Table Of ContentPreparing to Include
Special Children
in mainstream
Schools
n Practical Guide
LIZ FlflUELL
First published in 2001 by David Fulton Publishers
This edition published 2013 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon 0X14 4RN
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
Note: The right of Liz Flavell to be identified as the author of this work has
been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act 1988.
Copyright © 2001 Liz Flavell
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 1-85346-770-7
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Contents
Acknowledgements iv
Introduction v
1 The National Curriculum 2000: the Inclusion Statement 1
2 How to Make Inclusion Work 17
3 Changing the Role of the Special School in the School Community 28
4 Communication - Ways of Celebrating Diversity 44
5 Planning and Organisation in Mainstream Settings 53
6 Development of Physical Resources on a Mainstream Site 63
7 Recording, Monitoring and Evaluating Pupils7 Progress
and Experiences 73
8 'Perceptions of Inclusion' Comments 81
Bibliography 86
Index 87
Acknowledgements
I acknowledge the kind help and assistance of Hilary Barrett and all the staff
at Penny Field School and Education Leeds.
I would also like to extend grateful thanks to:
The head teachers, staff, governors, pupils and parents from Penny Field
School St Urban7 s Catholic Primary School, Miles Hill Primary School, City of
Leeds High School; Paul Barker and June Wilson of Leeds Inclusion Project;
Helen Longland and Cath Rutherford of the Leeds SEN Monitoring Team;
Angela Cox, chair of governors, Penny Field School; Julia Robinson and Julie
Davey, Purple Class Team; The Inclusion Network - Sally Beveridge and Sue
Pearson - Leeds University; and everyone else who has contributed time,
effort and support to this book.
Introduction
This book is intended to be an aid to those who work in special or mainstream
school and who are seeking to develop inclusion for all pupils with severe
and complex learning difficulties. As Dawn Male (1997: 2) states: 'Inclusion
has been variously defined. Whilst integration is generally accepted as being
the process by which pupils with SEN mix and work alongside those without
SEN, fitting into existing arrangements, "inclusion is a larger and prior
concept" (FEFC, 1996)'. According to Sebba and Sachdev (1997: 9-10): 'An
inclusive school is one which attempts to respond to all pupils as individuals
by reconsidering its curricula organisation and provision'.
The majority of pupils with severe, profound and complex learning
difficulties are however, educated in special schools with limited or no access
to mainstream peers. This book aims to set a positive agenda to the process
that sees these pupils spending increasing parts of their school life within an
inclusive environment.
High School
Annual Joint Residential Group 3
'Outward Bound' to Special
School y'
Groups 1 & 2
from Special School
to High School
Interaction between Special School
four Schools
Pupils join\Jpur
classes in groups Presentation to whole
of 3 ana 4 \ school termlv
Two groups to/
Nursery
Pupil with
Learning Mentor physical needs
Group to join group in joins group for
Sensory room & hydrotherapy
Garden
Primary School 1
Primary School 2
Year 1 groups
join peers for Literacy Years 5 & 6 to join peer age
lessons for alternative lessons
Figure la Model of inclusion in a group of schools
There are issues and difficulties attached to pupils with this level of
complex learning difficulty sharing their education with mainstream peers.
Many of these problems arise while working within the schools and require
quick and positive responses. Based upon the experiences of one special
school working closely with three mainstream schools - two in the primary
Preparing to Include Special Children in Mainstream Schools
phase and one high school - I intend to show that by sharing and valuing
good practice between schools, it is possible to include the pupils with the
most profound and severe learning difficulties, while providing all pupils
with a high quality education (Figure la).
A vision and philosophy is needed to put into practice the belief that all
pupils can be educated together. By viewing inclusion as a process, and
ensuring excellent communication and development planning, there are no
problems that cannot be overcome as schools work together on forging closer
relationships for the benefit of all pupils. The schools involved must share the
workload on developing inclusion, and accept that it is a learning situation
for all. Just as no two schools are the same, so no two schemes for inclusion
can work in exactly the same way - the way in which each group of schools
tackles inclusion will necessarily be different. Each school is a community of
pupils, parents, governors, teachers, and support and ancillary staff with
diverse needs and ideas. All members of a school need to be considered when
developing an inclusion plan. Readers will know to look for the similarities
and not the differences.
The special school is for pupils with severe learning difficulties. Within this
population are pupils with very complex and profound special needs
including severe learning difficulties with associated motor and sensory
impairments. The resources needed include specialist seating, sensory
curriculum access, highly individual communication support and individual
learning and behaviour objectives. However, the most vital resource is the
staff - specialist teachers, highly trained support workers, health and therapy
staff - all of whom share in the inclusion experience.
The process described in this book can only show the development of
inclusion up to a point, as it is not a static state but a process. Some of the
ideas and ways of working together may help those enthusiastic practitioners
who wish to start or continue their own process of linking mainstream and
special schools in a successful and realistic project, perhaps leading to more
permanent partnerships. Photocopiable sheets are included for evaluation
and monitoring records, pupil profiles, individual objective plans and other
materials to help make inclusion a success that benefits all schools in the
future. Any materials shown in the book are available to use in the form in
which they are presented or may be altered to fit other situations. There are
sample medium-term plans in brief to give a flavour of how subject areas can
be made appropriate to the needs of all the pupils.
This is a practitioner's account of jointly working in a group of schools
centring on one special school. It is an overview of the work of these schools
in taking inclusion forward with confidence and success. There are references
to research that will enhance the practical situations but it is not intended as
a case study. However, there are a great many people and some organisations
involved in the process, all of whom make a valued contribution. Every
participant in the life of a school is a stakeholder in inclusion: pupils, parents,
teachers, support staff, health employees, managers, subject coordinators, taxi
escorts, dinner supervisors, governors, local education authority (LEA)
vi
Introduction
officers and administration staff. Inclusion should be seen as an exciting
initiative by all those involved. If they are consulted from the beginning of the
process, they will make a valuable contribution as the inclusive schools
develop together.
The opportunity is there for all pupils to learn together in the least
restrictive environment while not compromising on the quality of the
education they receive (Figure lb). The experience and expertise from both
mainstream and special school staff will extend the scope of the learning
environment for all pupils, while the development of an inclusive
environment will be of benefit to both staff and children. Some sensitivity is
necessary when steering staff through the process as it is almost inevitable
that there will be anxieties about jobs and locations. Inclusion is not just for
pupils, but for managers, staff, governors, parents and the local community.
The role of the special school will inevitably change through the
development of inclusion. Its resources can be used within a continuum of
provision to enhance curricular developments. The special school will have
an important part to play within the education of all pupils and can offer
much to enhance the learning experiences of many pupils including those
wholly educated within mainstream provision.
There need to be common goals for everyone to work towards the same
outcomes. Essentially, this is a change in schools to be truly inclusive for all
pupils. It means that schools need to look at how to accommodate the needs
of the individual pupils and not at whether the pupils can fit the system. With
the advent of the SEN and Disability Rights in Education Act (Department for
Education and Employment (DfEE) 2000b), no school can ignore its
implications. Pupils do have a right to be educated together and provided
with a broad, balanced and good quality education.
This book should appeal to those who work closely with the pupils, i.e.,
teachers, support assistants, head teachers, coordinators, governors and those
from LEAs who implement local policy. It is based on the practice governed
by the Department for Education and Employment in England and Wales and
any legislation referred to relates to this education system.
Figure lb An inclusive lesson
vii
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The National Curriculum 2000:
1
the Inclusion Statement
'Providing Effective Learning Opportunities for All Pupils'
The pupils are all of Year 1 age, between five and six years old. It is literacy hour
in the inclusive class of a mainstream school. There are 25 pupils on the class
register and an additional four pupils with severe and profound learning
difficulties. The mainstream class teacher is leading the group, and two
members of staff from the special school are seated among the pupils. Two
pupils are in wheelchairs and so are seated at the side of the main group. One
has severe visual problems too, but due to careful positioning of her chair, she
can be seen to be following the activities of the group by her head movements.
All pupils are given a turn to answer a question. Only one of the special school
pupils present uses speech for communication, one is a signer and the other two
use facial expression and body movements to express themselves in the group
situation. The special school staff are carefully observing the pupils, but are not
seated between them and any of their peers to allow for direct interaction.
The Big Book story is about rhyme and rhythm. It has a number of short
rhymes; some are traditional and some less familiar. The whole group focuses
attention on the teacher leading the session. The pupils interact with each other
by eye contact or touch. The pupils from the special school are involved in this,
although only one initiates contact. The others are willing recipients.
Communication by using smiles and head turning is common between all the
pupils, as their attention slips between the focus of the lesson and the group as
a social entity. The member of staff seated on the floor helps a mainstream pupil
to refocus on the lesson by using gesture; there is no speech apart from by the
class teacher.
During the activity session, which is to match words to pictures on a felt
board, all the pupils have a turn. Although the adults move the wheelchair to
allow the pupils access to the front of the class, the rest of the work is done in
pairs with a mainstream child performing the actions as directed by the child in
the chair through a series of facial expressions. All the class watches as each has
a turn. The pupil in the chair smiles and enjoys her part in the group identity.
She has had a turn, interacted with teacher and pupil, watched as others have
taken their turn and visually searched for the position of the pupil in the group
when called by the teacher to take a turn. These are all valid objectives for this
pupil in social skills and communication.
1
