University of Edinburgh Challenge Investment Fund, we have established SISN (Safe Inclusive Schools Network), an interdisciplinary, international network of researchers to develop a conceptual framework for further study about the complex dynamics involved in but supporting interventions that enable safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all to be developed and sustained over time. In support of this we draw on our work on inclusive pedagogical practices (Florian, 2014) restorative justice (Sellman, McCluskey & Cremin, 2013) and child protection (Fry, 2016) to examine both violence in childhood and the impacts on learning and exclusion.Currently we are developing our protocols with education and child protection colleagues in the Philippines.

Duncan, R. D. (2000) Childhood maltreatment and college drop-out rates: Implications for child violence researchers. Journal of Interpersonal Violence,15(9), 987–995. doi: 10.1177/088626000015009005 
 Florian, L. (2014)(ed.) Sage Handbook of Special Education. London: Sage Fry, D. (2016) Preventing Violence Against Children and How This Contributes to Building Stronger Economies. Bangkok: UNICEF. Incheon Declaration http://en.unesco.org/world-education-forum-2015/incheon-declaration Portella, M. and Pells, K. (2015) Corporal Punishment in Schools. Florence: UNICEF Innocenti. Sellman, E., McCluskey, G. and Cremin, H. (eds.) (2013) Restorative Approaches to Conflict in Schools. Abingdon: Routledge. UN Sustainable Development Goals http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/education/ UNESCO (2016). Global Education Monitoring Report 2016. Education for people and planet: Creating sustainable futures for all. Paris: UNESCO.