The making of the inclusive school

Inclusion means educating students of all abilities in mainstream schools, it has become an important topic - politicians now stress their commitments to inclusion as proof of their commitment to wider social justice.

The inclusive mood, which is about including everyone in society's institutions, has created a growing demand for schools to find effective ways of including and teaching all children - even those who at one time would have been sent to special schools.

The book combines a theoretical examination of inclusion and its rationale with the story of a group of schools in which teachers, assistants and children have striven to make inclusion happen.

It explores the arguments for inclusive schools; examines the international evidence about children's well-being and academic progress in inclusive schools; describes how the pioneers have developed their practice for inclusion; and presents the findings of an in-depth 18 month study of a group of schools which have striven to make inclusion happen.