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 paper considers the contemporary debate about inclusion and inclusive education as this affects children with special educational needs/disabilities. It addresses the continuing question of the relative contributions of value and evidence based considerations in making policies and developing practices. The main point of the paper is to argue…

This paper summarizes an action research project in five local areas in the south-west of England which aimed to support parents of children with dyslexic difficulties who were experiencing problems in obtaining appropriate provision in mainstream schools. It was based on the importance of effective parental partnership and quality inclusive…

This report summarizes the status of students (ages 5 to 15) with disabilities placed in either special schools or ordinary schools in England local education authorities (LEAs) for the years 1988 through 1992. A summary notes some trends, including: a small increase from 1991 to 1992 in special school placements; wide variations in where LEAs…

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…

The field of special education is discussed in terms of "connective specialization," the contrary tendencies in the distinctiveness and yet inherent connectedness of special education with other areas of education. Its implications for inclusion are reviewed. The article emphasizes the need to view children as having individual needs,…

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 is the seventh analysis of the percentages of pupils aged 5 to 15 in special schools and the percentages of pupils aged 5 to 15 with statements in special schools. The analysis is based on the official Department for Education and Skills data of indicators for England. Findings indicate the national percentage of 5- to 15-year-old pupils in…

This article discusses the withdrawal of a publication that tracked British local education agency (LEA) trends in placement of pupils with disabilities in special schools. It describes the data problem encountered by counting pupils in non-LEA special schools within the boundaries of LEAs that did not place the students. (CR)

As we move towards a more inclusive education system in the UK, there is a real need to equip teachers to work in more diverse classrooms from the start of their teaching careers. In this article, Gill Golder, teaching and research fellow (physical education), Brahm Norwich, Professor of Educational Psychology and Special Educational Needs, and…

Background: The study is set in the context of international moves towards more inclusion of children with disabilities into mainstream schools and the greater importance attached to the child's voice in decision making in education. Aims: To examine how children with moderate learning difficulties (MLD) in mainstream and special schools see…