ABSTRACT
Warnock's conclusion that up to 20 per cent of pupils may present evidence of special educational needs at some stage in their school career has not been seriously questioned. The evidence, for the majority, is lack of educational progress or problems of personal or social adjustment. Nevertheless the chronic underachievement in some schools, which Warnock legitimately regarded as evidence of special educational needs, is not always reflected in neighbouring schools serving identical catchment areas. Perhaps one measure of HMI's influence may be the development of co-ordinated policies towards special educational needs within I.e.a.s as well as within individual schools. The chapter considers possible policy implications for the DES, I.e.a. administration, I.e.a. support services and individual schools. Generous advisory and support services are a necessary aspect of I.e.a. policy towards children with special needs. Generous advisory and support services are not, however, sufficient unless they operate within a logical, consistent framework.
