Ben is Director of Inclusion at Raha International School – Gardens Campus, an IB World School in Abu Dhabi, where he leads work to build a school in which every student truly belongs, across SEND, EAL and high-ability provision.

For Ben, belonging isn't a separate programme; it's woven into teaching, learning and assessment, so support for individual students lifts the whole classroom. After fourteen years in special education across New Zealand, Australia and the UAE, he use's data not to label students but to notice who's being missed, and to make sure every learner is seen.

Ben lives' by the whakataukī "He waka eke noa": we're all in this together.