ABSTRACT
The comments repeated here are not all from the schools that are directly involved in the inclusion experiences referred to in the rest of the book. Some of the comments, both positive and negative, are taken from discussions and courses run for teachers and support staff. Making the views of those most closely involved in the process known will, I hope, provide an illuminative exercise for others who may be about to embark on developing inclusive ties between schools in different sectors. The debate will rage on in schools I’m sure, but as long as it is perceived as a journey undertaken by schools for the benefit of all the pupils then slow inroads can be made in all schools. Just by having international, national and local courses, and open discussion between the policy makers and those who work in education, inclusion is moving forward. Not all schools start from the same point, but in each case I have looked at, there has been a ‘hero innovator’, who acts as a mover and a shaker and infects others with their enthusiasm. That is why it is necessary to have the policies and funding in place to ensure that initiatives become permanent changes in the ways that schools work together.
