ABSTRACT
This chapter overviews the use of school clusters in a number of initiatives, such as Technical and Vocational Education Initiative. It then describes ways in which clusters may be helpful in making provision for children with special educational needs in the context of the diminishing economic power of local education authorities and the very broad definition of special educational needs introduced by Warnock and the 1981 Act. The Code of Practice, published after the 1993 Act became law, requires schools to publish policies for special educational needs and clarifies their responsibilities. Work on continuity and progression in the national curriculum has given primary and secondary schools a focus for collaborative work, and the research has indicated that schools are increasingly collaborating in this way. The term 'cluster', as employed here, denotes a relatively stable and long-term commitment among a group of schools to share some resources and decision-making about an area of school activity.
