Pathways to Inclusion: Moving from special school to mainstream

The present study investigated a schools partnership program that has achieved an unusually high level of reintegration of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) from a special school to neighbourhood mainstream schools. The study explores, through a qualitative methodology, the perspectives of mainstream and special school staff. Factors that were barriers and facilitators in successful inclusion are identified and a measure of social inclusion completed by peers is used to validate the perceptions of staff regarding the success of the children’s social inclusion. The article concludes by considering a model of special school–mainstream school partnerships in promoting inclusion, developed from the factors identified.