ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we focus on implications of the wide variety of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) experienced by children of school age. Currently, legislation applicable in England and elsewhere acknowledges that children with a full range of SEND should have unrestricted access to mainstream schools. But it does not address how teachers should manage diverse types of SEND and implement the necessary support that should be provided within each school. This chapter demonstrates how, in order to provide effective support for children with SEND, it is vital that governments, as well as teachers and schools, recognise the full range of special needs that must be provided for and the implications for the school in terms of leadership, staff and resources. The aspirational vision of ‘full inclusion’ promoted by the UNCRPD (2016) General Comment Number 4 does not take into account that successful inclusion relies on classroom teachers having specialist knowledge and skills to effectively provide appropriate programmes for all types and degrees of SEND, which in many circumstances is an unrealistic expectation.
