Each part (see table) will provide you with some important background information on policy, some real-life case studies and examples of principles into practice and a list of useful resources, and will also offer you some questions to challenge your own understanding and practice.
What is inclusion?
Inclusion is the process by which early years settings develop their ethos, policies and practices to include all learners with the aim of meeting their individual needs. Historically, inclusion has been seen as a process that is relevant to those groups who have been marginalised, but now it is about all children, and it is closely linked to the Government's 'personalised learning' agenda that lies at the heart of the EYFS.
'Practitioners should deliver personalised learning, development and care to help children to get the best possible start in life' (Practice Guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage, DfES, 2007a, paragraph 1.7).
Children and families can be excluded for a wide range of reasons. Inclusion is not just about children who have special educational needs. It is useful to consider this list in terms of how your practice includes children and families who are at risk of exclusion:
Arenas of inclusion/exclusion
- Age
- Achievement
- Challenging behaviour
- Disability
- Disaffection
- Emotional and behavioural difficulty
- Employment
- Gender
- Housing
- Language
- Mental health
- Physical impairment
- Poverty
- Race/ethnicity
- Religion
- Sexual orientation
- Social class
- Special educational need (Nutbrown and Clough, 2006, Inclusion in the
Early Years, page 5).
The specific legal requirement is that all providers 'must have and implement an effective policy about ensuring equality of opportunities and for supporting children with learning difficulties and disabilities' (DfES, 2007b: 25).
The development of inclusive provision
There have been many changes in policy and practice in the UK. Definitions of inclusion have developed from being primarily focused on integrating children with special educational needs into a much broader concept concerning social justice and equality for all.
Relevant statutory duties and reports include:
The Warnock Report 1978: Introduced the concept of 'integrative' education, later known as 'inclusion', suggesting mainstream settings were best for children with SEN
Children Act 2004: This act brought a radical reorganisation of children's services in England with a duty on local authorities to improve children's outcomes through the Every Child Matters agenda. Co-operation was required to improve children's well-being
Disability Discrimination Act 2005: This act provided a definition of disability and the duties of employers, those providing goods and services to the public and on schools, local authorities, higher and further education and adult, youth and community education providers
Childcare Act 2006: This was intended to assist in the implementation of the aims in the 'Choice for parents, the best start for children: a ten-year strategy for childcare' (2004) and required local authorities to provide services for children in an integrated manner
Common Assessment Framework (CAF): Implemented between April 2006 and March 2008, the CAF is a nationally standard approach to conducting an assessment of the needs of a child or young person and deciding how they should be met
Aiming High for Disabled Children: better support for families 2007: Identified three priority areas to improve outcomes for disabled children: access and empowerment, responsive services and timely support, and improving quality and capacity
New Duties on Schools to Promote Community Cohesion 2007: Schools are required to promote discussion about identity, diversity, values and experiences, and develop a common vision and a sense of belonging where life opportunities are available to all
The Equality Bill 2008: Demonstrates a commitment to equality for individuals, society and the economy. Intended to introduce a new equality duty on the public sector, end age discrimination, require transparency, extend the scope of positive action and strengthen enforcement
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2008: Brings together the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage (2000), the Birth to Three Matters framework (2002) and the National Standards for Under-Eights Daycare and Childminding (2003), building an integrated approach to care and learning, where every child is recognised as a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.
As this list shows, there has been a relentless drive to integrate services and to develop a morally and socially just society for all children.
For inclusion to be successful, the child, parents and family must be at the centre of the processes, practices and decision- making. Our early years settings should be constructing their services around the needs of those they serve - for example:
- involving parents and carers in policy and procedure decisions
- asking users of the centre what their needs are, and developing services around these
- personalising learning through building on individual children's interests, skills and strengths.
Policy and principles into practice
Research and national guidance consistently identifies a set of characteristics that are present in those settings that are found to be inclusive. These characteristics are:
Strong leadership: Leadership should not just sit with the senior leaders within the setting. While the head of centre or senior practitioners should lead by example, as this will set the tone, leadership should be encouraged in others. Children should be seen as leaders of their own learning. All staff should feel enabled to show leadership in their work, offering ideas and demonstrating effective practice. Parents, carers and users of the services provided should be enabled to demonstrate leadership - how do they have a voice to say what they really want and need?
Effective learning and teaching: The emphasis here is on the quality of learning for each child. Is provision made for the child to plan and review their own learning? Look, Listen and Note (EYFS 2.6) states that play and learning experiences are based on children's interests and needs, regular observations and consultation with parents. Planning should include all children, and plans need to be flexible enough to adapt to circumstances (EYFS 2.9). Timetables should not be allowed to dictate the learning - for example, a child who was bussed to the centre needed to do stretching exercises as soon as he arrived. This was accommodated by having a small group music and movement session with his friends.
High expectations: 'If you think you can or you think you can't, you are probably right, ' said Henry Ford. In our early years settings we need to have high expectations for everyone - children, staff, parents, carers and the community. Inclusion is underpinned by the principle that everyone can succeed if given the opportunity. We need to encourage everyone to be the best that they can be.
'Anticipate the best from each child, and be alert for evidence of their strengths' (EYFS: Self-confidence and self-esteem, p28). If a child is unable to communicate verbally their play preferences, do not assume the child has no ambition or is unable to make choices. Introduce photographs and objects of reference so they can indicate by gesture where they want to go. Other resources can be using sign language, such as Makaton.
An ethos of respect for all: This is closely linked to the previous principle of high expectations. Everyone has the right to have their voice heard and their opinions respected, providing they are not prejudicial or harmful to others. All staff working in the setting must subscribe to the philosophy that everyone counts, regardless of their social background, colour, race, religion, sex and so on. This ethos of respect needs to be modelled in everyday relationships with parents so they understand that prejudice and intolerance have no place in the setting.
Parents should be encouraged to express their concerns (see case study, right). This is best developed over time through the key person relationship.
Working closely with parents, carers and the wider community: Parents, carers and the wider community should be an integral part of management systems for the setting. How do they get their voice heard in your setting? The case study demonstrates how Bryan's parents had their voice heard through the intermediary of his key person in planning for his transition to a new school.
Development of a learning community: If the setting is constantly reviewing its policy and practice, asking others 'how are we doing?', encouraging staff to access further training and share their learning with others in the team, questioning the outcomes of their work ('are we doing the best we can?', 'is there anything else that we can be doing?') and learning from their experience through open discussion, then they are developing as a learning community. They are building sustainability in their systems and practices, and will be constantly seeking to improve in order to impact positively on their community. Bryan's key worker had to research and learn about his syndrome and inform the rest of the staff about his interests and needs.
If you have all of these principles in place then you are probably an inclusive setting. Take the time to celebrate your success before embarking on further developments.
How inclusive are you?
Questions to consider in your setting:
- What do your staff understand by the term 'inclusion'?
- Do they view all children as resilient, capable, confident and self-assured?
- Does the nature and severity of a child's needs influence staff members' attitudes towards their inclusion? What do you do about this?
- Have you discussed and agreed with the staff the values, vision and principles for your setting?
- Have you considered establishing a library of resources and reading materials to support staff in their research on SEN and inclusion?
- How do you encourage parents to open up to you about their fears and concerns regarding the inclusion of their child?
- What support do you provide for parents of children with SEN?
CASE STUDY: THE PROCESS OF TRANSITION
Bryan was born with Charcot Marie-Tooth Syndrome. This has been described as a group of progressive disorders that affect peripheral nerves that connect the brain to the spinal cord.
His mother Karen says, 'I was upset when I first heard the diagnosis. My first thought was he'd grow out of it. Later on I blamed myself for the way he was'. Bryan started at Rowland Hill Centre when he was two-and-a-half years old. 'He wasn't able to walk, but crawled on the floor. I was concerned that he'd fall over and hurt himself. I'd been told that if he was in a crowd, he could get hurt,' says Karen.
Bryan's father Michael adds, 'The centre really helped us. The staff were helpful and we spent time with Bryan in the nursery so we could see how he was doing. This was really good.'
Karen says,'The staff listened to my worries, which put my mind at ease. I knew he'd have accidents but I knew the staff would look after him.'
Bryan transferred to his local primary school this month, after a planned series of meetings between the family, the nursery and the school. Byan's transition was also supported by a worker from the London Borough of Haringey's inclusion team. 'I was concerned he'd be bullied for the way he was, that he'd be laughed at, that he wouldn't fit in - maybe he'd have an accident,' Karen admits.
Transition meetings for Bryan took place during the summer term. Karen says these meetings helped to ease her worries, and the key worker helped by listening to her concerns, writing them down and helping to explain them to Bryan's new school. Michael adds, 'After the meetings we visited the school. We had a good look around. The staff were all friendly and helpful. They explained about the policy on bullying, so we felt better.'
Karen also says she was happy to have additional support from the Haringey inclusion team. 'She'd known Bryan when he was a baby and I was very reassured by this.
'The transition has been good. It depends on the staff and who works in a place. Staff have been friendly and this has made me feel more comfortable.'
REFERENCES
DfES, 2007a, Practice Guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage: Setting the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five. Nottingham: DfES
DfES, 2007b, Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage: Setting the standards for learning development and care for children from birth to five. Nottingham: DfES
Nutbrown, C and Clough, P, 2006, Inclusion in the Early Years. London: Sage Publications
USEFUL WEBSITES
The Alliance for Inclusive Education is a national campaigning organisation led by disabled people. www.allfie.org.uk
Early Support provides materials for families and professionals, including a service audit tool, a family pack, information for parents and developmental journals on the deaf, Down's Syndrome and visual impairments. www.earlysupport.org.uk
KIDS works for disabled children, young people and their families. www.kids.org.uk
Sure Start has an 'All of Us' inclusion checklist for settings. www.surestart.gov.uk
- Julie Vaggers is the part-time head of Rowland Hill Children's Centre and Nursery School in north London and a tutor, mentor and assessor on the National Professional Qualification in Integrated Centre Leadership (NPQICL) programme
- Dr Elaine Wilmot is an independent early years and education consultant specialising in inclusion and leadership development. She is the author of Personalising Learning in the Primary Classroom (Crown House Publishing)