ABSTRACT
In recent years inclusion has risen up the political and statutory agenda in England to such an extent that there is widespread evidence of policies and legislation embedded across diverse sectors of society. In education there is an increased emphasis on inclusion through legislation such as the National Curriculum Statutory Inclusion Statement (DfEE/QCA, 1999b), the Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Disability Rights Act (DfES, 2001a) and the Revised SEN Code of Practice (DfES, 2001b). In addition, the Teacher Training Agency (TTA/DfES, 2003) Professional Standards Framework for the award of Qualified Teacher Status and the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) Inspection Framework (Ofsted/TTA, 2002) have enhanced further their focus on the scrutiny and implementation of inclusive education.
