Beyond the Whole School Approach: an emerging model of special needs practice and provision in mainstream secondary schools

During the 1980s, a consensus developed around the whole school approach as the dominant form of special needs provision in mainstream secondary schools. This consensus overlooked fundamental tensions within the approach—heightened but not caused by the 1988 Education Reform Act—particularly in respect of notions of specialness, equality and entitlement. Three case studies drawn from research by the authors suggest that schools are addressing these tensions by developing an alternative model of provision. This model continues the thrust of the whole school approach towards more individually responsive provision, but also implies a reconceptualisation of teaching and learning. The authors argue that the failure of the whole school approach to undertake such a reconceptualisation has significantly undermined its effectiveness, and invite practitioners to consider the possibilities opened up by the emerging model.