Resources

The SEBDA Policy on Inclusion

SEBDA strongly supports making mainstream schooling more receptive, understanding and better resourced so that many more children with SEBD can have their needs successfully met there. That said, we are pleased to see the English government moving to a definition of inclusion which recognises that mere 'inclusion of place' (i.e. keeping children with SEBD on mainstream sites with few adjustments to ethos or human and other resources) is not achieving meaningful inclusion. We believe that badly supported mainstreaming can be positively harmful to a minority of children.

Far from being a denial of children's rights, as bodies such as Centre for Studies in Inclusive Education would argue, placement in good quality 'alternative' education, PRUs and special schools can be a child's best hope of accessing his or her rights (see for example the views of young people expressed in various research projects, reported in publications by SEBDA members).

Read the short version of the SEBDA Inclusion Policy.

Useful and interesting information

Click on the links below to access:

  1. The DCSF 2008 guidance on SEBD: 'The Education of Children and Young People with BESDs as a SEN'.

  2. The recommendations of the Report of the Practitioners' Group on School Behaviour and Discipline, October 2005 (Chair: Sir Alan Steer) relating to students with behaviour, social and emotional difficulties.

  3. Extracts of interest from the English media: Various items relevant to working in our field, taken from SEBDA News Issue 14.

  4. School Exclusion figures for England, 2005 - a summary of key facts.

  5. Scottish Scene: - items of interest from the Scottish media, early 2008, taken from SEBDA News, Issue 15.

  6. Wales: 2006 Estyn report on managing challenging behaviour - Click here to see the document.

  7. Ofsted reports on successful BESD schools and PRUs, 2005/06 - taken from SEBDA News, Issue 10.

  8. Summary of the important Ofsted (2005) 'Managing Challenging Behaviour' report - read this as well as the recomendations!

  9. The DfES National Programme for Specialist Leaders of Behaviour and Attendance - NPSL- BA - Information on NPSLBA objectives.

  10. Summary of the most common professional issues of concern for SEBDA members.

  11. A brief paper by Ted Cole with input from other SEBDA members discussing the difficulties of defining SEBD and distinguishing them from mental health difficulties, anti-social behaviour etc.

  12. Scotland: Better Behaviour Better Learning' Summary leaflet. Click here to see the summary of the original BBBL report.