Access to education lies at the core of poverty reduction and is part of the definition of development. An expanded vision of access moves policy dialogue beyond discourse based on enrolment rates. Unpacking access into seven zones of exclusion helps reshape the dialogue, as does recognising the interactions between schools, local authorities, communities, households and individuals. This policy brief is based on the CREATE Pathways to Access Research Monograph, Improving Access, Equity and Transitions in Education: Creating a Research Agenda (Lewin, 2007).