Primary school teacher perceptions of the conditions required to include pupils with special educational needs

The inclusion of pupils with special educational needs in mainstream schools is a focus of debate in education systems across the world. Within the UK successive governments have affirmed a commitment to reducing the numbers of pupils educated in segregated special schools and to moving more of these pupils into the mainstream of education. This paper describes a small scale survey of teachers and head teachers in primary schools that attempted to gauge their opinions of the necessary conditions for greater inclusion. Five emerging themes are discussed in relation to relevant literature.