Impacts of Inclusion within British Mainstream Secondary Schools - Coursework Example

Impacts of Inclusion within British Mainstream Secondary Schools Introduction The education system in the United Kingdom and other parts of the globe is developed in such a way that it addresses the different challenges faced by students with disability. Approaches exist to enable such students learn in an environment that is similar to other students without disability as a way of ensuring positive cognitive and emotional development. These students spend their time together, interact and play as one class though their curriculum may differ depending on the special needs of the students in question (Florian, 2008). This approach has been extensively used in the mitigation of special needs student’s challenges for students whose problems vary from mild to severe. Before the introduction of inclusion education in the secondary education sector in the United Kingdom, the approach of integration and mainstreaming was adopted. This principle laid emphasis on disability and special needs education to enable students develop skills and attitudes essential for achieving their individual dreams despite the challenges associated with their physical abilities (Sommefeldt, 2001). Inclusion differs from integration in that it emphasises a child’s right to participate in the educational programs and the duty of the school to ensure that such a child is accepted and subjected to fair treatment. With inclusion, the use of special schools for students with disability is disregarded and this eliminates the need for having different classes for different students based on the physical and mental abilities. According to Ofsted (2004, p.12), ‘the use of inclusion criteria in secondary schools in Britain has had massive impacts on the education structure in the country.’ Students, parents and the academic staff have both been affected by the development of inclusion approach in the country. In this paper, the impacts of inclusion approach in the country’s secondary education will be evaluated to determine its implications on the educational needs of the students. The impacts of the approach on other students without disability will also be evaluated to determine how it affects their individual performance and personal development (Florian, 2008). Impacts of inclusion criteria in secondary schools The education of students with disability has remained one of the most fundamental issues in most countries across the world and this explains the emergence of different policies to address the lack of uniformity within the sector. The development of inclusive education has remained a fundamental aspect in education in different parts of the world as scholars continue to assess its viability and potential to provide better educational opportunity to students with disability. The special education field has witnessed massive changes and challenges and this has led to the development of better approaches like inclusion and integration in an attempt to change from the segregation paradigm (Ofsted, 2004). Through inclusion, students with disability have been provided with an opportunity to unconditionally belong and have full access to a regular classroom. In this setup, such students interact with their colleagues without disability and are taught by mainstream teachers. By developing this approach, the founders sought to exclude the exclusion that has affected students and people with disability beyond the classroom and into other sectors of life like employment. In Britain, the implementation of the exclusion program has been achieved through the development of educational legislation and laws which have strengthened the approach and made it accessible to all students (Florian, 2008). The use of inclusion approach in secondary schools has had impacts on students, parents and the educationist in different ways and this has hampered its implementation in different regions. Schools that have adopted the inclusion program have been faced with several challenges and benefits attributed to the approach in secondary schools in the country. According to a report published by the national union of teachers and Cambridge University, most secondary schools in the country have implemented the inclusion policy without making essential consideration. The admission of students with disability into mainstream schools have massive implication on the financial and human resources of the institutions and this makes it essential for the schools to make review of their systems before adopting the policies. The provisions within mainstream secondary schools in the country have also remained uneven and this has affected homogenous adoption of the inclusion approach (Booth and Smith, 2002). Impacts on schools The adoption of inclusion in secondary schools has created resource and financial strains in secondary schools because of the massive needs of this category of students. By admitting students with special disabilities, mainstream schools must invest on special education facilities and this increases the operational budget. Farrell (2001, p.158) highlighted that “the lack of adequate human resource that is trained on handling students with special needs has also hampered the success of this approach in the country.” The national union of teachers appreciates the fact that students with disability require special resources and teachers to enable them develop irrespective of their challenges. This has however failed to occur as the schools have been forced to admit without developing structures and recruiting adequate staff to cater for this category of students. Students with mental disabilities and those with medical conditions that affect their learning like attention deficit hyperactivity puts a lot of pressure on teachers and this affects their output. Teachers who are not trained to handle students with mental cases have therefore been faced with the challenge of changing nappies and dealing with incontinence and administering tracheotomies, which is not part of their professional training, or their legal obligations captured in their contracts (Booth, 2002). Apart from financial and human resources, other strategic challenges like facilities have also increased strains on the available resources in mainstream facilities. These facilities were built to train students without any special needs and the admission of such students will increase pressure on the available resources. Mainstream schools with these facilities have also been strained, as most parents of students with disability prefer attending such schools, increasing the population of students within (Sommefeldt, 2001). This makes the introduction of inclusion programs in most schools challenging as most school administrators reject such approaches based on the strains it will create on the schools. ‘Students with physical disabilities require special materials to aid in their learning and these have been supplied to special needs education centres’, (Sommefeldt, 2001, p.37). Schools that have adopted the approach out of good faith or as an approach of advocating for equal treatment of students in the country have been lauded but continue to suffer in silence. This is because their facilities have been strained and the education quality has been compromised due to lack of adequate facilities (Booth and Smith, 2002). Impacts on teachers The national union of teachers have consistently questioned the use of this approach without addressing the teacher shortages and needs of the sector because of inclusion. This has demonstrated the impacts that inclusion has had on teachers and staff who continue to mitigate these challenges associated with blind policy adoptions. “Indeed, the ‘inclusive’ approach is an international movement that advocates educating all students in ordinary classroom settings irrespective of their differences in intellectual, physical, sensory or other characteristics” (Timor 2007, p.6). Though most teachers have welcomed the inclusion criteria as a matter of principle, most of them have expressed dissatisfaction towards lack of adequate development of structures to ensure that the issues raised by the teachers are addressed. Special education demands a differentiated approach that is different when compared to the mainstream classroom, a deficit that most secondary schools in the country have failed to address. Principals and the school administrators have been actively involved in the planning process for the inclusion of students with special disabilities. This decision making process does not include the teachers who will be faced with the adequate facilities within the institution (Booth, 2002). Most of the teachers in mainstream secondary schools have been trained to handle students without any special disability, which makes it challenging them to shift their focus to students with special disability. Most of these teachers lack adequate training and expertise to handle the behavioural and educational needs of students with disabilities. Teachers have also continued to face the challenge of accessing high quality support services within the mainstream schools that were not constructed or established to cater for special needs students. The decision to adopt the inclusion approach also increases the strain on the teachers work and impacts negatively on the quality of education provided (Farrell, 2000). However, most teachers contend that the inclusion approach has enabled them to attain the professional skills needed to specialize in the special education area. Despite the challenges they have faced, this approach has provided them with an opportunity to grow and broaden their educational scope to special education. “The national union of teachers have attributed the increase in the number of teachers pursuing advanced educational level in special education to the inclusion policy adopted by mainstream secondary schools” (Hornby, 2012, p.58). As a result, professionals in this sector have continued to increase and this has increased the adoption of the policy and enabled students to gain from such an integrated environment. As a result, the impacts of inclusion approach on teachers are both positive and negative as they have been able to increase their professional specialization and training (Booth and Smith, 2002). Impacts of inclusion on students Inclusion affects students differently depending on their individual status and physical abilities, a fact that makes it essential for policy makers to implement the inclusion plan with the students in mind. Evaluation of the impacts on student is twofold and addresses the impacts it has on disabled students as well as the impacts it has on those who are not disabled. The combination of students with disability and those without disability does not in any way compromise the education of students without disability according to researchers from John Fraser University (Booth, 2002). Through the inclusion program, the development of non-disabled students was developed as their emotional growth and strength were developed. Most students who have been part of the inclusion class setup have shown a development in emotional attachment towards students with disability (Ofsted, 2004). By interacting with their colleagues with special needs, non-disabled students development their cognitive skills through helping their colleagues integrate into the common environment and benefit equally. Most students, especially those with learning disabilities have improved their performance after interacting with their colleagues who are not disabled (Farrell, 2000). This arises due to the positive benefits attributed to student-student study programs which improve the performance of the students without disability. Inclusion has also been shown to reduce the fear of human differences attributed to physical and mental differences. This has been evident in most students who study in normal secondary schools and therefore lack interaction with their colleagues with special needs. Inclusion also improves self-concept among students without disability, a development which is essential for interaction and socialization after school. The development of personal principles and an attitude of caring for those with special needs also increase among students who interact in class with their colleagues with special disabilities. However, some studies have also attributed this approach to the development of a study environment that is difficult for non-disabled students. Most disabled students require special attention and this forces the teachers to dedicate special time to assisting them understand the course content. Combining such a category of students with their colleagues without disability leads to time wastage and a negative impact on the non-disabled students. A lot of time is generally lost in such a class due to interruption from students with special needs who may take longer to understand a concept. This affects the normal learning process of other students in the same class and discourages them from interacting with their colleagues with special needs (Booth and Smith, 2002). The implications of inclusion on special education students vary significantly and are based on the nature of the special need and the class environment. “Segregation of students with disability has been viewed as a way of denying them the right to interact with others and live a normal life despite their challenges” (Hornby 2012, p.57). Through the development of inclusion, students have been given the opportunity to interact with other students without special needs and develop their cognitive skills further (Booth, Ainscow, Black-Hawkins, Vaughan and Shaw, 2000). This has also enabled them to be more acceptable by their peers and has eliminated the need for transitional education that is meant to prepare them for the actual challenges they are bound to face because of their special needs (Booth, 2002). Most students who had the opportunity to study in an inclusive environment have demonstrated the ability to have balanced relationships and steady families. This has been enhanced through a non-discriminative environment that provides growth opportunity to all students irrespective of their special needs and challenges. A study conducted in 1992 concluded that students in an inclusive setup improved their academic performance because of interaction and assistance from their colleagues who are not disabled. Inclusion also assists students with disability to improve their overall behavioural traits and develop into people that are generally accepted by the society irrespective of their challenges (Farrell, 2000). Teachers in mainstream secondary schools are also talented and this helps the students with disability to develop into highly talented individuals irrespective of the challenges they face. ‘Inclusive approach to education improves the overall performance, quality of life and attitude of disabled students and this makes it a crucial step in the development of special education programs’ (Timor 2007, p.12). The adoption of inclusion policy also affects positively and negatively on parents of disabled and non-disabled students who are part of the inclusion education program. To parents of children with special needs, upbringing of children to integrate into the society and blend well despite their physical challenges remains one of the major challenges. However, exclusion increases the development of behaviours, which are outside the social behaviour code, and this makes parenting to such parents a challenge. The development of such behaviours increases among children who are subjected to special schools who lack the space and privilege to interact with other non-disabled students (Farrell, 2000). A large number of students with disabilities have been proved to drop out of high school without completion especially if the school lacks proper transition planning program. Such students feel out of place and without necessary skills to meet the various life challenges they are likely to meet as a result of their disabilities and as unskilled youths. Most disabled students also feel out of place in situations where schools lack accommodative and comprehensive programs like transition planning. Transition planning thus plays a major role in providing an accommodative environment for students with disability. It ensures that such students are physically, psychologically and mentally prepared for the lifelong roles and challenges that await them after high school. This has help in the reduction of the dropouts especially among students with special disabilities (Timor, 2007). Transition planning also train students with special disabilities and thus prepare them for college and career life. It enables students to prepare for a life after high school and makes lifelong choice on the career paths they are willing to follow. Statistics has shown that without guidance to the students with special disabilities, most of them will fall before they achieve their final targets in life (Black-Hawkins, 2008). The transition plan must thus be developed under strict guidance provided by the framework to enable the students benefit out of the program as much as possible. Consequentially, the transition and IEP team must ensure that the program have much value for students and their families. It should be aligned and structure to tally with individual student’s vision and post school goals in life. It should also seek to provide relevant information important for all round development of the student, a process that will enable such students to acquire lifelong skills. Most parents have showed bewilderment and inability to control the behaviour of their children due to the development of behaviours recognizable with their clique (Booth, Ainscow, Black-Hawkins, Vaughan and Shaw, 2000). However, the inclusion program has enabled the children develop into all rounded individuals whose focus is not on their disabilities but their abilities. This has helped parents in their parenting role as the challenge of developing an acceptable behaviour in their children has been taken care of by the school. The cost of taking disabled students to transition centres to help in the development of behaviours acceptable to the conventional world has also been eliminated by the development of the inclusion policy in the mainstream secondary schools in the country. However, some parents have expressed dissatisfaction at the exclusion program and claimed that it has not been able to cater for the special needs of their students. For example, parents to children with cerebral palsy tend to view the policy as being too inadequate to take care of the challenges facing their children (Black-Hawkins, 2008). Outcomes of inclusion on student’s performance Just like it affects the delivery of services and the learning processes within the mainstream secondary schools, inclusion affects the overall success and the graduation rate in the country. Integration of disabled students into mainstream secondary schools subjects them to standard examination as done by other students in the country. According to a number of researchers, the graduation rate among students with disability in mainstream secondary schools has significantly reduced (Farrell, 2000). This has been attributed to the high stakes placed in the exit exams which has failed to highlight the challenges facing students with disability. “…misgivings about the more hard-­‐line inclusionists as long ago as 1993.” (Hornby 2012, p.60) Despite the benefits of inclusion, its impacts on the graduation rate of students with disability who have been forced to do standardized exit tests have not been evaluated. Approaches towards developing an inclusive setup for students with disability must therefore appreciate the challenges that students with disability face in mainstream secondary schools. Despite the dark image presented by the inclusion program on students with disabilities, this policy increases the exposure of students to highly trained and professional teachers (Hornby, 2012). This increases their chances of performing based on their individual potentials due to the equal opportunities that the system provides. Most teachers in mainstream secondary schools teach based on individual needs and not to incline to a particular group’s needs. This makes it possible for students with disability to benefit from such educational programs and increase their likelihood of graduating from high school. By interacting with fellow colleagues with different potentials, students with disability are provided with an opportunity to increase their exposure and benefit from their individual potentials and abilities, an essential aspect of student’s success (Black-Hawkins, 2008). Conclusion The development of programs for students with disability has remained the core role of the education ministry in the country and this has led to the development of a number of programs to integrate the education system for both students. Disabled students have been exposed to transition training to enable them integrate and be accepted in the society despite the challenges attributed to their inabilities. One of the methods that have been implemented in secondary schools in Britain is the use of inclusion in mainstream educational facilities in the country. Through inclusion, students with disability and those without disability are placed in a similar educational environment and trained by the same teacher (Farrell, 2000). This upholds the right of the students as they are not confined to a special needs education set up that denies them the chance to interact with other students. Through inclusion, students with disability have been able to interact with others without such disabilities, a process that has enhanced their learning and integration process into the normal educational setting. Inclusion has also enabled students with disabilities to develop behaviours, which are generally accepted in the society due to interaction with other students within the society (Hornby, 2012). References Black-Hawkins, K 2008, Achievement and inclusion in schools and classrooms: participation and strategy, education line. Black-Hawkins, K., Florian, L. and Rouse, M 2007, Inclusion and Achievement in Schools. London: Routledge. Booth, T. and Smith, R 2002, Sustaining inclusive education development: learning about barriers and resources in a London borough. Revision of paper presented at the British Educational Research Association Annual Conference, University of Exeter, September 2002. Booth, T 2002, Inclusion and exclusion in the city: concepts and contexts. In: P. Potts and T. Booth (ends) Inclusion in the City. London: Routledge. Booth, T., Ainscow, M., Black-Hawkins, K., Vaughan, M. and Shaw, L 2000, The Index for Inclusion: Developing Learning and Participation in Schools. Bristol: CSIE. Florian, L 2008, ‘Learning without Limits’ an inclusive practice, Paper presented as the Learning without Limits seminar, Cambridge: University of Cambridge. Ofsted 2004, Special Educational Needs And Disability: Towards Inclusive Schools. London: Ofsted. Hornby, G 2012, Inclusive education for children with special education needs: a critique of policy and practice in new Zealand, journal of international and comparative education, 1(1), 52-83. Timor, T 2007, Physical inclusion yet curriculum exclusion? School staff perception of the curriculum for students with learning disabilities in mainstream secondary schools, electronic journal of inclusive education, 2(1), 1-17. Farrell, P 2000, ‘The impact of research on developments in inclusive education’, The International Journal of Inclusive Education, 4(2), 153-162. Farrell, P 2001, ‘Special education in the last twenty years: Have things really got better’? British Journal of Special Education, 28(1), 3-9. Sommefeldt, M 2001, ‘Managing individual needs within an inclusive curriculum’, in D. Middle wood and N. Burton (eds.) Managing the Curriculum. London: Paul Chapman Publishing, Read More