Special Educational Needs: A New Look

Inclusive Special Education

“…The debate about inclusive education was reignited when Warnock (2005) published a pamphlet entitled, "Special Educational Needs: A New Look." In it Warnock, whose earlier report was the first to encourage the development of inclusive education in the UK (DES 1978), discusses the history of the development of provision for children with SEND and critically evaluates the issue of inclusion.…”

“…The need for such evaluation was highlighted by Warnock's (2005) pamphlet, which presented a critical review of the effects of inclusion on children with SEND. In it she referred to inclusion as "possibly the most disastrous legacy (p. 30)" of the Warnock Report (DES 1978), since "There is increasing evidence that the ideal of inclusion, if this means that all but those with the most severe disabilities will be in mainstream schools, is not working (Warnock 2005, p.…”

“…However, Warnock's (2005) pamphlet is not the first publication to question the appropriateness of the move toward inclusive education for children with SEND. The first major publication on this topic was the book edited by leading scholars in the field of special education in the USA, Kauffman and Hallahan (1995).…”

“…A later book on this topic is that edited by Cigman (2007), which was produced in response to Warnock's (2005) negative comments about inclusion. The book comprised chapters by many senior academics in the field of special education in England, including proponents of full inclusion, so provides a range of views.…”

Inclusive education and the philosophy of education: what can inclusive education learn from philosophy?

“…In the UK, the philosopher Baroness Warnock has also made significant contributions to debates on inclusive education, shaping national educational policies and practices for over 30 years: from the Warnock Report (Warnock, 1978) to more recent writings (e.g. Warnock, 2010). Ruth Cigman's (2007a) distinction between 'universal and moderate inclusionists' has usefully called into question conceptualisations of inclusive education as 'an either/or matter' (Cigman, 446 Editorial 2007b, p. xvii).…”