The publication of the Warnock Report in 1978 caused ground-breaking changes to the education system. It changed the way in which society viewed children and young people with disabilities, and, moved towards a philosophy for an inclusive education (Moore 2009). Warnock (2010) states that many reports and a considerable amount of legislation have emerged since then, These include, 1981 Education Act establishing the recommendation 's, The National Curriculum 1988, The Education Act 1993, 1994 Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs, Excellence for All Children 1997, 2001 SEN and Disability Act, ‘Barriers to Inclusion ' (Department for Education and Skills 2004) ‘Special Educational Needs: A New Look (2005). In the 2005 review Warnock suggests that there should be no priority made to mainstream or special schools, only the needs of the child, also, either setting should be considered as long as it has provision to support the needs of the pupil (Warnock, Norwich and Terzi, 2010) HAVE I REF ALL ABOVE CORRECTLY???????
Gov.uk (2001) states inclusion is about recognising that every child, irrespective of their background or situation are individuals, and they have the right to access a curriculum that is planned to meet their different requirements. It can be their personal, social, emotional and academic development that may be affected if the work they are given is not differentiated for their individual needs. The Equality Act
Inclusive learning is about ensuring all your learners have the opportunity to be involved and included in the learning process. It’s also about treating all learners equally and fairly, without directly or indirectly excluding anyone. Inclusion is about attitudes as well as behaviour, as learners can be affected by
Inclusive practice is a process of identifying, understanding and breaking down barriers to participation and belonging. Inclusion is about ensuring that children and young people, whatever their background or situation, are able to participate fully in all aspects of the life of the school. Inclusive practices will ensure that everyone feels valued and has a sense of belonging. Inclusion is not about viewing everyone as the same or providing the same work, but about providing the same opportunities and access to a
It is very important to support participation and equality of access so that every pupil has the same opportunities offered to them regardless of their background. For us to achieve this we must involve the students in finding out what works well and what doesn’t. I feel that if we involve the students in this process it would not only make them feel more valued but also more confident. The equality act 2000 states that there are seven different types of discrimination which are:
As a teacher when delivering any lessons planned we have to make sure that each students individual needs are met, so they will feel included in the lesson. “Inclusion is about creating interesting, varied and inspiring learning opportunities for all learners, ensuring all learners contribute and are never disadvantaged by methods, language or resources” Wilson (2008).
Schools have legal obligations to give students with a disability opportunities and choices comparable to those without a disability through the Disability Discrimination Act of 1992 and the Disability Standards of Education 2005 (Department of Education and Training, n.d). To meet these standards, schools must be welcoming and reasonably accommodate for new students. We used the three phase inclusion process when Amir transferred to our school at the start of the year. The three flowing phases; preparation, transition and consolidation help all stakeholders inclusively plan for the best possible transition of a new child where their needs are provided for (Lyons, 2014, pg 80). Inclusive schools help support all students, teachers should work closely with the learning support team at their school to help them decide the best resources and strategies to meet students’ needs and promote their wellbeing (Lyons, 2014, pg 83). Amir has consultations with all relevant stakeholders at the start of the term to set learning goals and then at the end of the term to reflect on his achievements and what could be improved on. All teachers need to use their professional judgement and act ethically as their work significantly impacts the future of the learners in their class (Churchill, & Keddie, 2013, pg 539). Amir’s school promotes diversity and is strongly against bullying. At the start of each year we
On October 1st 2010, the Equality Act came into force. This consolidated and strengthened the previous equality laws. This act prevents children and their families from being discriminated, victimised or harassed because of their age, sex, race, religion or disability. Through this act each child, whether already in the setting, or applying through admissions, will be treated in a fair and equal way, with aims for all children to have reasonable provisions to allow them to access all educational areas. Although a school is not expected to make adjustments that are not reasonable, they are expected to make general adjustments, reasonably planned within the school’s approach to planning for SEN children. The Equality Act 2010 outlines four definitions of discrimination, direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, discrimination arising from a disability and harassment and victimisation. This allows school settings to have clearer expectations and implement them. The Equality Act 2010 and the Discrimination Disability Act (DDA) (2005) both aim to ensure each and every child has access to a broad and balanced academic and social curriculum. Following this code of practice in a school, confirms that all members of staff provide the same high-quality teaching to children, as well as displaying professional behaviour.
Describe what is meant by the term ‘inclusion’ and how this is implemented in schools. (3.1, 3.3)
Within a school, equality, diversity and inclusion is very important. It is their duty to make sure all children have equal access to the curriculum. Whether they are a different race, culture, gender or have a special need or disability, it is important that they are supported and have a right to participate and be treated equal; this is known as inclusion. As part of this it is important that schools and other professionals support and promote cultural diversity in schools and the wider society, breaking down any discriminatory barriers to learning.
Consistently throughout the PGDE course we are studying how to become a more inclusive practitioner whether it is through campus based learning, additional readings or teaching experience in local schools. We continuously strive towards learning how to make school a more inclusive environment. This assignment exemplified with references to reading such as Government policies, legislation and research articles as well as reflecting on my own teaching experience I hope to highlight the teachers’ role in creating an inclusive environment within an individual classroom. Having studied selective literature with theories and research, which could have influenced Scottish Education Policies, I draw attention to discrepancies on matters of inclusion and social justice that exist between them and the implications they have for learning.
First of all is important to define what is meant by inclusion and inclusive practice. Inclusive practice is a process of identifying, understanding and breaking down barriers that compromise the children participation in their educational process, in their feeling of belonging and in their wellbeing in the
Working towards inclusion means identifying barriers (real or perceived) to all children and families accessing and benefiting from what a setting has to offer on an equal footing. By breaking down those barriers we are taking steps to open up equality of opportunity and promote positive attitudes to diversity. This may mean things like having forms and notices available in different languages or formats, taking into account the needs of the families which use the setting to enable a diverse range of children and families to participate fully.
Creating an inclusive learning environment is an extremely important aspect of modern education, which, according to Gravells (2008: p18), ensures that “[…] all learners are entitled to be treated with respect and dignity. Everyone is an individual, with different experiences, abilities and needs.” She also offers a brief explanation of inclusivity (2008: p18), which is “[…] involving all learners in relevant activities rather than excluding them for any reason directly or indirectly.” Inclusion has also been defined by John Tomlinson (1996: p26) as “the greatest degree of match or fit between individual learning requirements and provision”. In the other words, inclusive learning environment nurtures individual potential of all learners,
Inclusive learning is about making sure that every learner in the classroom has their needs identified and met. It is about realising that every learner will have specific individual needs and it is the job of the teacher to accommodate the needs of all of their learners. Booth et al. (2000) state ‘Inclusion is seen to involve the identification and minimising of barriers to learning and participation’ (Booth et al., 2000: 13).
Robert’s rights to inclusion is reinforced by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (2001) which gave Robert the right to attend mainstream school and to be educated alongside his peer (Thomas and Vaughan, 2005). The Act strengthened further the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) which makes discrimination again Robert unlawful. The United Nation Convention on the Right of the Child Article 23, highlights that a child with a disability should have effective access to and receive an education ( Jones , 2004) Tassoni (2003) underlined that The Children Act (1989) spelled out the idea that all children have rights. It required protecting all children, but also highlighting the needs and rights of vulnerable children. As with Robert, he is a child in need and as such the school and LEA has legal duties to make sure that Robert is achieving within society.
Complete a written assignment that will demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the legal requirements and policy relating to inclusion. Critically analyse the issues surrounding Special Educational provision and disability in school.