Inclusion is seen as an ethical obligation, grounded in notions of equity and social justice for all groups and at all stages of education, with higher education (HE) representing a distinctive space where the inclusion agenda is becoming more influential. However, inclusion is also increasingly recognised as an ambiguous concept that might have…

This study investigates how three secondary subject teachers think about and take account of learner diversity in their lesson planning, enactment and reviewing, with a specific focus on pupils designated as having special educational needs (SEN). The study is significant in the context of international moves in contemporary school teaching…

Policies of inclusion in schools now transcend national boundaries; but much less is known about how teachers interact best with each other in order to establish a successful inclusion environment. School psychologists cannot work in isolation and require being fully conversant with this perennially polemic topic. This article reports on a study…

This paper reports the findings from a project focused on teaching secondary aged pupils with moderate learning difficulties (MLD) using Lesson Study methodology--a collaborative approach for teachers to assess, evaluate and plan a sequence of lessons that focuses on the learning of one to two focus pupils identified as having MLD. The research…

In this article, Brahm Norwich, Professor of Education at the University of Exeter, examines the roles that special schools can play within inclusive educational systems. He notes that the percentage of young people in special schools in England has remained broadly stable over a number of years, despite inclusive policy initiatives. Brahm Norwich…

This paper reports findings about placement questions relevant to disability in education. It is part of a larger international study of the perspectives of 132 education practitioners and administrators in England, the USA and The Netherlands to several dilemmas of difference. Participants were interviewed about their perspectives to a presented…

This study examined the views of 101 boys and girls aged 10-11 and 13-14 with statements of special educational needs for moderate learning difficulties. Questions centred on their experiences of school, teaching and learning in mainstream and special schools. The study is set in the context of the international move towards more inclusion of…

This study of English (United Kingdom) local education authority (LEA) data reports on the number of pupils (ages 5-15) with disabilities in special schools and ordinary schools for 1993, 1994, and 1996. Results indicate: (1) the overall percentage of pupils in special schools decreased from 1.49 percent in 1992 to 1.46 percent in 1993, to 1.45…

This paper is about English parents' experiences of making decisions about special school placements in the national context of rising special school placements and more parental choice and school diversity. The aim of this research was to investigate whether the current legislative focus on optimising parent choice operates as intended from the…

Dyslexia is a controversial concept. In UK universities, the number of students possessing a dyslexia diagnosis continues to increase. Legislation requires that teaching staff adapt their pedagogic practices to effectively include students so diagnosed. These actions depend on lecturers having up-to-date knowledge of what the dyslexia label…

This article examines the pattern of placement of students with significant special educational needs at Statement and School Action Plus levels in English secondary schools, comparing sponsored and converter academies, maintained schools and the newly created free schools, studio schools and university technical colleges for 2013 and 2014. The…

The project reported in this paper addresses the issue of trainee teacher learning with regard to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) during the school placement element of one-year postgraduate teacher training programmes in England. Through a focus on the university/school partnership, school organisational and classroom pedagogic…