Towards educational inclusion in a transforming society: some lessons from community relations and special needs education in Northern Ireland

Barr, Séan; Smith, Ron

doi:10.1080/13603110701403579

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…A realistic assessment of the present peace process suggests that peace remains as yet an unfilled dream. Northern Ireland is best thought of as a transitional society within which, as argued by Barr and Smith (), the concept of educational inclusion needs to make connections with the social and political environment writ large. In other words, it needs to be viewed broadly as a transformative project in pursuit of a society where there is equality among socially differentiated groups who mutually respect one another and affirm one another in their differences (Young, ).…”

Section: The Broader Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changing policy and legislation in special and inclusive education: a perspective from Northern Ireland

Smith¹

2014

British J Special Edu

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It is now 15 years since the signing of the 1998 Belfast (or 'Good Friday')Peace Agreement which committed all participants to exclusively democratic and peaceful means of resolving differences, and towards a shared and inclusive society defined by the principles of respect for diversity, equality and the interdependence of people. In particular, it committed participants to the protection and vindication of the human rights of all. This is, therefore, a precipitous time to undertake a probing analysis of educational reforms in Northern Ireland associated with provision in the areas of inclusion and special needs education. Consequently, by drawing upon analytical tools and perspectives derived from critical policy analysis, this article, by Ron Smith from the School of Education, Queen's University Belfast, discusses the policy cycle asso- ciated with the proposed legislation entitled Every School a Good School: the way forward for special educational needs and inclusion. It examines how this policy text structures key concepts such as 'inclusion', 'additional educational needs' and 'barriers to learning', and how the proposals attempt to resolve the dilemma of commonality and difference. Conceived under direct rule from Westminster (April 2006), issued for consultation when devolved powers to a Northern IrelandAssembly had been restored, and with the final proposals yet to be made public, this targeted educational strategy tells a fascinating story of the past, present and likely future of special needs education in Northern Ireland. Before offering an account of this work, it is placed within some broader ecological frameworks. bs_bs_banner PERSPECTIVE FROM NORTHERN IRELAND

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Section: The Broader Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changing policy and legislation in special and inclusive education: a perspective from Northern Ireland

Smith¹

2014

British J Special Edu

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“…For a number of years, one of the co-authors of this chapter has undertaken research designed to illuminate the way in which Special Needs Education policy is made and implemented in Northern Ireland (see, for example, Smith and Barr, 2008;Barr and Smith, 2009). Drawing mostly upon critical policy analysis (see, for example, Ball, 1994;Ball, 2003;Ball, 2008 andOzga, 2000), he has undertaken a probing case study of the text and trajectory of the Fundamental Review.…”

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Special Education Today in the United Kingdom

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Florian²,

Rouse³

et al. 2014

Special Education International Perspectives: Practices Across the Globe

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Understanding that the United Kingdom (UK) is made up of four separate but linked countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is an essential starting point for considering Special Needs Education in the UK today. However, while the strong similarities and links between the different countries and their own educational systems often justifies grouping them for general discussion purposes, this can obscure important differences.Differences in national contexts have resulted in variations in special education policy (e.g. in the language used), and practices (e.g. types of data collected), making some direct comparisons difficult -if not impossible. In this chapter, consequently, the shared concerns that are relevant across all of the countries of the UK are discussed broadly, while differences are identified to make the distinctive nature of each country context explicit. Where data are available, some examples are provided to enable the reader to make comparisons.The chapter will consist of 3 major sections each with a number of relevant sub-sections. The common, but mistaken, use of the term England to refer to the UK or Britain reinforces the misunderstanding that the island of Britain is one country. This error further compounds confusion about the relationships between Britain and the other devolved countries of the UK. To clarify this situation, section 1 attempts to contextualise UK developments by, for example, describing changes in the broader UK social milieu within which education -and special needs education -are embedded. We will also discuss developments within the general school system and some of the recent educational agendas being forged within the devolved countries. Section 2 focuses on UK developments with respect to special needs education more generally, as well as emerging trends within each of the devolved countries.

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“…Practices in special needs education do not develop in isolation. Research‐based knowledge dedicated to the illumination of school development for inclusion (see, for example, Barr and Smith, 2009), speaks to the importance of the interplay between individual teacher, institutional and wider discourses and narratives that either help or hinder institutional practices. Such discourses or narratives appear to interact in very complex ways, creating different patterns at different institutional sites (Barr and Smith, 2009).…”

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Injustice: Why Inequality Persists – By Daniel Dorling

Corner¹

2011

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Towards educational inclusion in a transforming society: some lessons from community relations and special needs education in Northern Ireland

Cited by 9 publications

References 21 publications

Changing policy and legislation in special and inclusive education: a perspective from Northern Ireland

Changing policy and legislation in special and inclusive education: a perspective from Northern Ireland

Special Education Today in the United Kingdom

Injustice: Why Inequality Persists – By Daniel Dorling

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