ABSTRACT
As the special needs governor in a mainstream primary or secondary school you will almost certainly have heard a lot about this thing called ‘inclusion’. But you are probably not very sure what it is or how it differs from ‘integration’? Over the last few years there is no doubt that most ordinary schools have been taking on board increasingly challenging and complex young people. The chances are that you will now be catering for a greater number of students with statements of special educational need than ever before. Many of these young people are not significantly different from those that were previously labelled as ‘slow learners’ and placed in remedial classes. On the other hand, some will have far more complex needs. Traditionally these children have been ‘integrated’ into ordinary schools but not ‘included’.
