ABSTRACT

This chapter suggests that one of the likely future contexts is a whole-school and community education model; and that this poses particular problems for training with a focus on special educational needs. A resource approach to meeting special needs is only likely to be successful as part and parcel of an overall management of resources for all local educational services. If the school becomes a family and neighbourhood resource rather than just an institution in which to place children of a particular age, then it is also more likely to be accessible to those with special educational needs, and to respond flexibly. A contextual approach to meeting all local needs and organising resources to do so points, therefore, to a shift in emphasis for the training of teachers, all teachers. This appears to have been recognised in current adjustments to initial training and in proposals for the specialised training which may follow.