Towards an inclusive curriculum? Comparing the curricular regimes of three European countries

This paper examines the evolution, status, and enactment of curricular regimes in relation to inclusive and special education policies in Austria, Cyprus and Sweden. While curricula are widely recognised as a central interface between policy and practice, their role in fostering or hindering inclusive education has received limited attention in comparative research. Drawing on structured country case studies, we trace national trajectories since the 1960s, highlighting how historical legacies, governance structures and international discourses shaped curricular approaches for students with disabilities. Our analysis shows that despite differing paths (Austria’s impairment-specific special school curricula, Cyprus’ ostensible ‘curriculum for all’, and Sweden’s early moves towards curricular alignment followed by renewed differentiation) all three regimes reproduce forms of segregation, most prominently for students with intellectual disabilities. Moreover, recent reforms aiming to harmonise curricula across settings often perpetuate ableist categorisations, particularly in the interplay of curricula, special educational needs frameworks and individualised education plans. We argue that curricular design and enactment remain key to understanding the tensions between inclusive rhetoric and exclusionary practices. By comparing national regimes, we identify shared patterns of path dependence and propose a tentative typology of European curricular regimes, offering insights for future inclusive education policies and research.