‘All present and correct?’ Exclusionary inclusion within the English educational system

Abstract

This paper critically analyses discourses of educational inclusion in England through the lens of Derridean deconstruction. Linking Derrida’s thesis on writing and speech to presence and absence, the paper contends that inclusion acts as a suppléance to previous policies of integration. The paper suggests that, for many teachers, inclusion is grounded upon the forced absence of children rather than upon any notions of equality or justice.

Keywords:

• inclusion
• integration
• absence
• presence
• Derrida

Notes

1. In 1994 representatives from 92 governments and 25 international organisations met and affirmed their commitment to a right-base perspective to education as well as determining that countries should ‘… concentrate their efforts on the development of inclusive schools’ (UNESCO 1994, 13).