This book, first published in 1994, explores the impact which changes in thinking and policy at national and local level have had upon the educational experiences of children and young people with special needs in England, Scotland and Wales. Two major factors are discussed. Firstly, there is the thinking of the late 1970s which emerges in documents such as the Warnock report and the legislation which followed it. Secondly, the authors examine the educational policy and legislation of the 1980s and early 1990s which aimed to encourage the operation of market forces. Through the various articles in this collection, the contributors discuss both the common themes and the tensions created by these changes, and assess the effect these have had on special needs education in practice.

The Routledge International Companion to Education addresses the key issues underpinning the rethinking and restructuring of education at the beginning of the new millennium. The volume contains over fifty major contributions exploring a wide range of issues, including: * philosophy of education * the economics and resourcing of education * testing and assessment: current issues and future prospects * standards * multiculturalism * anti-racism * computers in classrooms * mother tongue education * civics and moral education. Each chapter gives a contemporary account of developments in the field, and looks to the future and the directions that new activity and inquiry are likely to take. All the chapters are written from an international perspective.

Shortlisted for the Standing Conference on Studies in Education (SCSE) book awards for 2001 In Schools and Special Needs, the authors provide a critical perspective on the dominant `inclusion′ model of special needs education, in terms of implementation in schools and effectiveness of pupil learning outcomes. They take issue with the major advocates of the inclusion model and argue that a different way of understanding special educational needs in mainstream schools is both possible and necessary. The authors, who are eminent in the special needs field, use up-to-date material to develop a new model for special- education in schools.

First Published in 2004. Research on special education has tended to focus on technical and professional aspects of provision and matters of placement. The voice of the pupil with special educational needs has tended to be silenced by professional discourses, reducing him or her to a passive recipient of specialist provision. This book attempts to undo some of this. This book is about 11 pupils with special needs, who were actively seeking inclusion in mainstream schools. The voices of the pupils and their mainstream peers are foregrounded and read alongside those of other interested parties—teachers, other professionals and parents—as well as the more formal discourses of special needs.

The field of special needs education is well established, and although it continues to develop in exciting and controversial ways, involving some of education's leading thinkers, many people feel it is lacking a coherent theoretical analysis of its own. Students and practitioners, looking for some solid theory to reinforce their own study or practice, commonly have to 'borrow' from other disciplines, such as psychology and sociology, since there has been no attempt to provide a theoretical foundation for the special needs community. This book does exactly that, bringing together contributions from key names in the field from UK and beyond. The book will establish itself as an essential text for students and teachers, as well as all those involved in special needs across the social sciences.

Differentiation is a key part of effective teaching; structuring learning experiences to suit the needs of the individual child plays a major part in the quality of the education that child receives. However, even experienced teachers can often struggle to achieve this ideal when considering the needs of a class, which is likely to include pupils across the whole ability range, from students with learning difficulties through to gifted children. Written by practising teachers this collection: * examines the definitions and scope of differentiation * looks at the structuring and management of learning activities within the curriculum areas of key stages 1 and 2 * shows how teachers can provide equal access to the curriculum for all children, whilst also meeting government requirements * discusses issues of assessment * describes how schools can construct a whole school policy and approach for differentiation. Using case studies and examples, this book will lead teachers to reflect on their current practice, whilst also containing practical advice which will enable them to improve.