ABSTRACT
There are two quite distinct ways in which the word “policy ‘is used in education. In one sense it can be a summary of what is actually going on in a particular area, a post hoc rationalisation or passive conception of policy. In its second sense it may define attempts to supply coherence and direction to what is going on. In this sense ‘policy’ carries connotations of central control over an area of practice, but in the permissive and hence diverse education system in the UK it can be difficult to discern any active educational policy developed beyond the confines of a single classroom. Education in the UK is often characterised by an absence of active policy making. Sometimes one school may appear to have a unified sense of direction but it is extremely rare for a local authority to attempt to impose a structure on the historical, economic and personal forces which can determine what happens between teachers and pupils. The beginnings of just such an attempt are discernible for children with special needs in Oxfordshire. The following case-study, which concentrates on secondary education, documents some aspects of these ideas of policy, their background and some of the problems that arise in attempting to implement them. It utilises information obtained directly from some of the people involved and from already published sources. Its purpose is to provide some indications for policy development in other areas and inevitably it is a very partial and incomplete picture.
