The two biggest teaching unions yesterday backed their members’ right not to teach the most disruptive pupils. The National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers called for a reversal of ‘inclusive’ education. And the National Union of Teachers for the first time on a national level backed its members’ right to take action rather than teach violent children. Both unions have throughout the year been at the centre of a number of crises as the rising tide of classroom disruption has hit the headlines. However, the debate at the NUT’s annual conference also brought cries from some that disruptive children were damaged and must not be demonised.
Darlington Northern Echo, April 2, 1997

Although Cheshire County Council believes six-year-old Sam Walker should be at a special school, friends, neighbours, schoolmates and teachers are organising a series of fund raising activities to pay for an educational assistant to help him at his local mainstream school. Sam’s elder brother Daniel, 14, who is also disabled, used to attend St Wilfrid’s Primary School in Barnton, Northwich, and according to his parents it was ‘like a light was switched on’ because of the friendships he made not only with classmates but with their families too. However, while Cheshire County Council funded the classroom assistant for Daniel several years ago, it cannot do so for Sam due to severe budget cuts. The head teacher of St Wilfrid’s, Peter Barratt said: ‘Sam is a little belter and we are convinced this is the right place for him’.
Liverpool Daily Post April 10, 1997

A motion calling for the suspension of the integration of children with special needs until adequate resources were made available was described as ‘very offensive and a disgrace’ during a teachers’ conference in Dublin. Mr Finian McGrath, Dublin City North, said the blame should be laid before the Department of Education not on the children and their parents. Ms Sheila Nunan said the motion was regressive, anti-child and anti-integration. Industrial action was necessary to secure the necessary resources.
The Irish Times Dublin, April 3, 1997

A plan to integrate disabled children into mainstream schools is being stalled because head teachers appear unwilling to accept students with physical or mental disabilities. The Hong Kong Government Education Department has received an annual budget of 20 million HK dollars to invite school to accept up to six students with physical or mental disabilities together with extra teachers and grants. But after a month contacting schools for a pilot programme to start in September no head teacher has confirmed the enrolment of any disabled child in the new term.
South China Morning Post, April 12, 1997

A new unit at Hylton Red House Primary School in Sunderland serves children throughout the city with different kinds of communication problems. The unit, which cost £23,000, is part of Sunderland Council’s drive to improve facilities for youngsters with special educational needs. Beverley Watts, mother of Christopher, 11, said her son had difficulties in mainstream class but his language skills and communication had ‘taken off’ in the unit. Although he was given help in the class, his inability to communicate for so long caused by a hearing problem, had meant he couldn’t catch up. ‘They did everything they could for him. But he couldn’t cope with the intensity of the one to one sessions and he couldn’t keep up in the class. He started to hate going to school.’ Pupils in the unit join mainstream classes for some lessons and the goal is to return to mainstream class full-time.
Sunderland Echo. April 29, 1997