Policy Press

Education, Disability and Social Policy

Edited by Steve Haines and David Ruebain

This new edition of the milestone book Education, Disability and Social Policy outlines critical debates in education concerning the position and experiences of disabled children and young people within a contemporary policy context.

Educational opportunities for disabled children remain a vital contemporary issue in British social policy. This new edition of the milestone book Education, Disability and Social Policy outlines critical debates in education concerning the position and experiences of disabled children and young people within a contemporary policy context.

Incorporating new voices from leading thinkers, this second edition includes a fresh introduction and updates to key chapters, including whether the Children and Families Act (2014) resolved tensions between parents and local authorities over resources, and proposals for a whole-school, strengths-based approach to social, emotional and mental health difficulties. In addition, it includes a new discussion on the intersection of race and disability.

"This book seeks to identify and analyse a range of significant issues and questions concerning the position and experiences of disabled people in education and society generally. It highlights some of the complex, contentious and contradictory ideas and practices that are currently integral to the system of policy and provision within education and society generally. It contains a wealth of ideas, insights and questions and should be of interest to all those concerned with the well-being of all learners." Len Barton, Executive Director of IDRIS, Emeritus Professor of Inclusive Education, University of London.

"This book is a powerful contribution to the literature on education, disability and social policy in the UK, of interest to practitioners, experts, and parents alike." Patrick Diamond, Senior Research Fellow, Policy Network

“This book builds on a first edition to give a welcome updated overview of educational provision for children and young people with SEN/disabilities. It is timely given the increasing barriers to providing a more inclusive education in the current challenging policy and funding context.” Brahm Norwich, University of Exeter

“The emphasis on including all children and for joined-up thinking makes this book an important contribution to understanding current challenges and potential solutions. School leaders will find the analysis compelling and the guidance practically useful.” Jane Farrell, Mulberry Schools Trust

“This new edition could not have come at a better time, as England finally begins to reckon with its rapidly imploding SEND system. By bringing together some of the most experienced and knowledgeable voices in the sector, it weaves together the historic with the contemporary, and the practical with the theoretical, providing an invaluable perspective on where our education system – and society more broadly – might go next.” Loic Menzies, Centre for Education Systems

Steve Haines is Director of Public Affairs at Impetus.

David Ruebain is Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Culture, Equality and Inclusion and Professor of Law at the University of Sussex.

Foreword by Sam Freedman

Foreword by Dame Christine Lenehan

Foreword by Professor Tom Shakespeare

Introduction - David Ruebain and Steve Haines

1. Disability and education in historical perspective - Anne Borsay

2. Continuity and tensions between the SEND framework and disability rights legislation in recent legislative reforms - Brian Lamb

3. Multi-agency working and children and young people with disabilities: from ‘what works’ to ‘active becoming’ - Liz Todd and Jo Rose

4. Disabled students in higher education: what progress has been made over the last 30 years? - Sheila Riddell and Elisabet Weedon

5. Meeting the standard but failing the test: the case of children and young people with sensory impairments and access to assessments and qualifications - Caireen Sutherland and Martin McLean

6. Exploring the intersection of race and disability in English schools - Valentina Migliarini and Chelsea Stinson

7. The hidden world of within- school exclusion - Rob Webster

8. Social, emotional and mental health needs in educational settings: putting wellbeing into socio- relational context - Robin Banerjee

Conclusion - David Ruebain and Steve Haines