What constitutes an inclusive educational provision for individuals with special needs?

University Degree Education and Teaching

This essay aims to look at what the defining factors are for an inclusive educational setting, with particular regard to those with SEN.

In order to do so, it is important to know what we mean by many of the terms mentioned. Such as inclusion, special needs and many other terms of equal importance relating to this topic.

Inclusion is often used as an umbrella term by organizations and institutions to describe policies, practices and legislations used to meet the needs of students. Inclusion refers to providing all the features and arrangements that allow everyone to access and participate in their environment in advance of any stated need. It is a proactive, anticipatory approach intended to facilitate as much independence as possible.

http://www.scvo.org.uk/equalities/resource_base/disability/accessible_events/inclusion_and_integration.html

The Centre for Studies on Inclusive Educations (CSIE-ONLINE) 2004 defines inclusive education as:

All children and young people - with and without disabilities or difficulties - learning together in ordinary pre-school provision, schools, colleges and universities with appropriate networks of support. Inclusion mean

s enabling all students to participate fully in the life and work of mainstream settings,

whatever their needs.

According to Sebba and Sachev (1997); Inclusive education describes the process by which a school attempts to respond to all pupils as individuals by reconsidering and restructuring its curricular organisation and provision and allocating resources to enhance equality of opportunity’.

Sebba, J. and Sachev, D., (1997), What works in Inclusive Education, (Barnados, 1997)

http://www.barnardos.org.uk/wwincled.pdf.

Inclusion is a model that emphasises the collaborative efforts and shared responsibility between special and general educators. Inclusion is a collaborative relationship that is difficult for many teachers because in general education it is the system that mostly dictates to the curriculum. However, successful inclusion is only achieved when both equity and excellence are reached for all students (Lacey 2003).

Inclusion is on a more holistic and wholesome basis, relying on practice, policy knowledge skills and understanding, resources and attitudes.

(http://www.sen.ttrb.ac.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?ContentId=12373)

Often when inclusion is mentioned the term integration crops up and unfortunately although the terms ...

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http://www.barnardos.org.uk/wwincled.pdf.

Inclusion is on a more holistic and wholesome basis, relying on practice, policy knowledge skills and understanding, resources and attitudes.

(http://www.sen.ttrb.ac.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?ContentId=12373)

Often when inclusion is mentioned the term integration crops up and unfortunately although the terms are used synonymously within educational discussion, they not only have different meanings but hold a significant difference within application.

The distinction between the two terms is such that inclusion is centres on the individual whereas integration tends to focus on the environment. Integration conveys a sense that the pupil must adapt to the environment, with no assumption that the school will adapt to accommodate a greater diversity of pupils. In other words integration is simply a matter of location and allocation of resources.

It has been stated by the alliance for inclusive education as cited on the ..

Bristol CYPS Equalities and Inclusion Team..

Website

http://www.bristol-cyps.org.uk/services/eit/definitions.html

Inclusion is integration on our own terms. You can do integration to us, but there can be no inclusion without us playing a full part in the process

the differences between inclusion and integration may be summarised as in the following table. It is worth discussing the degree that practice in different settings represents integration or inclusion.

http://www.sen.ttrb.ac.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?ContentId=12373

The term, integration, originates from the Warnock report of 1978, where it was used in order to remove all but a small minority of pupils from segregated settings. This meant focussing on integrating the pupils into mainstream settings who were otherwise segregated .

The concept has since progressed to the inclusion of all children to reflect the idea that it is not for SEN children to be somehow fitted in or integrated into the mainstream but that education as a whole should be fully inclusive of all children.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmeduski/478/47807.htm

The concept of SEN (Special Educational Needs) was also adopted at the time of this report. This was in order to re-orientate and re-focus on the education of those with SEN.

A pupil is defined as having Special Educational Needs (SEN) if he or she has a learning difficulty which requires special educational provision to be made for him or her. All pupils with SEN must have those needs addressed, via a broad and balanced education. In most cases, it is the pupil's mainstream school that will make this provision.

http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/atoz/s/senpolicy/

the impact of this new terminology was to restructure the thinking behind disability. i.e. to move from the popular and ‘so-called’ medical model to the ideology that

I briefly mentioned the Warnock report above which attempted to change the defining of pupil disability, an enlargement of the pupil target group, endorsing the policy on integrating disabled pupils into mainstream education and the recognition of parents as partners in educational decisions concerning their child.

(century of education, page 165)

The Warnock report replaced the thinking behind the 11 categories of handicapped pupils which had been a consequence of the previous 1944 education act. The Warnock report regarded the categories as unsatisfactory because they concentrated on the pupils handicap rather than their educational needs.

(a century of education- page 166)

Although many previous acts and legislations made it compulsory for education to be granted to 100% of pupils, they was either no emphasis on their implementation or no incentive for the educators to do so. For example the 1914 elementary education (defective and epileptic) Act had education for all at its core but

It (integration) is a reactive, non-anticipatory approach, which provides for a limited degree of independence.

http://www.scvo.org.uk/equalities/resource_base/disability/accessible_events/inclusion_and_integration.html

Other terms that tend to surface within the topic of inclusive education are terms such as disability.

There are several ways of defining disability. The most widely used is the medical definition. A disability is "an impairment" - the inability to carry out normal social roles because of the impairment/disability.

There is also a social definition that considers the way disabled people's lives are affected by the barriers society imposes on them.

Disabilities are wide ranging. Some are functional limitations eg; due to an accident or medical condition and some are less debilitating eg; hearing loss or short sightedness.

http://www.youthinformation.com/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=90844

Disability is difficult to define because it is a multi-dimensional concept with both objective and subjective characteristics. When interpreted as an illness or impairment, disability is seen as fixed in an individual's body or mind. When interpreted as a social construct, disability is seen in terms of the socio-economic, cultural and political disadvantages resulting from an individual's exclusion.

Many different terms and definitions exist in relation to disability. This is in part because the terminology which is acceptable changes over time and also because it is for individuals to define their own situation.

special educational needs. The word special when referring to disabled people tends to either mean extraordinary or not good enough,

and is therefore viewed as patronizing.

Special school: a school which is specially organised to make special educational provision for pupils with special educational needs and is for the time being approved by the Secretary of State under section 188 of the Education Act 1993

http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/sen/senglossary/

it was the 1970 education act which put a stop to the arrangements of classifying children to be uneducable at schools

http://inclusion.uwe.ac.uk/inclusionweek/articles/milestones.htm

this is the first time that 100% of school age children were ‘allowed’ to go to school.