Historical perspectives The twenty-first century

In 2001 ‘The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act’ (TSO, 2001) amended the Education Act of 1996 and transformed the statutory framework for inclusion into a positive endorsement of inclusion. Quickly following this was Inclusive Schooling (DfES, 2001b) and this document is vital for practitioners as it is statutory guidance, unlike the Special Educational Needs Codes of Practice (DfE, 1994, DfES, 2001a), and provides practical advice on the operation of the new inclusion framework. Being a statutory document the ‘guidance must not be ignored’ (DfES, 2001b: 2). Thus, it can be seen how determined the government are to make educational settings inclusive; perhaps as a step towards creating an inclusive society? Most recently the Green Paper, Every Child Matters (HMSO, 2003: 9) takes a further step forward, by illustrating how the government intends to integrate the education, health and social services for children, ‘within a single organizational focus’, ‘to achieve better outcomes for children and young people’ (ibid.: 69, 5.7). Undoubtedly there will be more legislation within the next few years ‘to ensure the barriers to integration are removed’ (ibid.: 79, 5.53) as the Green Paper states: ‘We therefore intend to legislate at the earliest opportunity in relation to the above proposals’ (ibid.: 79, 5.53).