Inclusive Education in Wales: Interpreting Discourses of Values and Practice Using Critical Policy Analysis

Abstract

Purpose This paper provides a detailed analysis of inclusive education policies in the context of major system reform in Wales, United Kingdom. Wales is currently undergoing the most significant changes to its education system since political devolution from the U.K. Government in 1999. Key to these changes is the new Curriculum for Wales and the Additional Learning Needs (ALN) regulations; alongside these and wider system-level reforms there is ambition to create an inclusive education system in Wales. This paper explores how inclusion is articulated and communicated within the key policy and guidance documents, using two continuums—“practice” and “values”—to map and interpret these documents. Design/Approach/Methods This paper uses critical policy analysis to make sense of these various inclusive education policy reforms in Wales. Findings The analysis reveals that despite a foregrounded commitment to inclusion there is disparity both within and between the policy and guidance documents. Originality/Value The paper highlights the lack of coherence of key messages articulated through education policy documentation in Wales, providing insight into the emerging national education system reforms, as well as developing an approach for evaluating inclusive education systems in other jurisdictions.

Childhood, Curriculum, and Culture in Diverse Contexts

“…Furthermore, the exosystem of ecological influences plays a vital role in shaping children's learning experience. Knight and Crick (2022) present a detailed and critical analysis of inclusive education policy reforms in the context of Wales, UK.…”

“…It is worth noting that the hybrid model is dynamic and changing over time with the interacting and interrelated nature of the multiple layers. We use this framework to interpret the main findings of the collected studies (Alhosani, 2022; Feng, 2022; Knight & Crick, 2022; Luo, 2022; Yang & Li, 2022a) and further explain the complex nature of children’s learning and childhood in the following section.…”

“…Furthermore, the exosystem of ecological influences plays a vital role in shaping children’s learning experience. Knight and Crick (2022) present a detailed and critical analysis of inclusive education policy reforms in the context of Wales, UK. The inclusive education policies do not directly involve children but nonetheless affect the experience of childhood, especially in schools.…”

“…Framed in the exosystem of ecocultural influences, Knight and Crick (2022) look at inclusive education policies in the context of major education reforms in Wales, UK. The Wales government has initiated system-level reforms to build an inclusive education system in Wales.…”

Diversity as a Condition of Cultures: Querying Assumptions of Mainstream and Minorities in Education Policy and Curriculum

“…For some, mapping policy reforms concerned with inclusive education expose persistent problems of inequality and privilege and reveal problematic policy assumptions of homogeneity within mainstream societies. Writing from the Welsh context, Knight and Crick (2022) contend that inclusive education sits on a deficit-diversity continuum, where inclusion of children with disabilities in regular classrooms implies a deficit requiring conformity to the norm, while simultaneously positioning greater diversity through their inclusion as a benefit to all students in the classroom. These positionings on the part of policymakers highlight the extent to which homogeneity is assumed of non-neurodiverse students in regular classrooms.…”