Special schools at the crossroads of inclusion: do they have a value, purpose, and educational responsibility in an inclusive education system?

Abstract

A philosophy of inclusion, based on the fundamental principles of human rights and equal opportunities for all, has become central to the education of students with special educational needs (SEN) in an inclusive education system, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) (UN, United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities.html, 2006). However, the role of the special school, in terms of its value and purpose in an inclusive education system, is currently challenged in international policy, which fundamentally supports the practice of inclusion in mainstream school settings. This paper is based on a study which sought to capture the voice of the special school principal in the dialogue on inclusive education in Ireland. In considering a definition of inclusive education as ‘a process of strengthening the capacity of the education system to reach out to all learners’ (UNESCO, Policy Guidelines on Inclusion in Education. Paris: UNESCO, 2009, 8), the key finding of this study is that inclusive education must firstly acknowledge and be defined as the response of the entire education system, including the special school sector, in reaching out to all learners. The voice of the special school sector must be included in the dialogue on inclusive education, in order to challenge the conceptual misinterpretation and architectural symbolism of inclusion.

KEYWORDS:

• Inclusion
• inclusive education
• special education
• role of special schools
• special educational needs

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the special school principals who provided invaluable insights into the voice of this sector and thank the children who continue to teach us all what is special about education.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Catherine Merrigan

Catherine Merrigan has worked in the area of inclusive and special education, initially as a special school primary teacher, and, thereafter, as a lecturer, academic research supervisor and post-graduate programme director at the School of Education, UCD. Her research interests focus on the area of inclusive and special education, particularly in relation to the role of the special school in an inclusive education system.

Joyce Senior

Joyce Senior is the Director of the Professional Doctorate in Educational Psychology at the School of Education, UCD. Her work as a primary teacher and educational psychologist traversed all sectors of the Irish education system. Her research interests focus on inclusive education, particularly in relation to pupils with complex behavioural and learning phenotypes associated with genetic and neurological conditions.