ABSTRACT
Cornwall has the lowest proportion of children in special schools of all the LEAs in England. This fact was the starting point for this chapter, in which Christopher Onions has collected together the views of six professionals in the county: an advisory teacher, an education officer, an educational psychologist, two head teachers and a class teacher. Together they present a picture of a system of special provision that is the result of many factors that developed over a long period of time. The low level of special school placement has been influenced by geography, limited money, community minded schools and low levels of awareness of learning difficulties, but is not the result of a planned policy. Professionals also discuss Statementing, support services, in-service training, the process of making policy in Cornwall, and the impact of the 1981 and 1988 Education Acts.
