How can schools pursue a social inclusion agenda, educating pupils with special educational needs or social and emotional behavioural difficulties in a mainstream setting, while also raising attainment? That is one of the key challenges facing teachers today.

It concerns primary and secondary sectors but is, perhaps, more pressing in secondary schools because of the numbers involved and a perceived lack of resources and staff development. These schools also have to cope with being judged superficially on exam results and league tables.

“Is raising attainment compatible with social inclusion?” asks Paul Hamill, co-author with Brian Boyd of a Strathclyde University report on “Inclusive Education in East Lothian”, which was made public last month.

It concludes: “Inclusion is a whole school issue and, if it is to become a reality, it must be seen as a central aspect of school life and not something peripheral.”

The report largely praises East Lothian’s social inclusion policy, but the policy is not the same as the reality, and not because of any shortcomings peculiar to East Lothian.

“All authorities face the same problems, which include balancing social inclusion with raising attainment and the whole issue of continuing professional development,” says Mr Hamill.

“A lot of class teachers feel they are not skilled to take on all levels of pupils, which would include pupils with dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism and pupils who may be blind or deaf,” he says.

He feels many secondary teachers are too subject-based and not child-centred enough, that there is not a universal acceptance of who should be designated as having special educational needs and that secondary schools’ adoption of pupil setting can go against the spirit of social inclusion.

“Two messages are being given to schools by asking them to raise attainment and be radically more inclusive at the same time.

“Many schools resort to setting, which in the lower sets often amounts to a form of remedial education,” says Mr Hamill. “There is a sense that we are returning to the past.”

Alan Blackie, East Lothian’s director of education and community services, believes social inclusion and raising attainment are not mutually exclusive.

“It’s about closing the gap between the academic performance of the best and that of the more challenged. In the past 10 years the gap has been closing, with more young people staying on at school and more going into further education.

“Those traditionally deemed less able are doing better and that’s what social inclusion is all about.”

Mr Blackie also takes issue with the notion that setting implies the lowest sets are in some way remedial. “Setting in S1 and S2 does raise attainment overall, though what we mean by attainment needs more exploration. For some young people attending school regularly is itself an attainment.”

At the time of disaggregation of the regional authorities in 1996, East Lothian became a small authority with no special schools, so mainstream schools have had to cope with a wide range of pupils. Preston Lodge High, in Prestonpans, is at the cutting edge in terms of social inclusion and the issues it faces are common to many schools across Scotland. Of its 900 pupils, 28 are designated as having special educational needs.

“This is the highest in East Lothian, equivalent to a special school in terms of numbers,” says depute headteacher Margaret Merriman, “but a special school would have all the structures and staff in place, whereas we have to achieve the highest standards we can in a mainstream setting, supporting these pupils while also giving proper attention to the other pupils.”

Preston Lodge High allocates pupils to sets from S1 and part of that setting includes supported S1 and S2 classes, each with around 15 pupils, drawn mostly from those who need learning support but also some who have behavioural andor special educational needs. These pupils take AB levels in 5-14 literacy and maths and attend learning support during modern languages blocks.

“These children are not being put in ghettoes. It is simply a way of giving them focused support. They have no perception of being any different,” says Jan Ainslie, the principal teacher of English.

Yet, Paul Hamill, a co-author of the Strathclyde University report Inclusive Education in East Lothian, says that his experience of shadowing and interviewing some of these pupils (and others like them) last year suggests they do not all feel included at all times.

Mrs Merriman says: “Before the SEN pupils came in six years ago these support classes would have been our most needy pupils. There was a danger then that they could get lost and we felt very strongly that they also needed continued support. We have evaluated our strategy within the school and the evaluation has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Beyond the supported class strategy, Preston Lodge High has adopted a tripartite approach to social inclusion. The school has an integrated support team of 8.7 full-time equivalent staff headed by Tricia Fenwick, the principal teacher for social inclusion, which operates in three distinct areas: the learning support department, a special educational needs base and a pupil support base which caters for pupils with emotional, social or behavioural difficulties.

At present the learning support department and the two bases are all in different parts of the school. Using public-private partnership money, it is hoped to bring all three together in a new learning support centre by January 2004.

Mr Hamill argues that distinguishing between these three groups of pupils with needs goes counter to prevailing philosophy, if not government policy, because in effect “they all have special educational needs on a continuum; they all have barriers to learning”.

Alan Blackie, East Lothian’s education director, believes having separate bases is “not divisive when you have one integrated support team. It’s more a matter of how you target specific needs. It’s about strategy, not philosophy.”

The learning support department deals mainly with mainstream S1 and S2 pupils at 5-14 levels A and B, including 19 dyslexic pupils, who are extracted from the normal timetable (during the modern languages block) for three periods a week to concentrate on literacy and numeracy.

“This is to get them to perform better and to prepare them for S3 and S4,” says learning support teacher Zoe Monaco.

“Next year we are moving into S3 and S4 classes to give more support - our biggest challenge yet - though our dyslexic pupils already get support all the time.”

Meanwhile, S1 to S4 pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (one pupil is in care and another has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, for example) come to the pupil support base for periods of up to one hour to do homework and to get one-to-one support.

“They are all referred,” says Vera Hoban, the assistant principal teacher in charge of the base, “but 80 per cent are back in mainstream classes full time by the end of a given session if we get them early enough, if we get them in S1.

“It’s amazing what you can do through one-to-one tuition. We have an autistic pupil who is maintained in a mainstream class through this base and our inclusion policy. Without this base that just couldn’t happen,” she says.

The pupil support base also works with outside agencies such as Young People Speak Out, a video education group; the John Muir Award scheme, offering a certificated environmental programme of activities; the East Lothian Inclusive Service, which works with children and families at risk of exclusion; the East Lothian Pupil Support Unit, which targets school leavers; Breaking the Cycle (part of SACRO), which works with young offenders and young people at risk of offending; and the Prestonpans Opportunities Partnership Scheme, which works with disaffected youths through sports and other activities to raise self-esteem.

The school’s special educational needs base has 28 pupils who are integrated to different degrees and a pupil:teacher ratio of six to one, plus auxiliaries. The pupils have individual education plans and their own timetables.

“They have three staff in the base who are there for them all the time,” says Mrs Fenwick. “They are tracked by the staff, who attend regular review meetings and meetings with their parents.

“We keep them in mainstream classes as much as possible. We have four pupils going back into mainstream in S3, after two years in the base.

“We have both to protect and to challenge these pupils, to develop different pathways to success.”

She gives the example of an S2 pupil whose listening mark in music is second highest for the year. “She’s very limited as a mainstream pupil but we’ve doubled her time at music and as a result she is blossoming.

“On the other hand, we have a mainstream pupil who has profound difficulties with maths and he comes to the base for that subject alone,” she says.

“Some spend more time than others here,” says senior teacher Isabelle Simpson, “and we are working on Access language and maths. But we need more resources. We need more staffing, more auxiliaries to help integrate the pupils at as high a level as possible and we need more classroom teachers skilled in working with all levels of ability.”

The need for more auxiliaries and more continuing professional development for all teachers is repeated by the senior management in the school. Ideally, headteacher Joe Smith would also like a full-time guidance department. What he does have, though, is a full-time community worker.

“This is a real bonus. He builds up a tier of support beyond educational boundaries.

“For example, he took a motorbike group over the Easter holidays, which helped with team building and social skills as well as keeping them out of bother.

“He does a lot of one-to-one and because he’s not a teacher the young people relate to him differently, especially the boys, to whom he is a real role model.”

A flexible curriculum is also being pursued by Preston Lodge High. Next session this will mean S4 pupils can take vocational classes in motor mechanics, hairdressing and hospitality, run in conjunction with Jewel and Esk Valley College.

“This extends the Access and life-skill courses we offer in S3, which are more relevant to the less academic pupils’ motivation and likely attainment. It also means they will see college as a realistic possibility for their own future beyond school. It’s a matter of widening the pathway for them,” says Mr Smith.

The school continues to develop closer links with all the pupils’ parents. It is a liaison Mr Smith views as crucial to the success of inclusion.

“If we were not delivering, we’d know; the parents would tell us. They are pleased with what their children are getting here,” he says.

Primary-secondary liaison is also continually developing. As well as the usual consultations and school visits, primary pupils with special educational needs or social, emotional or behavioural difficulties make day visits to Preston Lodge High’s support bases.

Mrs Merriman believes social inclusion is working because of the huge effort put in by all the staff. “That compensates to a degree for the lack of resources. You need to have whole staff commitment to pursue a policy like this.

“The Easter revision courses and the S3 summer school we run are all part of social inclusion. The kids here know they’re focused on achievement.”

Senior management makes 25 class visits every week to reinforce the work staff are doing on year group and whole school themes, which range from home study, work ethic and teamwork to a caring and successful school and pride, courtesy, respect; themes which are gathered under the new school motto: “Be all you can be”.

“The motto includes everyone,” says Ms Ainslie.

“Social inclusion is about achievement, about everyone getting something out of their learning and producing good work.

“It’s about SEN pupils getting awards at Access and Standard grade.

“We’re not babysitting. Our S4 SEN pupils go for and get academic goals. All will have achieved an Access course in English this year and three will get a Standard grade. That’s hugely important.”

GOOD PRACTICES TO ACHIEVE INCLUSION

“Inclusion is a complex issue,” says Brian Boyd, a co-author of the Strathclyde University report on East Lothian. “There is no single model or blueprint which can or should be imposed on all schools. What we need is a range of examples of good practice which can be adapted to meet local circumstances.”

Underpinning these examples should be the following principles, he says.

* There should be wide-ranging consultation with school staff (teaching and support staff), pupils, parents and relevant external agencies on the aims and implications of inclusion.

* There should be a range of strategies to meet the needs of individual pupils. A whole school commitment to improving learning and teaching for all is a pre-requisite for inclusion.

* If a pupil support base is to be set up, there needs to be clarity on aims, criteria for inclusion and a system of regular review.

* Staff training, of all staff in the school and inter-agency training, prior to implementation is crucial.

* Inclusion must be a whole school initiative; it should bring together groups involved in support for learning, guidance and behaviour support and should draw on the skills of all staff.

* There must be a clear commitment to evaluation of progress using both qualitative evidence (ethos, pupil and staff attitudes, expectations) and quantitative evidence (attainment, attendance, behaviour) and a readiness to change when necessary.