ABSTRACT
In recent years, the development of inclusive education has come to constitute what Pijl et al. (1997) characterize as ‘a global agenda’. Not only do we see schools and (in the English context) local education authorities (LEAs) developing inclusive provision, we also see the emergence of a wide range of inclusion lobby groups, the formulation of international declarations in favour of inclusion, and the adoption of more or less inclusive policies by a range of national governments. A central plank of the inclusion platform is the notion of the ‘inclusive school’. The Salamanca ‘Framework for Action’ (UNESCO, 1994) defines the inclusive school in the following way:
The fundamental principle of the inclusive school is that all children should learn together, wherever possible, regardless of any difficulties or differences they may have. Inclusive schools must recognize and respond to the diverse needs of their students, accommodating both different styles and rates of learning and ensuring quality education to all through appropriate curricula, organizational arrangements, teaching strategies, resource use and partnerships with their communities. There should be a continuum of support and services to match the continuum of special needs encountered in every school.
