From Policy to Practice: Resourcing Inclusion in a Queensland Primary School

Abstract

Globally, an increasing number of students with disabilities are being included in mainstream schools, a trend that was exemplified after the release of the 1994 Salamanca Statement in which inclusive education was described as being a right for all. This move towards inclusive practices has been reflected in Australian schools across all educational jurisdictions (Forlin & Bamford, 2005). The wider study (Anderson, 2010), of which the current study presents one aspect, investigated the inclusive practices of a Queensland government primary school through the lens of the systems inclusion policy. A single case study approach was employed to better understand the successes and difficulties experienced by the school in meeting expectation for inclusion, a practice identified in current literature as a challenging and complex one (Graham & Slee, 2008; Slee, 2008). The current study focuses on one facet of the wider study, that being resourcing and inclusion.