Introduction

My role as adviser for special educational needs involves challenging and supporting mainstream and special schools to improve their inclusive practice. Since taking on this role, it has become evident that, while senior managers, inclusion coordinators (INCOs) and special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs) may have the ‘will’ to become more inclusive, there is a lack of practical guidance at national and local level on how these schools can promote productive partnerships. There also exists the dichotomy between measuring educational outcomes in terms of narrowly focused examination and test results, and including in mainstream schools children whose achievements are not recognised in national school performance tables.