Daniel Sobel FRSA (born 14 July 1975) is a consultant in the field of Inclusion (education). He is Chair of the International Forums of Inclusion Practitioners (IFIP), an international network focused on inclusive education.[1]. He was a teacher and mentor at Immanuel College, Bushey, and a SENCO and assistant head at King Solomon High School.[2] In 2014, he established the company Inclusion Expert to continue this work. As Inclusion Expert’s founder, Sobel has advised the DfE, the EU and governments abroad.

Daniel is a public speaker, writes for publications including Headteacher Update and The Guardian, and is the author of several books including Narrowing the Attainment Gap and wellbeing focused Leading on Pastoral Care.[3] The Inclusive Classroom (Bloomsbury Education, 2021)[4].

Early life and education

Sobel left school with no A Levels and read his first book aged 18. He secured a place on a Master’s course in Education Psychology and went on to take four graduate courses in Psychology and Education, eventually running out of money in the middle of doctoral training.[citation needed]

He began working part-time as a freelance consultant on inclusion for the Borough of Redbridge, promoting good practice through his articles.

Sobel moved to full time teaching and became a SENCO. During a stint as Assistant Head, he continued to develop simple systems to help teachers manage information and maximise the impact of their interventions.[citation needed]

Sobel then left teaching to form Inclusion Expert.[5]

He is the Founding Director and Chair of the International Forums of Inclusion Practitioners (IFIP), an international network for inclusion practitioners.[6]

In March 2024, UNESCO and IFIP co-organised the Global Inclusive Schools' Forum at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, where Sobel appeared in the opening and closing sessions of the programme.[7]

Sobel has also been associated with international conferences and forums focused on inclusive education, educational reform and artificial intelligence in education, including events in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Oman and Qatar.[8][9][10][11]

Articles

Sobel writes a regular column for The Guardian and has also written for the Times Educational Supplement, Optimus Education, SecEd and Headteacher Update. He focuses on the topics of the Pupil Premium, Special Educational Needs, and Inclusion in schools and the wider community.[12][13][14][15]

References

  1. ^ "Speakers". UNESCO
  2. ^ "About Daniel". Babcock-education.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  3. ^ Sobel, Daniel (24 January 2019). "Leading on Pastoral Care: A Guide to Improving Outcomes for Every Student". Amazon.co.uk. Bloomsbury Education. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Daniel Sobel". Bloomsbury
  5. ^ "About Us". Inclusionexpert.com. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Speakers". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  7. ^ "Global Inclusive Schools' Forum Agenda". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  8. ^ "International School Dhaka promotes diverse learners in schools". The Business Standard. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  9. ^ "SOT moot highlights future of humanity in AI era". The News International. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  10. ^ "Educators, medical professionals highlight importance of inclusive education in Oman". Muscat Daily. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  11. ^ "Daniel Sobel". Education Development Institute. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  12. ^ "Guardian Profile". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  13. ^ "Optimus". Optimus Education. Optimus-education.com. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  14. ^ "SecEd Author Search". Sec-ed.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  15. ^ ""Creative Uses of the Pupil Premium"". Headteacher-update.com. 10 June 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.