Inclusive education in the market‐place

Abstract

Abstract For many, the concept of inclusive schools is seen as the logical development of a more tolerant and accepting society. Recent debates about inclusion have centred on the rights of children with disabilities to attend mainstream schools and the ways in which schools must change to make this a reality. At the same time, a competitive climate, brought about by a ‘new orthodoxy’ of educational reform in the developed world, is affecting the context in which schools are working. There has been a shift from policies based on equity, social progress and altruism to new laws underpinned by the philosophy of the market‐place. In such a climate, students with special educational needs are particularly vulnerable. This paper explores some of the issues that are emerging in England and Wales as policies designed to extend the concept of inclusive education are affected by the market‐place philosophies that have driven recent reforms.