The Future of Education

Decolonising the curriculum in UK higher education remains an urgent yet uneven endeavour. This mixed‑methods case study examines the Inclusive Practice Partnership scheme at a UK university’s School of Business and Law, which operationalises Students as Partners within a participatory action research framework. We adopted a sequential design: three focus groups with 22 students who experienced revised modules explored belonging, intellectual engagement and perceptions of authenticity; a subsequent survey of 217 students measured representation, perceived increase in non‑Western perspectives, perceived impact, adequacy, importance of continued change, and belonging. The qualitative analysis identified three themes: (1) validated identities and enhanced belonging through representative content; (2) critical engagement fostered by plural perspectives; and (3) concerns about tokenism where reforms felt superficial. Quantitatively, representation was positively associated with belonging, while perceived increases in non‑Western perspectives strongly predicted perceived impact; notably, students who rated decolonisation as highly important reported lower belonging, indicating a critical disappointment when expectations outpace delivery. We argue that sustainable decolonisation requires programme‑level epistemological transformation, structured staff development, and institutional courage to move beyond additive diversification. The study offers an empirically grounded framework for advancing authentic, systemic decolonial practice in higher education.

Keywords: Decolonising the curriculum, epistemic justice, belonging, awarding gap, Students as Partners, participatory action research, higher education.