Focusing on Inclusion. First published Learning and Teaching Scotland 2006

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2 First published 2006 Learning and Teaching Scotland 2006 This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part for educational purposes by educational establishments in Scotland provided that no profit accrues at any stage. ISBN-13: ISBN-10: ii

3 Contents Introduction 1 Values, educational aims and inclusion 3 Thinking about key ideas 1 Some important characteristics of an inclusive school 5 Thinking about key ideas 2 The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004: Supporting Inclusion 7 Thinking about key ideas 3 Making it happen: Processes of creating and maintaining an inclusive community 15 Thinking about key ideas 4 Some frequently debated issues 19 Appendix: Characteristics of effective learning and teaching 29 Bibliography 30 Online support 32 Legislation 32 Acknowledgements 33 iii

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5 Foreword : a Paper for Professional Reflection is the third in a series of publications* intended to assist educational professionals to reflect critically and creatively on how best to meet the needs of Scotland s young people in the twenty-first century. Every member of a school or learning community has a crucial part to play in developing a positive climate for learning. A Curriculum for Excellence highlights the responsibility of the whole school for developing the four capacities in every child and young person as successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors to society. The challenge for each establishment is in establishing an ethos in which all learners are valued. Implementing A Curriculum for Excellence offers an exciting opportunity to enable Scotland to develop a more inclusive culture and for better educational opportunities to be available for all. This LT Scotland publication focuses on inclusive education in the context of the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act Practitioners are invited to engage in discussion and debate to determine the values underpinning the curriculum and to make those values explicit within their classrooms and across their establishments. In making use of this resource you are also encouraged to use Learning and Teaching Scotland s Inclusive Education online resource ( This hosts information about inclusive education and shares practice from Scottish schools, local authorities and voluntary organisations. I commend this publication and hope it will be of assistance for personal and collective professional reflection. Bernard McCleary Chief Executive * (Focusing on Curriculum Flexibility in Secondary Schools, 2003, Focusing on Enterprise in Education, 2005) Focusing on Curriculum Flexibility Focusing Secondary Inclusion Schools v

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7 Introduction The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 has the potential to become a powerful influence in helping Scotland s educational establishments to become more inclusive communities. But legislation alone will never be enough. Whether or not Scotland becomes a more inclusive society will depend significantly on the values that its people hold and their ability to translate these values into their everyday lives. Inclusion is complicated and raises a wide range of issues for reflection and debate. There are no instant solutions to the hard questions that surround debates on inclusion. Is there a conflict between being a high achieving school and an inclusive one? Does inclusion mean everyone, including the hard to include? Is inclusion about bringing people in who have traditionally been excluded or is it about the engagement of all people within a community? However, questions like these must be openly addressed and people should have the opportunity to tackle these challenges inclusively, finding strategies to promote more inclusive practices in ways that will work best in their community. The purpose of this publication is to assist teachers, education managers and other staff to reflect on inclusion and what it means in practice in their classrooms and schools in the light of research, policy and recent legislation. The intention is that people will use this paper flexibly, identifying ideas and issues that matter to them and that it will be used participatively, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to be part of the decision-making process. Local authorities or local groups of schools may wish to engage colleagues from different establishments in these discussions. There is also potential for joint discussions involving education staff and those from other services working with children and young people. Although the paper has not been designed for direct use by children and young people or by parents, it is envisaged that ways will be found of involving them in discussions. Inclusion is an issue relevant for every class teacher and school manager, and for staff and managers across the range of local authority services. It is hoped that this publication will be helpful in stimulating thinking about how, in Scotland, every person will have the best possible educational experiences and the best possible life chances. Focusing on Curriculum Flexibility Focusing Secondary Inclusion Schools

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9 Values, educational aims and inclusion The policy agenda of the Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED) is grounded in the Standards in Scotland s Schools etc. Act 2000, which places a duty on education authorities to ensure that education is directed to the development of the personality, talents and mental and physical abilities of the child or young person to their fullest potential. Ministers response to A Curriculum for Excellence (SEED, 2004b), the Curriculum Review Group s proposals for values, purposes and principles for education from 3 to 18 in Scotland, makes clear that they wish Scottish education to achieve our vision for children and young people, that all should be valued by being safe, nurtured, achieving, healthy, active, included, respected and responsible. The Standards in Scotland s Schools etc. Act 2000 also established the five National Priorities in Education. While one of the National Priorities focuses directly on inclusion and equality, these principles are implicitly embedded in the other four Priorities. Effective promotion of achievement and attainment, positive school environments, values and citizenship and learning for life requires a firm commitment to inclusion and equality. Inclusion, both educational and social, is also central to Scottish educational policy as set out in A Curriculum for Excellence (SEED, 2004b) and other recent publications and legislation. A Curriculum for Excellence establishes clear values, purposes and principles for education from 3 to 18 which apply to all areas of the curriculum, learning and teaching and school life in general. A Curriculum for Excellence also highlights wisdom, justice, compassion and integrity as values on which Scottish society is based. Social, environmental and religious and moral values are also important to individual schools and other educational establishments and their communities. These values are relevant in considering the design of programmes, in choosing appropriate activities and in making ethical decisions about partnerships. The foreword to A Curriculum for Excellence states: Our aspiration is to enable all children and young people to develop their capacities as successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors to society. Ambitious, Excellent Schools (SEED, 2004a) confirms the emphasis on children and young people becoming responsible citizens: Our agenda for action is built on our belief in the potential of all young people and our commitment to help each of them realise that potential. We know that all of our young people can make a great personal contribution, among their families, friends, schools, communities and to Scotland as a whole, if given the chance to do so. We want them to have the self-esteem to be confident, happy and ambitious. Our agenda is focused on helping each of our young people imagine a positive future for themselves and those around them and helping them to make that future possible. Key aims in Ambitious, Excellent Schools also include: providing choices and the opportunity for children and young people to realise their own potential fully giving teachers and schools freedom to tailor learning to individual needs developing personal support systems to ensure that all young people, including those in challenging circumstances, have equal opportunities to benefit from learning promoting action to combat sectarianism, discrimination and racism. Focusing on Curriculum Flexibility Focusing Secondary Inclusion Schools

10 There is therefore a clear and coherent framework of values and aims within which inclusion is an essential element. This booklet invites you to think about four sets of key ideas about inclusion: Characteristics of an inclusive school The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 and its implications for inclusion Making it happen processes of creating and maintaining an inclusive community Some frequently debated issues.

11 Thinking about key ideas 1 Some important characteristics of an inclusive school Much advice about self-evaluation, school improvement and staff development in Scottish schools is based on well attested good practice in relation to school ethos, learning and teaching, pastoral care and school management. The characteristics of very good school experience are known from research and from the extensive experience of Her Majesty s Inspectors of Education (HMIE). These characteristics have been promoted in a wide range of publications, such as those listed in the bibliography of this paper. From this body of research and HMIE experience, it is possible to identify a range of crucial characteristics of schools and classrooms which develop all their children and young people as whole persons. Inclusive education is also promoted and legislatively underpinned in key Acts of Parliament in the fields of race, gender and disability. Relationships, ethos, empowerment, engagement and self-esteem School leadership gives priority to inclusion and consistently promotes an ethos of achievement, empowerment, engagement and self-esteem. The community ethos is very supportive; teachers, classroom assistants and children and young people enjoy very good relations, mutual respect and friendship. Children and young people feel connected to the life of the school, to teachers and others contributing to their education, to the learning opportunities offered, to friends and classmates and to the wider community through the school. Children and young people feel that they contribute to decisions, that their voice is heard in the school community, that they can influence it, that they are valued within it. Children and young people take an active part in decisions about their own learning and ways of developing it. The school presents all children and young people with significant challenges and, with appropriate support, they experience a sense of achievement in overcoming these and producing excellent work teachers convey this expectation consistently in all their interactions with children and young people. Classwork activities make learning enjoyable and promote both achievement of specific learning aims and personal development (the appendix has a list of such activities). The school actively works towards a safe, antidiscriminatory environment, valuing diversity and promoting equality and fairness. Collaborative support Pastoral care and support for all children and young people are made very effective through close collaboration among various members of staff (class teachers; classroom assistants; those directly concerned with pastoral care, support for learning and promoting positive behaviour; senior managers, etc.) and agencies such as social work, the health service, psychological services and careers guidance. Staff such as janitors, catering staff and others involved in the life of the school have positive relationships with the children and young people. Promoting positive behaviour There are specific initiatives to develop ways of dealing with difficult emotions or challenging situations. Adults and children and young people in the school behave responsibly, demonstrating empathy, resilience, adaptability in the face of change or conflict, social skills, hope and optimism. Focusing on Curriculum Flexibility Focusing Secondary Inclusion Schools

12 Parents and mutual support among children and young people There are strong links with parents, to understand children's/young people s experiences and their learning outwith school. School and parents work together to support children's/young people s learning and development and to help them in times of difficulty. There are arrangements formal and informal through which children and young people can support one another in good times and in times of loneliness, stress or difficulties, for instance circles of friends, buddy systems and peer support in learning. Such arrangements often have powerful positive value for those offering as well as those receiving the support. An inclusive school educates all students providing them with appropriate educational programmes that are challenging yet geared to their capabilities and needs, as well as any support and assistance they and/or their teachers may need to be successful in the mainstream. But an inclusive school also goes beyond this. An inclusive school is a place where everyone belongs, is accepted, supports and is supported by his or her peers and other members of the school community in the course of having his or her educational needs met. Stainback and Stainback, Support Networks for Inclusive Schooling: Interdependent Integrated Education, 1990 Some issues for reflection You are invited to consider/discuss one, a few or all of these issues with a view to taking some specific action to make your classroom and your school more inclusive. Keeping in mind this list of characteristics of very good school experience, what practical action is there in your own classwork to promote each of the following? What are the steps you could take to promote them, or some of them, more effectively? Very good relations and children s and young people s sense of connectedness to the school and wider community An antidiscriminatory environment which promotes and enables inclusion Opportunities for children and young people to have real responsibility Sense of achievement Development of emotional intelligence awareness of and ability to cope with one s emotions High quality learning and teaching activities, with a sharp focus on the things which really matter to help children and young people achieve well (You may wish to consider the list in the appendix.) Working together with colleagues to support children and young people very well: within the school beyond the school Working together with parents to understand and support children and young people very well Engaging children and young people themselves in reflection and discussion about each of the points in this list Thinking about your school as a whole, rather than your personal practice, what are the strengths and development needs in respect of each of these characteristics?

13 Thinking about key ideas 2 The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 Supporting Inclusion The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 offers new opportunities to promote better life chances for all of Scotland s children. Its key function is to ensure that children and young people who need additional support to benefit from school education receive that support. Additional support is defined as provision which is additional to, or otherwise different from, the provision made generally in mainstream schools. Development of all children and young people Section 1(2) of the 2004 Act specifies an important expectation of school education. The definition of the term school education in the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, the legislation underpinning provision for special educational needs over the last 25 years, still stands. According to this, school education should be progressive and appropriate to the age, ability and aptitude of children and young people. However, the reference to school education in the 2004 Act includes, crucially, the requirement that it should be directed to the development of the personality, talents and mental and physical abilities of the child or young person to their fullest potential. This relates the 2004 Act closely to the aims and policies of Scottish education as they are set out in the National Priorities, Ambitious, Excellent Schools, A Curriculum for Excellence, and the Standards in Scotland s Schools etc. Act Children and young people with additional support needs, like all others, are entitled to education which enables them to become well developed persons, full members of and contributors to communities and society. The Additional Support for Learning Act introduces a new framework for supporting children and young people in education, and their families. A key clause of the Act (4(1)) distinguishes it clearly from previous legislation relating to special educational needs. The Education (Scotland) Act 1980 requires education authorities to make a general provision in their areas to meet such needs. The concept of additional support needs is central to the 2004 Act. It requires education authorities to make adequate and efficient provision for such additional support as is required by that child or young person for each child and young person having additional support needs. This goes beyond making a general provision, such as special schools and/or a network learning support service. The education authority has a duty to give the necessary additional support to every individual child or young person who needs it to benefit from education. It also has to take appropriate steps to identify children and young people with additional support needs and to review their continuing needs and the adequacy of steps taken to meet them. Staff and resources from within the particular schools attended by these children or young people have a role in enabling an education authority to fulfil these duties, as do staff and resources from its own services and from other agencies. Presumption of mainstreaming Section 15 of the Standards in Scotland s Schools etc. Act 2000 introduced a presumption of mainstreaming that is, a presumption that all children and young people will be educated in a mainstream school, unless there are certain exceptional circumstances. These are circumstances where the needs of the individual child or young person are better met in separate provision, or where the presence of a child or young person in a school is detrimental to the education of other children and young people, or where the cost of educating a child or young person in a mainstream school is unreasonable. Focusing on Curriculum Flexibility Focusing Secondary Inclusion Schools

14 A range of additional support needs Children and young people have additional support needs when they need support to help them minimise or overcome barriers to their learning, achievement and full participation in the life of the school. The spectrum of additional support needs ranges, therefore, from those which are long-term, profound and complex to those which are short-term and may be quickly met. It is the responsibility of education authorities and support agencies to work with the child or young person and his or her parent(s) and carer(s) to ensure that the barriers are removed, overcome or minimised. This means that mainstream schools, on behalf of their education authority and with its support, need to enable children and young people with a wide range of needs to benefit from education, providing additional support to individual children and young people whenever necessary. What kinds of need? The factors which may give rise to additional support needs are wide and varied. The list below is not exhaustive. Nor should it be assumed that the existence of a set of circumstances included in the list automatically implies that additional support needs are present. Some children and young people experiencing some of the circumstances listed may not need additional support to benefit from education, while others in the same situation do. What is adequate and efficient can only be judged in the light of each child s or young person s circumstances. This focus on what is needed to enable the individual person to develop is characteristic of the 2004 Act. Additional support needs may be of short duration perhaps a few months or could remain for a number of years or for the whole of a child s or young person s education. Children and young people with additional support needs may include those who: are being bullied are in general exceptionally able as learners or are talented in particular areas, such as sport, music or art and design require support in acquiring full fluency in English have experienced a bereavement are not attending school regularly experience interrupted learning do not learn or develop effectively as persons because of: the ethos and relationships in the school inflexible curricular arrangements inappropriate approaches to learning and teaching have learning difficulties have mental health problems have physical or sensory disabilities have particular emotional and social needs present challenging behaviour have autistic spectrum disorders have communication difficulties are chronically ill live in difficult circumstances, such as with parents who abuse drugs or alcohol are looked after away from the family home.

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16 Implications for inclusion Whether a child or young person with additional support needs attends a mainstream school or, as an exception to the presumption of mainstreaming policy, a special school, individual teachers and the school as a whole will seek to match the good practice described on pages 7 8. All children and young people should benefit from: teachers who know their personality and talents very well very good ethos and relationships a sense of belonging and commitment to the community development of emotional strengths (such as a sense of achievement, resilience, adaptability and optimism) high quality learning and teaching experiences collaboration between the school and their parents/family where appropriate, well planned collaboration between all the agencies providing the support they need. The key to appropriate support is thorough knowledge of the child or young person as a learner and a person and of his or her individual circumstances. The school needs to have systems which promote communication and teamwork between the child or young person and his or her parents, teachers, helpers and professional supporters. Communication and teamwork are crucial for identifying individual children's and young people s additional needs, for planning to meet them and for putting the plan into action. Such a plan might include, for example, some or all of the following: a specification of particular educational aims appropriate for that child or young person arrangements for planned collaborative or coordinated teaching by class teachers and support for learning staff (including teachers of English as an additional language), where relevant advice to staff on learning and teaching approaches for the child or young person learning and teaching approaches agreed among all the child or young person s teachers collaboratively agreed guidance for helpers on their contribution to the child or young person s classwork and social involvement access to appropriate resources, such as computers advice about ways of promoting the child or young person s emotional development provision of specific support to help the child or young person with an emotional matter or a behavioural issue arrangements for social support, such as buddying or a friends group particular arrangements to meet the requirements of a coordinated support plan where the child or young person has one. This is not a full list. The particular action appropriate for each child or young person can be decided only by those who know him or her well and are aware of the particular circumstances giving rise to additional support needs. Coordinated support plans For some children and young people with additional support needs a coordinated support plan is required. A coordinated support plan is appropriate when a child or young person has additional support needs likely to continue for more than a year arising from: 10

17 one or more complex factors that is, having a significant adverse effect on school education; or multiple factors, not by themselves complex but taken together having a significant adverse effect. To qualify for a coordinated support plan, these additional support needs must also require the provision of significant additional support from an education authority and either the local authority exercising its functions other than education (e.g. social work services) and/or one or more appropriate agencies, within the meaning of the Act and the associated regulations. For example, appropriate agencies include NHS Boards, Careers Scotland and further and higher education institutions. One purpose of the coordinated support plan is to ensure that support is coordinated effectively when at least one service is required from outwith what the education authority provides as part of its educational functions. Other duties relating to collaboration The importance of collaborative approaches is further emphasised by other requirements of the Act. Education authorities must request, and take account of, information and advice from agencies likely to support the young person when he or she leaves school. This must all be done at least 12 months prior to the expected school leaving date. They must also provide information to whichever agencies will be responsible for supporting the young person once he or she leaves school, including further education institutions, if the young person agrees. The provisions made in the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 for coordinated support plans are very specific to those children and young people who need additional support from the education authority and other appropriate agencies. The Act requires education authorities to take appropriate action in respect of these children and young people, but also to provide additional support for all others who need it. Such action must also fully comply with antidiscriminatory legislation and policy. The Act also requires education authorities to plan for changes in school education (see Supporting Children s Learning: Code of Practice, Scottish Executive, 2005, chapter 5). The rights of parents/guardians and children and young people The parents/guardians of children and young people with additional support needs are key participants in the collaborative action, as are the children and young people themselves. The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 gives parents new rights and young persons beyond school age but receiving school education also have these rights on their own behalf. Parents can, for example: request the education authority to find out whether their child has additional support needs receive advice and information about their child s additional support needs request a specific type of assessment and/or examination when the education authority proposes to establish whether a child or young person has additional support needs or requires a coordinated support plan request the use of a mediation service make use of dispute resolution arrangements make a placing request to an independent special school if their child has additional support needs request the education authority to find out whether their child needs a coordinated support plan or to review an existing plan receive a copy of the coordinated support plan or, if not eligible for a plan, receive advice and information about their child s additional support needs Focusing on Curriculum Flexibility Focusing Secondary Inclusion Schools 11 11

18 have their views sought and taken into account and, where there is a coordinated support plan, have these views noted in it appeal to new independent tribunals on matters relating to coordinated support plans. It is important to note that many of these are rights which are relevant to any additional support needs, not just those which would qualify a child or young person for a coordinated support plan. Some issues for reflection You are invited to consider one, a few or all of these issues with a view to taking some specific action to make your classroom and your school more inclusive. Taking account of the implications of the 2004 Act for the inclusion and effective learning of every child or young person with additional support needs, you might wish to review your responses to earlier issues for reflection. The 2004 Act may well require shifts in thinking and in practice within your school. Think of particular children and young people who have additional support needs: of a temporary kind of a more permanent kind. 12

19 What specifically do you do to support these children's/ young people s: learning sense of belonging to the class/school community freedom from the effects of discrimination? To what extent are your school's strategies for supporting children and young people with additional needs: the province of specialist support staff part of the teaching and support approaches of all teachers? How are the actual causes of discriminatory influences and effects identified and addressed? How clearly is the Act's focus on providing support for all children and young people with additional support needs understood by your school? What steps can you and colleagues take to ensure that each child or young person receives whatever type of additional support he or she needs? How significant is the involvement of adults other than teachers in school and in other appropriate services in enabling children and young people with additional support needs to learn well and to participate fully in the school community? How could this be improved? How significant for children s and young people s learning and community participation is their interaction and collaboration with peers? How could this be improved? What steps can you and your colleagues take to work more effectively with parents to help children and young people with their learning and personal development? What steps can you and your colleagues take to engage children and young people themselves more effectively in thought and discussion about their: learning personal development contributions to the school and the wider community? What kinds of support do you need to support children and young people better? (Consider both resources/staffing and other forms of support.) What kinds of support does your school need? (Consider both resources/staffing and other forms of support.) Focusing on Curriculum Flexibility Focusing Secondary Inclusion Schools 13 13

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21 Thinking about key ideas 3 Making it happen Processes of creating and maintaining an inclusive community Communities of belief One thing we do know from research on effective change in all kinds of institutions (see, for example, Senge and Scharmer, 2001) is that how to do it guides, offering recipes for practical action or handy hints and examples, are unlikely to be what is needed. It may be that holding fast to the importance of complexity is the most relevant contribution we can make. Clark et al, British Educational Research Journal, 1999 The learning, personal development and social and cultural interactions of individual young people are complex. So are the interactions of the many factors and people that contribute to the richness of their school experience. Attempts to find simple solutions to educational complexity often lead to oversimplification and school work becomes fragmented knowledge and skills are treated as though they can be learned without reference to the learner s life beyond a particular lesson or subject programme. There is little or no attention to learners emotions or their social interactions, precisely because these introduce difficult complexities. There is a tendency, particularly in secondary schools, to focus on logically ordered subjects, rather than on the complex organisms learning about them individual children and young people and also various groupings of them. We need, therefore, to encourage all those involved with children and young people to take account of the whole set of attitudes, emotions, knowledge, developing abilities, need for and enjoyment of other people, ambitions and aims which make up their personality, their individuality as persons. We need also to recognise that creating and maintaining a school and a community ethos where this happens, where all concerned with children and young people do interact with them as whole persons, is itself a very complex process. The significance of effective leadership in the development of common vision and teamwork throughout the work of a school is highlighted in much research on school improvement (for example, MacBeath and Mortimore, 2001) and in HMIE Quality Indicators (HMIE, 2002). The work of researchers such as Fullan (1993, 2003) and Senge and Scharmer (2001) has taught us that ideas have to be worked to deeper understandings by communities working collaboratively. Collaboration across research, policy and practice communities is not optional it is key to the success of any innovation that leads to real change, real improvement. Policies, intentions and even apparently well planned staff development programmes do not achieve desired ends on their own. There has to be real understanding of these ends and commitment to them by all, or by a critical mass, in a school community, supported by research and policy. There has to be a community of belief. The recent development in Scotland of very effective approaches to formative assessment within the national Assessment is for Learning Programme (Hayward, Priestly and Young, 2004, Hutchinson and Hayward, 2005, Hayward, Simpson and Spencer, 2005) suggests one possible approach. It shows that groups of teachers can achieve changes in their perception of what matters and in their teaching practice that astonish them, even in some cases after many years experience. In achieving such changes they were: well informed by research principles inspired by very effective accounts of what had been achieved in other schools trusted to reflect and develop good practice for themselves within spaces created by an enabling and supportive policy context Focusing on Curriculum Flexibility Focusing Secondary Inclusion Schools 15 15

22 able to discuss developments, successes and problems with colleagues well supported by both networks of others involved in similar activities and by national policy and education authority and school management staff. One effective approach to developing communities of belief about inclusion and young people s development as persons is therefore to create many opportunities for all community members to think carefully about these and to discuss practical action. All teachers can probably recall many innovations (their own or their school s) which consisted of adopting a new approach, or new resources, without indepth consideration of what they were really aiming to achieve and the complexity of the means of doing so. Common understanding about the kind of society they want to be part of, the sort of place they want the school to be, the sorts of qualities and beliefs they want to model and the sorts of messages that they want to send characterises a community of belief. There is a sense in which practical things to do are likely to flow naturally from such thinking and discussion about inclusiveness and the full development of all children and young people. However, we know that thought and action do not have to be separate. Reflective praxis (Carr and Kemmis, 1986) is a process in which there is continuous critique and development of practical action in pursuit of clear and agreed aims. If thought and action interact closely, it is likely that schools can become communities of belief that model the following. School is a place where: certain principles are at the heart of all that happens each and every individual has value and worth people feel they belong people learn everyone can achieve responsibility is shared there is no exclusion by expectation prejudice and discrimination are countered and their negative effects greatly diminished. School is a place for everyone not just the best-behaved, or the members of acceptable groups. One other point is important, too. A reflective school is honest and aware of the complexity of children s/ young people s learning. It recognises that not all of this learning is planned by the school and, indeed, that children and young people may well learn attitudes and skills in school which are not those it wishes to inculcate. This recognition makes the development of an inclusive school ethos all the more crucial. Is your school a centre of thought and reflection? Do the staff work together to develop a common philosophy and to consider the action which will ensure it is put into effect? Are there regular opportunities for staff to share and discuss their practical strategies? What steps could the school take to create the conditions for a real community of belief in inclusive education? How can the school ensure that parents and children and young people themselves are part of this community of belief? What steps are needed to ensure that colleagues from services other than education who are concerned with the children or young people s development are fully involved? What practical action can you personally take to work with colleagues in developing inclusion? 16

23 Resistance to change Inclusion requires substantive change. Change that influences every aspect of a school. Change that alters the daily professional activities of teachers and administrators. Changes that challenge traditional attitudes, beliefs and understandings regarding students with disabilities and other students who do not fit into the typical classroom in a school. McLeskey and Waldron, Inclusive Schools in Action, 2000 However, this recognition of the deep and significant changes that may be needed to develop inclusion is not universal. There can also exist a view that it is not really a major transformation. Staff may feel that they have always had an inclusive and non-discriminatory approach, that there is a friendly atmosphere in their school and that everyone feels at home. They may feel they can adapt easily to any children and young people who have additional support needs. They may feel resistant to changes they perceive as advocated or even imposed by others. Focusing on Curriculum Flexibility Focusing Secondary Inclusion Schools 17 17

24 Is resistance in your school to change imposed from outside justified because you really do have fully effective inclusive practices? Or do you individually and/or the school community need to be self-critical and radical in working out how to make sure your school is inclusive in the ways indicated on pages 5 6? What specific new steps could you take yourself? If there are other reasons for resistance to change imposed from above, what steps can you take to address these issues? To make the school more inclusive for children and young people, whatever their additional support needs, what would be a good first step to improving: overall ethos/relationships negative and/or discriminatory attitudes active involvement of all children and young people in the life of the school the quality of learning and teaching? Resourcing One view is that inclusion of many children and young people with additional support needs cannot work without major improvements in staffing and resourcing. This view is based on the argument that these children and young people often require amounts of one-to-one teacher or adult support which are impossible in mainstream classrooms. A different view is that the major resource for any kind of effective learning and teaching is the commitment and expertise of teachers and other staff working with children and young people. In this view, it is true that there should be proper provision of staff and resources to support children and young people with additional needs, but we should remember that more effective use of existing expertise, time and resources can sometimes achieve great success. Do you know and have a good collaborative relationship with the school and education authority personnel who can influence the availability in your school of staff, resources and time to ensure that all children and young people receive the additional support they need? For particular children and young people you are working with, what additional resources (staffing, time, materials, etc.) do you need which could be provided by: the education authority redeployment of staff in the school reorganisation of your own time and teaching materials drawing on existing (perhaps unrecognised) expertise within the school? What practical steps can you take, in collaboration with colleagues, to address resource needs for your children and young people with additional support needs? 18

25 Thinking about key ideas 4 Some frequently debated issues Debates arise frequently in considering inclusive education. Sometimes it seems necessary to decide between mutually exclusive alternatives. Some apparently contentious issues may contrast differing points of view as exclusive or as representing different educational philosophies, though they may, in reality, reflect different, perhaps too simplistic, understandings of the concept of inclusive education. For example, inclusive education and special education are sometimes thought of as separate, exclusive approaches. This distinction seems to treat the location where children and young people are at school as crucial. Mainstream or special school? becomes the critical question. However, the inclusive education principles underpinning Scottish educational policy apply wherever a child or young person is being educated. They can be implemented or not in both mainstream and special schools. There are circumstances where temporary or permanent placement in a school outwith the mainstream may be considered best for an individual child or young person: this is why the 2000 Act specifies exceptions to the general pattern of inclusive education provided in mainstream schools. For all children and young people in any school the aims are the same full and continuous development of abilities and talents, and of community involvement, within the school and beyond. In presenting issues for discussion in this section, contrasting points of view are offered, using invented quotations representing typical standpoints. You are invited to consider one, a few or all of the following issues arising from this juxtaposition of standpoints, with a view to taking some specific action to make your classroom and your school more inclusive. Inclusion and equality? This pupil s individualised programme, agreed with him, his parents and all those involved in supporting him, gives him modified learning aims. It is not in his interest to attempt to teach him the same broad curriculum as most pupils experience. Equality means the same opportunities for all children and young people including entitlement to a common curriculum. Does equality mean the same curriculum and learning experiences for all children and young people? Is there a difference between the same curriculum and a common curriculum? Could different classroom experiences/areas of study still follow common curricular principles? How would you see this idea being applied in the case of particular children and young people you know? Should there be much more variation of areas of study for many groups of children and young people in schools, working to their particular strengths (if, for example, we accept Gardner s (1983, 1993) identification of multiple intelligences )? Or, is there a strong case for ensuring that children and young people are given as much experience and as much support as possible to develop strengths in areas where they are not pre-disposed to learn easily? Focusing on Curriculum Flexibility Focusing Secondary Inclusion Schools 19 19

26 Could engaging certain children and young people with additional support needs in agreed or self-chosen activities (different from the activities of the majority) be desirable? Could that be an effective route to their development as persons, fully involved in the school community? How does this, or could this, apply in the cases of particular children and young people you know? What steps are necessary to avoid a perception that children and young people involved in such courses planned for individuals or groups are: different, not part of the main school community less valuable, less highly regarded? Inclusion focus on children and young people or on the whole school community? Inclusive education is about ensuring that all children and young people feel part of the school community. Inclusion means a community where all members, children and young people and adults, are strongly committed to the community s common concerns and support one another in pursuing them. Each person in our school brings qualities that add something positive to the whole school community we would all lose out if anyone were not to be part of it. Does your school focus on including children and young people without developing/ maintaining a community of all the people who work there? Does your school seek to develop and maintain a community of all who work there without challenging them to be inclusive and non-discriminatory towards all children and young people who may be enrolled in the school? To what extent has your school sought to make explicit rather than implicit the community s common concerns? In your view, is it important to do so? Are there any of your colleagues with whom you find it difficult to collaborate in pursuing the school s common concerns? What steps could you take to ameliorate this situation? What practical steps does your school take to include in its community the parents of its children and young people? What practical steps does your school take to include all those from other services who contribute to the children s/young people s education? 20

27 Focusing on Curriculum Flexibility Focusing Secondary Inclusion Schools 21 21

28 Special and ordinary children/young people or a lack of experience? It s quite clear from my experience of trying to cater for such children in a mainstream school that it s not possible to give both them and the ordinary children in the class a good education at the same time. Children with additional needs require specialist teachers and separate provision. The problem about including many children with additional support needs is that teachers are afraid of them. They think of them as quite a different group from ordinary children and are worried that they cannot possibly know how best to relate to them and teach them. What do you see happening in your own work, or across your school, that indicates whether you/the school tend(s) to treat some children as ordinary and others as having special needs? What are your own attitudes to children and young people with additional support needs? Do they vary for different types of need? If so, can you suggest reasons for this variation? What in your experience do you think has formed these attitudes? To what extent does lack of experience of children and young people with additional support needs influence your attitudes? What about the culture of your school? Do most or some staff share your attitudes (whether positive or negative) about the education of children and young people with additional support needs? What could you offer to colleagues whose experience has caused them to be sceptical about working with children and young people who have additional support needs? Are there practical steps (through, for example, discussion or collaborative teaching) that could help colleagues to appreciate the benefits to a school community of including children and young people with diverse strengths and needs who in the past have often been in separate schools? What support and what kind of experiences would you welcome to develop your own awareness of the advantages of including all local children and young people in the school community? What action could your school take to help parents and children and young people themselves to become aware of these advantages? 22

29 Sympathy or rights? We really care about children who have additional support needs in our school. We feel really proud of the fact that we are able to cope with children that no other school can and without damaging our other children. It is good for our children to have others who are less fortunate join them. It helps them to realise what a caring community is like. I wish there was no Act defining additional support needs: it tends to make us think of pupils we have a special duty to help. It should be just a normal part of the business of a school and an education authority to do whatever is necessary to ensure that every pupil learns, grows and develops as an independent person fully involved in community life and to gain from every pupil s particular talents. Which of these two statements is closer to your own view of additional support needs? Or to the prevailing view in your school? What steps could be taken to promote recognition of rights, rather than a sympathetic attitude to the disabled, the less able, the disadvantaged, or similar categories of person? Focusing on Curriculum Flexibility Focusing Secondary Inclusion Schools 23 23