This study explored the schooling experiences of secondary-aged pupils with and without SEND attending three mainstream schools in England. Thirty-seven young adolescents with SEND and eight without agreed to be interviewed. Thematic analysis revealed the challenges these young adolescents with SEND encountered to feel included in their schools…

Teachers' beliefs are crucial to the success of inclusion programmes and reform efforts for children with special educational needs (SEN). Based on this evidence, one hundred and thirty-nine primary pre-service teachers from one training institution in the Netherlands completed an adapted version of a measure of beliefs towards inclusive…

The number of teaching assistants (TAs) in schools in the UK has risen in recent years, but there remains a lack of clarity about the roles being undertaken by these support staff. This article reports findings from a study investigating how the TA role is understood both by the pupils being supported and by TAs themselves. Eleven students with…

The experiences of seven Australian senior secondary school students with vision impairment attending mainstream schools in Victoria were explored to gain an understanding of the support mechanisms operating to allow them access to an inclusive education. This qualitative study primarily used the in-depth interviews of students, augmented by brief…

In this paper we examine different aspects of the inclusion debate, including how it has been shaped by the political context in England over the past 30 years. We then give consideration to the key argument that has dominated the inclusion agenda over the last decade: should effective inclusion be considered only as placement in mainstream school…

The transition from the primary to the secondary phase in education can be a pivotal moment for many students, but for students who have autism, their difficulties with socialisation and emotional regulation can make this time period especially challenging. This article explores the experiences of key stakeholders regarding the issue of students…

In this article the author reports on the experiences of 20 children who attended a reading class/reading school for a placement period before returning to mainstream. While the original much larger doctoral study encompassed parents' and teachers' perspectives, this article is confined to the views of children. Their prevailing positive…

Students with intellectual disabilities often experience school-related stress. As a result, they are confronted with many difficulties in their daily school life. The goal of this study was to assess situations of school life that students attending Greek mainstream settings are likely to experience as stressful. Twenty students with mild…

This article focuses upon the relationship between social and emotional behavioural difficulties (SEBD) and learning. It argues that, while inclusion is desirable in principle, it can be highly problematic in practice. Further, it explores the contested nature of the concept of SEBD and the nature of support for pupils categorised as such. The…

In this article Teresa Whitehurst and Amy Howells describe how pupils and staff from mainstream and special settings worked together on a project, resulting in a musical performance. They demonstrate at the outset that, even after several decades of integration and then inclusion, there remains an attitudinal hurdle to overcome. Mainstream pupils…