The international inclusive v special education debate – some thoughts

Are we considering all children?

I have worked in the UK long enough to see this debate come round again and again. As it happens, we have a new government proposal this month.

My broad view:

School can be seen as having two main functions - (1) to free up parents so they can work - starting at nursery, and (2) to prepare 'suitable' children to become useful in the Western capitalist industrial/commercial world.

I have worked with very many children for whom the first is relevant but the second is not. Schools that are designed primarily with (2) in mind are never going to be suitable environments for some children that we label as disabled or special or different. To remedy that we would have to re-think what school is, what it is for and what it should do. Within that, we would have to re-think how we label children. 

So, for me, the debate goes down to the deep roots of society, of childhood, of schooling, of education and that is where we might find ways forward. This is a particularly difficult challenge for the wealthy West. 

In the UK the education of children with disability/delay/difference is in a complete mess. See Report. Our UK Department of Education has made a proposal that these children will be divided into three groups that I am calling UK1, UK2 and UK3. 

UK1 are children with disability/delay/difference who can be accommodated in mainstream schools.

UK2 are children with disability/delay/difference who will be in new units attached to mainstream schools with more or less mixing with mainstream children.

UK3 are children with disability/delay/difference who will be in special schools.

(There will inevitably be a fourth group who will stay at home either because of parents’ choice or because they have been excluded from school provision.)

Within UK3 children there will be children who probably are non-verbal, have significant learning difficulties, are doubly incontinent, need careful attention to ingestion, digestion, excretion, oxygen levels and posture, use adapted wheelchairs with head supports, have vision and hearing impairments, have erratic sleep patterns day and night and epilepsy (controlled or not). Some of these children are already in small groups in special classes in special schools. Families of some children in my UK3 group are likely to be exhausted and anxious. Having their child in school gives them respite that helps them survive.

When we discuss integrating all children who have disability/delay/difference in education, then our discussions and ambitions must include UK1, UK2 and UK3 children. Otherwise, we are not considering all children.

I can imagine the work to establish new units for all the UK2 children that need them will take 20 or 30 years. This means many UK2 children being born this year will have to be accommodated in either mainstream or special school. Some families will opt for home schooling instead.

Your thoughts welcome. I welcome responses from people who advocate for all children to be in mainstream school.

Peter Limbrick, June 2025