ABSTRACT
Clarity is something to do with having good vision – something about having the ability to perceive things as they truly are. Clarity of purpose in the SLD sector ought to begin with perceiving the rights, needs and aspirations of children with severe, profound and complex disabilities as they truly are. The need for clarity of purpose in the SEN sector is nothing new and, in 1992, HMI advised that there will never be answers to the problems posed by making provision for SEN until there is an adequate working definition of SEN and a more effective system of accountability (Audit Commission and HMI 1992a, 1992b). In the absence of any subsequent advice about what might constitute a working definition of SEN, it ought not to be presumptuous of SLD schools to begin formulating their own working definition of what it is that constitutes SLD provision.
