ABSTRACT
Inclusion of pupils with special needs has increasingly been the agenda of the present Government. The green paper ‘Excellence for All’ (1998) outlined an inclusive policy. For many schools and LEAs this supported work to integrate or desegregate that had been undertaken with good reason. There has been a long debate about the effects of labelling through separate provision and the impact this has on the pupils’ view of themselves, society’s assumptions about their potential and the future prospects of being fully part of the community. Issues around a limited curriculum were contrasted with the benefits of small class sizes, specialist inputs and therapeutic environments. The 1988 Education Act had moved towards entitlement to both a full curriculum for children with Special Educational Needs and gave rise to a system of ‘Statements of Special Educational Needs’ that was intended to resource meeting those needs.
