Schools in Britain - Essay Example

Additional Literature Review Sage (2004) reviewed how schools in Britain are coping with inclusive education, putting together the views of administrative and teaching staff in primary, secondary, and special schools through a focused survey with head teachers, staff, and parents from three sample schools. The study found that less than half of classroom staff are positive about inclusion and feel that they do not have the knowledge, skills, support and resources to make it work effectively. Whilst she admits that much progress has been attained in implementing inclusive education for pupils, problems remain that could be solved only if the school head is able to offer fresh perspectives to school practice and provide support for inclusion. She likewise strongly suggested that adequate training of staff and teachers is needed to improve the quality of mainstreaming and inclusion practices. The Audit Commission Report (2002) found that there is a gap between policy and practice, citing several cases of British schools where the duty to mainstream education is absent where the education of a child with SEN is incompatible with the rest. The same report discovered that children with SEN experienced greater or lesser difficulty in gaining admission to their school of choice. Children with emotional and behavioural difficulties had most problems, followed by children with ADHD, and then those with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). The report findings are supported by Sage (2004) and Wright (2003) but not by Wilkins et al. (2004). Despite the widespread adoption of policies on mainstreaming, and more recently on inclusive education for children and young people with SEN, little is actually known about the relationship between what teachers think about such policies and the type of learning environments they provide. A study (Monsen & Frederickson, 2004) in New Zealand involving 63 primary school teachers and 1,729 pupils concluded that children taught by teachers who espoused highly positive attitudes towards mainstreaming were found to have significantly higher levels of classroom satisfaction and marginally lower levels of classroom friction that children taught by teachers with less positive attitudes. MacKay (2002) challenged many of the prevailing trends in relation to disability and special education needs. Taking a broad view of developments since Warnock, and providing a fascinating insight into initiatives in Scotland, Gilbert MacKay offered an analysis of five ways in which the notion of disability, and the practical reality of our responses to it, are being unhelpfully removed from the educational arena. Whilst all can strive to promote forms of inclusion that encompass ever-widening parameters of diversity, no one's interests are served if the implications of individuals' difficulties are simply ignored or wished away. MacKay highlighted dangers in some recent trends but also points the way towards a much more responsive and productive future. Several recent research studies have come out on the experience of inclusion and mainstreaming in British education. Simmons and Bayliss (2007) discussed the role of special schools and the practicality of segregation. Carpenter (2007) focused on the role of schools as research organisations. Whitehurst (2007) emphasised the importance of learning about the experiences of the children who are the object of mainstreaming practices. Keil et al. (2006) came up with enlightening research findings on SEN and disability. Frederickson et al. (2007) assessed the social and affective outcomes of inclusion. Lindsay (2003) addressed the development of inclusion and inclusive practices, models of special educational needs and disability, and the values that underpin thinking about these matters. Basing his argument on the research evidence, Lindsay provides a searching critique of prevailing notions about inclusion and of current approaches to research. His conclusions will be of interest to everyone concerned with the education of children and young people with special educational needs. Wedell (2005) explored the systemic rigidities that create barriers to inclusion and offered creative ideas for new ways to approach the challenges of inclusion. He argued persuasively for much greater flexibility, at a range of levels, in order to facilitate change, development and innovation. Building on these themes, Wedell summarised a series of implications for policy and practice concerning teaching and learning, staffing and professional expertise, and grouping and locations for learning. Wedell concluded by calling on the British government to consider in more depth the issues that are raised by moves towards inclusion, particularly those issues that concern the individual learner in relation to the shared curriculum. Knight (1999) outlined the advantages and some concerns of implementing inclusion into classroom practice and advised schools on the concept of guided internality, warning against reproducing the features of a segregated school in a mainstream setting. In November 2003, the Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED) commissioned the SCRE Centre at the University of Glasgow to evaluate the impact of Section 15 of the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc Act 2000. The evaluation took place between January 2004 and August 2005. A major theme of the research (Head & Pirrie, 2007) was the impact of the presumption of mainstreaming on special schools, including an exploration of the changing role of special schools, and the changing demands on staff in special education. The evidence presented in the paper suggested that whilst there may be widespread support for specialist provision within a policy climate of inclusion, the sector has undergone significant changes in the last few years. These changes have had a particular impact on the curriculum, teaching and learning, and 'specialness' of special schools. However, not all of these changes are due to the practice of mainstreaming. After many years of efforts at inclusion and mainstreaming in the British school system, much still needs to be done. The biggest challenge is still that of responding to the diversity of learners and learning disabilities (Ainscow, 2007). More than the introduction of particular techniques or organisational arrangements, what is needed is a new way of thinking, what Ainscow called a "reflective turn," and engaging with evidence, of which there is a considerable lack, particularly the views of children, is a key strategy. Copland (2003, p. 94) suggested that inquiry or research is the engine that would enable the distribution of leadership needed to foster participation, and the "glue" that can bind a school community together around a common purpose. What they both suggest is the need for greater leadership in practice. In particular, there is a need for efforts to encourage co-ordinated and sustained efforts by whole staff groups around the idea that changing outcomes for students is unlikely to be achieved unless there are changes in the behaviours of adults. The main effort at the reflective turn would come from staff members, enlarging their capacity to imagine what might be achieved, and increasing their sense of accountability for bringing this about. There is likewise a need to tackle taken-for-granted assumptions, most often relating to expectations about certain groups of students, their capabilities, and behaviours (Ainscow, 2007, p. 6). What Ainscow and Copland both conclude is that schools know more than they use and that the logical starting point for development is with a detailed analysis of existing arrangements. This would allow good practices to be identified and shared, whilst drawing attention to ways of working that may be creating barriers to the participation and learning of some students. The focus must not only be on practice, but must also address and challenge the thinking behind existing ways of working (Ainscow, 2007, p. 7). Bibliography Ainscow, M. (2007) Taking an inclusive turn. Journal of Research in Special Education Needs, 7(1), pp. 3-7. Audit Commission Report (2002) Special educational needs: A mainstream issue. London: HMSO. Carpenter, B. (2007) Developing the role of schools as research organisations: the Sunfield experience. British Journal of Special Education, 34(2), pp. 67-76 Copland, M. A. (2003) Leadership of inquiry: Building and sustaining capacity for school improvement. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 25(4), pp. 375-95. Frederickson, N., Simmonds, E., Evans, L. & Soulsby, C. (2007) Assessing the social and affective outcomes of inclusion. British Journal of Special Education, 34(2), pp. 105-15. Head, G. & Pirrie, A. (2007) The place of special schools in a policy climate of inclusion. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 7(2), pp. 90-96. Keil, S., Miller, O. & Cobb, R. (2006) Special educational needs and disability. British Journal of Special Education, 33(4), pp. 168-172. Knight, B.A. (1999) Towards inclusion of students with special educational needs in the regular classroom. Support for Learning, 14(1), pp. 3-7. Lindsay, G. (2003) Inclusive education: a critical perspective. British Journal of Special Education, 30(1), pp. 3-12. MacKay, G. (2002) The disappearance of disability Thoughts on a changing culture. British Journal of Special Education, 29 (4), pp. 159-163(5). Monsen, J.J. & Frederickson, N. (2004) Teachers' attitudes towards mainstreaming and their pupils' perceptions of their classroom learning environment. Learning Environment Research, 7(2), pp. 1387-1579. Sage, R (2004) A world of difference: Tackling inclusion in schools. Stafford: Network Educational Press. Simmons, B. & Bayliss, P. (2007) The role of special schools for children with profound and multiple learning difficulties: Is segregation always best British Journal of Special Education, 34 (1), pp. 19-24. Wedell, K. (2005) Dilemmas in the quest for inclusion. British Journal of Special Education, 32(1), pp. 3-11. Whitehurst, T. (2007) Liberating silent voices - perspectives of children with profound & complex learning needs on inclusion. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 35(1), pp. 55-61. Wilkins, A., Archer, T., Ridley, K., Fletcher-Campbell, F. & Kinder, K. (2004) Admissions and exclusions of pupils with SEN. London: NFER Wright, J. (2003) SEN and exclusion. Report to AGM of the independent panel for educational advice. London: RNIB. Read More