In this article, Klaus Wedell, Emeritus Professor at the Institute of Education, University of London, looks back over 35 years of developments in the worlds of special and inclusive education. He engages directly with the complexities--for example, the tensions between the standards agenda and policy on inclusion--that have led some commentators…

In 1995, on the occasion of his "retirement", Professor Klaus Wedell wrote a leading article for BJSE entitled "Making inclusive education ordinary". Last October, Professor Wedell, also known to BJSE's readers as the author of the regular "Points from the SENCo-Forum "column, delivered the Gulliford Lecture at Birmingham University. Here he makes…

Highlights of an ongoing forum of educators serving students with special educational needs (SEN) in Great Britain focus on concerns about writing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) in light of the revised "SEN Code of Practice." These concerns address time constraints, the importance of students' individual needs, ways of delivering…

This article describes what is involved in electronic communication, how British Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCos) feel about using it, and the conditions under which it can be used effectively. SENCos felt that electronic communication supplemented other sources of support and provided access to information sources beyond local…

The paper summarizes recommendations from a symposium on research in special education. Topics addressed include research priorities, research organization (funding, management), and dissemination. (CL)

Conflicts between the British Education Reform Act of 1988 and the 1981 Education Act as well as the Warnock Report (1978) are identified. Considered are ways the Act deals with the following issues: special educational needs, curriculum, and the process of integration. (DB)

In assessing pupils with special educational needs in conjunction with the provisions of Great Britain's National Curriculum, three areas should be distinguished: planning the next step for pupils' learning, assessing pupils' levels of achievement, and assessing the quality of education offered. (JDD)

Inclusion of students with disabilities in regular education in the United Kingdom calls for matching diversity of learning need with diversity of educational approach for all students. A three-dimensional matrix relating varied teaching approaches, types and levels of expertise, and grouping of pupils is proposed. (DB)