Following on from the issues raised by the authors of the previous two articles on aspects of teacher and learning support assistant training, this study of Rosemary Tootill and Bob Spalding illustrates tellingly just how great is the need of children and their teachers for skills in the understanding and management of emotional and behavioural difficulties. The authors track the progress of a reintegration initiative in one special school from 1994–1998 and establish that, with skilled support and positive attitudes, there has been a six‐fold increase in the number of pupils returning to mainstream since 1994. Key issues in the implementation of the programme are investigated and analysed.