1. INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
Verity Donnelly
European Agency for Development
in Special Educational Needs
Overview of the input:
1. Some background on the The European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education
2. Reflections upon inclusive education in Agency member countries emerging from Agency work
3. Stress the importance of ensuring all voices are heard

2. The Agency 15th year of operations
Main secretariat in Odense, Denmark and European Liaison office in Brussels, Belgium
The Agency is financed by:
The member countries’ Ministries of Education
European Commission as one of the 6 organisations supported by the Jean Monnet, Lifelong Learning Programme
established as an initiative of the Danish Ministry of education following the end of the EU HELIOS programme
the original 15 member countries ‘took ownership’ of the Agency
the Agency obtained a legal basis at the European level that was approved by the European Parliament

3. The Agency network National networks in 27 European countries:
Austria, Belgium (Flemish and French speaking communities), Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales)
24 EU member states and 3 EFA countries

4. Focus
The Agency’s focus is upon inclusive education within its widest interpretation – that is dealing with learner difference and diversity in all educational settings as a quality issue. The Agency’s work is essentially concerned with how the achievement of all learners - with a specific focus on the situation of those pupils identified as having special educational needs - can be improved in a meaningful way that enhances their life chances and opportunities for actively participating in society

5. Activities
Collection, analysis and dissemination of information on priority themes
Participation and organisation of conferences, seminars and political events
Liaison with the European institutions and international organisations – UNESCO and its institutes (IBE, IITE), OECD Eurostat, Eurydice, Cedefop, World Bank

6. Information Resources
The Agency offers various information resources, which can all be accessed via the website
Thematic Reports
Thematic Databases
Newsletters and Electronic Bulletin
Agency publications can be downloaded in up to 21 member languages

7. Working parameters
Countries are at different starting points and have different ‘histories’ in terms of education generally and inclusion specifically:
There is a need to account for that and see it as a strength
No-one has all the answers:
Many countries have clear examples of good practice, but all countries are still ‘moving ahead’
Learning from diversity is a principle for all Agency work:
As well as being an aim for inclusive education itself

8. International Policy Context
At all times, the Agency works to guiding principles as outlined in:
Council Resolutions concerning inclusion of children and young people with disabilities into mainstream systems of education
UNESCO Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action in Special Needs Education (1994)
UN Convention on Rights of People with Disabilities (2006)
Article 24 in particular
UNESCO Policy Guidelines on Inclusive Education, 2009
Inclusive education is a process that involves the transformation of schools and other centres of learning to cater for all children – including boys and girls, students from ethnic and linguistic minorities, rural populations, those affected by HIV and AIDS, and those with disabilities and difficulties in learning and to provide learning opportunities for all youth and adults as well. Its aim is to eliminate exclusion that is a consequence of negative attitudes and a lack of response to diversity in race, economic status, social class, ethnicity, language, religion, gender, sexual orientation and ability. Education takes place in many contexts, both formal and non-formal, and within families and the wider community
Inclusion as systemic change:
Understood to concern a far wider range of pupils vulnerable to exclusion than those identified as having SEN
Involves a curriculum for all that considers academic and social learning. Curriculum goals and implementation should reflect this dual focus
Inclusion is a process and not a state. Educators will always need to move their work forward to enable the learning and participation of all pupils
Will now move onto:
Reflections upon inclusive education in European Agency member countries

9. Dilemmas for inclusion as systemic change
Who … all learners, vulnerable learners, learners with SEN/disability? Where ... special settings/mainstream school (under the same roof or engaged in a common learning endeavour) When ... full/part time. Can you be a little bit ‘included’? How ... focus on diagnosis/label or social/environmental barriers to learning and participation
Balance between commonality and differentiation
Minnow (1990)
When does treating people differently emphasise their differences and stigmatise or hinder them on that basis? And when does treating people the same become insensitive to their difference and likely to stigmatise or hinder them on that basis? (p20)

10. Critical issues? Resources Access and participation
Teacher professional development
Policy and legislation
Whole school reform
Identification and placement
Assessment, accountability, efficiency and effectiveness
Building capacity and sustainability
Peters, S. (2004) Inclusive Education: An EFA strategy for all
children. Paper for World Bank
Critical issues for inclusion identified by Susan Peters 2004
Resources – McKinsey How the worlds most improved school systems keep getting better (building on 2007 How the worlds best performing school systems come out on top) looked at 20 systems world wide – reform elements replicable elsewhere as they move along development journey from poor to fair to good to great to excellent.– more at work than resources – despite higher spending many school systems have stagnated – similar spend results in widely varying performance.
Universal design – access to buildings and curricula, social economic access and meaningful participation
Training for diversity for all teachers – curriculum for broad goals, range of assessments – reflection. Mc Kinsey – as schools improve greater impact of prof development versus accountability interventions
Policy and legislation accompanied by effective and specific mechanisms for monitoring – National policy of little value if not enacted in schools/classrooms
Reform needs changes in beliefs, methods, resource allocation at all levels IE principles drive reform –not add on - diversity recognised and valued Individualised education a universal right not a special ed need all stakeholders actively involved Distinction between equal opportunity and equal treatment – not one size fits all but ind support aim toward equal success broadly measured (treatment acc to need) Mc Kinsey - progress on own indicators – benchmarking with comparable systems
Placement on need for services not SEN or a non-specified but dominant idea of what is normal (Norwich) – decisions consider IE as continuum of services in general ed classroom – networks for support and teacher education reduce need for ID and referral
Assessment –curriculum based – multiple forms – support learning – individual progress – academic and social, independent living for active participation. Local accountability? Excellence and equity go hand in hand
Capacity – based on holistic approaches – early intervention – health well being work with families - services are not expenses but investments (Peters paper – quote from UN session on children 2002 Arrieta and Cheynut)

11. Movements towards inclusion
Developments
A wider range and more flexible provision
Developing funding models
The development of resource centres  
 Challenges
Academic achievements (output) versus SEN
Secondary education
Preparing all teachers for inclusive education
Over 2% of pupils are being educated in separate settings (schools and classes) across Europe

12. Percentage of pupils in the compulsory school sector recognised as having SEN in 2010 (in all educational settings)
< 2.0%
2.01% - 4.0%
4.01% - 6.0%
6.01% %
> 10%
Sweden
Austria
France
Greece
Luxembourg
Poland
Portugal
Spain
UK (England)
UK (Wales)
Italy *
Belgium (Fr)
Cyprus
Denmark
Germany
Hungary
Ireland
Latvia
Malta
Netherlands
Switzerland
UK (N.I.)
Belgium (Fl)
Czech rep.
Estonia
Finland
Norway
Slovenia
UK (Scotland)
Iceland
Lithuania
* Italy = based on 2008 data

13. Percentage of pupils with SEN in segregated settings
Up to 1.0%
1.01 %- 2.0%
2.01%- 4.0%
4.01% and above
Cyprus
Luxembourg
Malta
Portugal
Spain
Italy *
Austria
France
Iceland
Ireland
Lithuania
Norway
Poland
Slovenia
Sweden
UK (England)
UK (N.I.)
UK (Scotland)
UK (Wales)
Finland
Greece
Hungary
Netherlands
Belgium (Fl)
Belgium (Fr)
Czech Rep.
Denmark
Estonia
Germany
Latvia
Switzerland
* Italy = based on 2008 data

14. Factors impacting upon inclusion
Coherence of services and possibilities within and across phases of educational provision: Early Childhood Intervention through to Higher Education
Horizontal factors that impact on all phases of educational provision:
Educational assessment systems
Teacher education and development
Financing systems
Provision for meeting a diversity of learners’ needs
Within all countries' systems of provision, there are a number of key factors that could be examined systematically using indicators to give a descriptive picture of trends to towards inclusion. These issues can be related to:

15. Changes in legislation acting as levers for change
Increasing focus on the rights of pupils with SEN and their families – this relates to access to compulsory education; access to specialist support and services; access to mainstream, inclusive education
Devolution of responsibilities – to local and/or regional level bodies and organisations 
Improving frameworks and structures of provision – all legislative changes and developments aim towards improvements in provision and services within the national system and context
Promoting specific tools and approaches within provision – i.e. the implementation of Individual Education Plans for pupils with SEN
An examination of the time series data does not highlight major trends, changes and movements in countries. Some minor changes are evident, but the reasons for these are unclear and it would be necessary to conduct an examination of changes in policy and legislation, resourcing and financing structures that act as levers for change in placement of pupils with special educational needs in different settings, in order to fully understand the factors directing changes within the data sets.
It can be argued that changes in laws and policies for special education and/or inclusion within countries are likely to be the most critical levers for change that – in the long-term – would be reflected in quantitative data relating to pupils with SEN. An examination of recent legislative changes in countries reveals a number of common issues and trends in legislation:
A broadening concept of SEN / SNE – this is evident in terms of the ‘words’ or terms’ being used to identify key concepts: for example a move towards the term additional support needs and not SEN in UK (Scotland), as well as a clarification or widening definition of which groups should be considered under legislation that gives access to services (Greece and the Czech Republic respectively).
Improvements in the rights of pupils with SEN and their families – this relates to access to compulsory education (Greece); access to specialist support and services (Norway and Portugal); access to mainstream, inclusive education (Czech Republic; Iceland; Ireland; Portugal; Spain). The Greek legislation highlights the need to ‘secure equal opportunities’; the Portuguese legislation specifically takes a ‘rights based approach’, whilst the Spanish legislation reasserts the ‘normalisation principle’ in legislative changes.
Devolution of responsibilities – to local and/or regional level bodies and organisations who are charged with ensuring provision is available for all pupils as required (Iceland; Spain; UK (Scotland)).
Improving frameworks and structures of provision – all legislative changes and developments aim towards improvements in provision and services within the national system and context. However, in some countries recent changes in legislation will have widespread impact on the basic structures and frameworks for organising services. For example, in Greece, the department of Special Education will be re-organised; in Ireland, a National Council for Special Education has been established; in Portugal, as well as a re-reorganisation of all SNE services, special schools will be transformed into resource centres.
Promoting specific tools and approaches within provision – again, whilst developments are very much set in national contexts, it is possible to highlight a number of common features of SNE practice being promoted in legislative changes: the implementation of Individual Education Plans for pupils with SEN (Ireland; Portugal, UK (Scotland)); co-ordinated transition phase planning (Portugal; UK (Scotland)); bilingual educational opportunities for deaf pupils (Norway; Portugal).
The five areas of legislative movements in countries described above highlight important considerations for understanding the nature of changes that may be evident in the special needs education field across Europe in the short or longer term. These developments are related to improvements in services and provision, as well as developments and changes in societies’ thinking about disability, special needs and the rights of people with such needs. All of these factors are also highlighted in international studies and analyses as crucial aspects for improvement in educational opportunities for pupils with special educational needs.
These key factors illustrated in the legislative changes in countries are not however directly and immediately evident as changes in statistical data relating to placement of pupils with SEN. As can be seen from the information presented in above, such changes are not usually evident in the short to medium term.
The position of the Agency and its member countries is that sharing information on qualitative trends, developments and practice across countries leads to a deeper and broader understanding of the field of inclusion, which a consideration of quantitative data alone cannot give. Such a development in the understanding and thinking of decision makers in the field is – experience shows – what leads to further change and positive impacts upon legislation and policy that promotes educational and societal inclusion in countries.

16. A broadening of the concept of educational needs
A move away from labelling and categorisation of needs
A widening definition of which groups should be considered under legislation that gives access to services
Evident in terms of the ‘words’ or terms’ being used to identify key concepts: e.g. ‘additional support needs’ and not disability or SEN specific labels
Children with disability as a specific group with specific needs within the educational continuum of individual needs
Identification of specific needs … towards assessment for learning
Individualised learning for a few …. Towards personalised learning approaches for all

17. What do we still need to know?
What legislation and models of resourcing can support effective organisation of education and quality for all?
What makes an effective, inclusive teacher - skills, experience, attitudes?
What works for learners in education - organisation, pedagogy, curriculum and assessment?
How agencies can collaborate to provide holistic support - early intervention, family support, community involvement?
What are valued outcomes (academic and social) – long term quality of life, being active and contributing citizens?
What moels of legislation?
All policies consider and account for the needs of all learners from the beginning
Policies should be:
trans-sectoral
underpinned by a philosophy of meeting all needs
have long-term vision, but reflect local level needs
Phases of policy development:
short term: recognisable (separate) specific action plan/strategy
medium term: part of general strategy plans
long term: not mentioned, accepted as ‘a given’
Feedback from this and other Agency projects suggests countries want information on the above
1-Agency work on key principles policy
Point 2 – Teacher ed project – looking at this issues currently – see web site
Further Agency work is focusing on key principles of inclusive education – practice
Recent project on early childhood intervention
R Rieser Implementing Incl Ed – guide to implementing UNCRPD includes UN Special Rapporteurs suggestions on how to implement inclusive education (2007) Report to UN Human Rights Council on right to ed of people with disabilities covers most of these points suggested that legislation shjould be increasingly linked to ratification of UNCRPD – moving towards one education system, one area of Ministerial responsibility
He stresses importance of teachers prof development and links this to a move from separate special schools to resource bases
The importance of inclusive early years provision and empowering parents also outlined. –collaborative approaches
Finally the need to monitor developments - enrolment and participation
We need to through this collaboration consider how we measure what we value – it is a complex task – danger of over simplifying – or introducing measures which have a negative impact on practice – focus on presence, participation, wider achievement – qualitative as well as quantitative and find ways of ensuring that we know that the learners who are at risk of being marginalised, excluded are also engaged in learning/having their needs met.
Will now move onto:
Importance of ensuring all voices are heard

18. Underpinning beliefs
Education is a fundamental human right and a foundation for a more just society
Disability is socially constructed – everyone needs support
Sorting, ranking, categorising can obscure strengths and talents - labels should be replaced by useful information to support learning, increasing learning capacity of all
All learners are entitled to an interesting curriculum that is meaningful in context, with consistent pedagogy and assessment that supports learning
Quality of life is a key indicator – listen to learners, consider impact on life chances
Thinking about inclusion touches the very core of our own values and beliefs - some of the key points underpinning the broad concept of inclusion are set out here
Point 1 is from UNESCO Policy Guidelines on Inclusion in Education (2009)
Point 2 – Smith and colleagues 2009 – Disability Studies in Education – Guidelines and ethical practice for educators – highlights that everyone need support at some time – many supports for people with disabilities are useful to everyone – need to see disability as part of diversity – another interesting way to be alive. Differences seen as ‘essential aspect of human development in all schools – and all policy making (Florian and Rouse 2009)Teaching and Teacher Education
Point 3 - Heshius 2004 – From creative discontent toward epistemological freedom in special education: reflections on a 25 year journey. In D Gallagher, L Heshius, R Iano, t Skrtic Challengin orthodoxy in special education ; Dissenting voices pp Denver.
diversity and ranking are singularly incompatible – diversity is flattened and disappears in the very act of being measured and ranked.
Also relevant here is work of Susan hart – Learning without Limits (2006) replace fixed ideas of ability with the idea of transformabaility – can increase the learning capacity of all learners – also ethic of everybody
Point 4 - Curriculum, assessment and pedagogy that reflect view of learning – understanding of learning process as not being hierarchical– test scores etc only part of the picture - move on from thinking traditionally associated with special education – focus on defecit – medical model of ‘fixing’ behavioural interventions - to thinking informed by constructivist approaches social justice and disability rights - curriculum relevant , meaningful to life, UDL – more flexible methods of assessment to reflect broad view of progress
Is the primary task of education to develop a literate and numerate individual with economically relevant attributes as put forward in the educational policies of many governments across the globe? Or are the ‘core educational values’ shaped by a range of other social and human development outcomes of education that concentrate on the enhancement of human lives and freedoms.Jenny Corbett talsk about the culture of inclusion ‘holding up a way of treating other people not based on a competetive or hierarchical model’ p45 Supporting inclusive education : a connective pedagogy
Think about what we would want for our family members – ask the learners/families
Aspects to an inclusive approach:
Diversity Not about any one group of students, categorisation is minimised, diversity is valued
Learning and participation Removing barriers to learning and participation for all, participation in academic, social and cultural community of the neighbourhood school, every student’s right to learn
Democracy All voices should be heard, collaboration essential on all levels
Booth, Nes and Stromstad 2004 Developing Inclusive Teacher Education pull together definitions of inclusion by contributors to their book..
1 - no labels - all learn in unique ways
2 Lunt and Norwich 1999 highlight several possibly conflicting rights e.g right to participate in ordinary school/classroom, right to acceptance and respect, right to individually relevant learning, right to engage in common learning opportunities, right to involvement and choice in education – Norwich goes on to outline dilemma in 3 areas – identification (dangers of labelling versus needs not met), curriculum – same learning opportunities (loss of relevance) versus lower status curriculum and location (general classroom (less resources) versus segregated provision away from peers>

19. European Hearing in Portugal
European Hearing of Young People with Special Educational Needs organised by the Agency, within the framework of the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union and the European Year of Equal Opportunities
The event took place in Lisbon within the framework of the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union
The Lisbon Declaration ‘Young People’s Views on Inclusive Education’ is the main result of this event

20. Lisbon Declaration 2007
declaration-young-peoples-views-on-inclusive-education/lisbon- declaration-young-people2019s-views-on-inclusive-education
‘We have the right to the same opportunities as everyone else, but with the necessary support to meet our needs. No one’s needs should be ignored’
‘Teachers need to be motivated, to be well informed about and understand our needs. They need to be well trained, ask us what we need and to be well co- ordinated among themselves’
voices-meeting-diversity-in-education/young-voices-meeting- diversity-in-education

21. ‘Inclusive education is mutually beneficial to us and to the others’
We see a lot of benefits in inclusive education: we acquire more social skills; we live more experiences; we learn about how to manage in the real world; we need to have and interact with friends with and without special needs

22. European Parliament Hearing 2011
In November 2011, there will be a further European hearing, this time for young people with and without disabilities, held in the European Parliament, Brussels
It will involve 31 country delegations with 3 young people per delegation, aged between 14 to 18 years
The country delegations will have the opportunity to express their own views and perspectives on inclusive education based upon their experiences, as well as highlight their needs and hopes for the future
The agreed conclusions of the discussions will be made available in all 21 Agency working languages and will be presented to the Ministries of Education in the participating countries, as well as to representatives from the EU institutions and International organisations.

23. More information www.european-agency.org
European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education
Østre Stationsvej 33
DK-5000 Odense C
Denmark
Dr. Amanda Watkins