Pages: 9

The contentious issue addressed is how to provide effective education for children with special educational needs and disabilities within the context of ever-increasing international pressure to implement full inclusion, whilst responding to national pressure to raise educational standards. The focus is on theory, research and practice in order to question whether schools are in a position to develop the potential of all children or whether current policies on inclusion could be holding some of them back. Hence, it is considered whether the issue of special needs is the ‘elephant in the classroom’ because of the inability of teachers to effectively provide for the high numbers, wide diversity and complexity of special needs that would be expected in mainstream classrooms under a full inclusion model. This would, without additional support from special education teachers and facilities, doom all attempts at effective inclusion and improvements in overall academic standards.

Pages: 18

This chapter examines the current trajectory of inclusion by looking closely at how it was launched and has been subsequently supported by the United Nations through reference to the international agreement made at the UNESCO conference in Salamanca, Spain, in 1994. We discuss how the aspirational movement towards full inclusion driven by the Salamanca Statement, has, despite its worthy intentions, instigated many problems yet to be resolved. By understanding and accepting how the challenges of implementation of full inclusion have played out, we can begin to consider how pragmatic solutions might be found. We explore the continued influence of this agreement and reconsider some theory and research, in the years since 1994, which might be fruitfully heeded. We consider whether, in our haste to defend children’s rights to an idealised view of inclusion, we might be in danger of giving with one hand and taking away with the other.

Pages: 18

Three myths about inclusion that have contributed to the current controversy about inclusive education are discussed in this chapter. Firstly, the myth that full inclusion was recommended by the Salamanca Statement. It was not. Secondly, that full inclusion is a feasible approach to meeting special needs in education systems, referring to Italy and New Brunswick as examples of its success, which they are not. Thirdly, that research evidence shows that inclusive education is more effective than special education in achieving successful outcomes for young people with SEN, which it does not. Confusions about inclusion and myths about special education that have been widely disseminated over the past 30 years are discussed. Finally, the issue of denial of the reality of the worldwide situation regarding inclusive education is addressed, based on the findings of the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report on Inclusive Education, which reports on the balance between special education and inclusive education that is evident in various countries throughout the world.

Pages: 31

The different cultural, social and historical contexts are explored in this chapter when assessing the implementation of inclusion for SEND in a wide range of countries around the world. Concerns about improving overall standards while adopting greater measures of inclusion expose similarities and differences between them. Such tensions are magnified by regional and school differences in their ability to identify and resource adequate provision for different types and degrees of SEND in children and young people. In this chapter we show how in many countries, implementation of national policies following ratification of the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (2006) has proven to be far from unproblematic and has raised many questions about the practical implications of full inclusion. The challenge of the United Nations to the autonomy of individual nations to prioritise policies towards full inclusion over developing well-resourced and effective systems of special education is highlighted. The chapter draws attention to the increasing need for evidence-based policies at European and international levels, and for developing stronger connections between research, policies and school practices.

Pages: 20

In this chapter we highlight the impact of legislation on school leadership and the practical implementation of inclusion by SENDCos and teaching staff within schools in England. We discuss stresses on the roles of teachers, teaching assistants, school leaders and SENDCos, and demonstrate the conflicts of interest that can exist between them. We have observed that three key areas of contention are to do with assessment, behaviour and curriculum in relation to effective provision for children with special educational needs. The chapter highlights how implementation of inclusion, as generally interpreted by government policy and school leaders, can often manifest itself as ideology with contradictory goals. The pressure to conform to such ideology in mainstream schools can lead to a stressful and self-defeating environment for both students with SEND and staff alike. The fear of defining the parameters of a school’s ability to include children with high levels of emotional, behavioural or learning needs can place school leaders in a double bind thereby reducing the effectiveness of their leadership. The chapter highlights the importance of flexibility about the place in which adequate provision is made along with a strong sense of accountability for ensuring how it can be made in the best interests of all pupils concerned.

Pages: 22

This chapter explores the important role parents play in decisions regarding government policies about the way in which children and young people with SEND are supported. It highlights how their influence has changed over time from the 1970s to the present day and why their views on special educational provision matter. Should parents or the state uphold the rights of the child and be judge of what is in their best interests, and should that choice eliminate the possibility of special education in favour of access to the mainstream? The role of local authorities to support and involve children and young people by encouraging them to participate in consultations about their provision is a key message of the Children and Families Act in England (2014). In this chapter, we explore the effects of that involvement and parents’ views of the way policies at school, local and national levels are responding to the approach taken towards inclusion in England. As well as drawing on the academic literature, we use a series of anecdotal stories to illustrate the significance of parents’ involvement with their children’s experiences.

Pages: 23

In this chapter, we focus on implications of the wide variety of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) experienced by children of school age. Currently, legislation applicable in England and elsewhere acknowledges that children with a full range of SEND should have unrestricted access to mainstream schools. But it does not address how teachers should manage diverse types of SEND and implement the necessary support that should be provided within each school. This chapter demonstrates how, in order to provide effective support for children with SEND, it is vital that governments, as well as teachers and schools, recognise the full range of special needs that must be provided for and the implications for the school in terms of leadership, staff and resources. The aspirational vision of ‘full inclusion’ promoted by the UNCRPD (2016) General Comment Number 4 does not take into account that successful inclusion relies on classroom teachers having specialist knowledge and skills to effectively provide appropriate programmes for all types and degrees of SEND, which in many circumstances is an unrealistic expectation.

Pages: 26

In this chapter we consider the background policies and legislation driving the implementation that may have contributed to many of the problems with inclusion experienced in England. The Government’s most recent Green Paper is intended to pave the way for new SEND reforms which are likely to involve changes to the current SEND Code of Practice. It follows the comprehensive Parliamentary Education Select Committee SEND Review which was set up to investigate the implementation of the Government SEND reforms of 2014 and whose report was severely critical of these. In this chapter the reason for such criticism is discussed as well as some of the main obstacles, impact and original intentions of those reforms. It aims to open up debate about a positive way forward, by divesting ‘full inclusion’ of the concept that it is irretrievably synonymous with children’s human rights. Instead, it aims to consider more objectively how children’s human rights are being served by the current practice of what has come to be termed ‘inclusion’ in education.

Pages: 11

This chapter examines whether inclusive education or special education programmes are more likely to result in young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) becoming as independent as possible and optimally included in their communities post-school. To address this question, the findings of existing research on the effectiveness of a range of inclusive and special education programmes, especially those that include the perspectives of young people themselves and their parents, are discussed. Evidence for the achievement of maximum inclusion of young people with SEND in the community as adults is evaluated by considering the findings of three outcome studies of young people with learning or behavioural difficulties who have experienced special education or inclusive education, or a combination of the two.

Pages: 18

This chapter demonstrates how over-emphasis on either special education or inclusive education jeopardises both equity and excellence within education systems as a whole, and leads to poorer overall educational outcomes. This is illustrated with reference to the education systems in four very different countries: United States, Barbados, New Zealand and Finland. The United States is notable for how historical emphasis on special education alone led to dissatisfaction with outcomes for learners with mild intellectual disabilities and the questioning of effectiveness of their placement in special classes. The education system in Barbados is notable for how emphasising excellence while neglecting to focus on equity does not facilitate overall achievement. The education system in New Zealand is examined as an example of a country that has promoted inclusive education while depleting special education provision. The comprehensive education system in Finland is notable for including facilities for special education as an integral part of the whole education system and is considered to be one of the most equitable and excellent education systems in the world.

Pages: 18

This chapter presents conclusions about the issues discussed and findings reported from previous chapters of the book about the current situation of full inclusion and special education. After many years of unsuccessful attempts to establish an idealistic vision of full inclusion in education systems in different parts of the world, the inclusion movement has come to a final crossroads at which an important decision must be made. That is whether to continue promoting an unrealistic vision of inclusion or to accept that a new way forward needs to be found and acted upon. It is therefore important for influential world organisations such as the United Nations to re-evaluate their positions on full inclusion and adopt more realistic policies for the benefit of all. We consider that the optimal way forward is through flexibly integrating aspects of inclusive and special education, and propose specific recommendations for the policy and practice of more effective education systems.