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The article considers the perceived prevalence of special educational needs in English primary schools and changes in this prevalence over two decades and relates these to issues in education policy, teacher practice and the concept of special educational needs. The studies considered are two major surveys of schools and teachers, the first conducted in 1981 and the second conducted in the same schools in 1998. Important features of both studies were their scale and the exceptionally high response rates achieved. Two central findings were the perception of teachers that special educational needs were widespread and of an increase in special educational needs over time: perceived levels of special educational needs were one in five children in 1981, which had risen to one in four children in 1998. Learning difficulties were by far the most common aspects of special educational needs but many children had multiple difficulties, and behavioural difficulties were seen by teachers as the main barriers to inclusion. The very high figures for prevalence raise questions about the continued usefulness of the concept of special educational need distinct from broader issues of achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Looks at policy development in Great Britain, in relation to special education. View that children needing special education should be incorporated into mainstream schools; Development of curriculum to meet all needs; What analysis of national statistical data shows.

The article introduces the June 2004 issue of the British Journal of Educational Studies. According to the author, a number of potentially significant developments are taking place in policies for education and schools. In particular, the recent publication of the Tomlinson proposals on 14-19 provision have the potential for very radical changes in examination and accreditation, the nature of the 14-19 curriculum and patterns of attendance at educational institutions for young people. These developments are discussed in the various articles of the journal.

The author reflects on pedagogical principles in studying education in Great Britain. He argues that the country's obsession with educational testing, specifically IQ testing, has contributed to the lack of progress in pedagogical research. While some improvement has been made, such as the establishment of the ORACLE project, the author suggests that emphasis on common pedagogical practices need to be enacted. Papers published in the periodical "British Journal of Educational Studies" address this issue in addition to studies on education policy.