ABSTRACT

The conditions of the 1944 Education Act encouraged the gradual spread of special classes which seemed especially functional when there was a large degree of psychometrically based streaming and where the political and social basis of such educational judgements were considered unproblematic. Children from the special class were not only perceived as dull but also as 'troublesome and badly behaved'. The only way to account for the larger numbers of non-white children, especially Negroes, in special classes was by reference to the IQ test. The Committee recommended that all children with special educational needs ought to have full individual records and regular reviews, whether they attended ordinary or special schools. Where special classes are set up for a limited proportion of the upper school timetable, it is easy for staff to feel that they are merely calming pupils after other teachers' confrontations.