Inclusive Education Theory and Policy: Moving from Special Educational Needs to Equity

“This book, co-authored by long time practitioners, brilliantly demonstrates that an inequitable, illiberal education system can be changed to become inclusive and equitable. With one part examining the system over the decades since the Warnock report, and a second part presenting policy and practice for a fairer system with an end to a SEND industry, it presents a state-maintained education system desperately in need of radical reform that can be renewed to serve all children and young people."

Professor Sally Tomlinson, Emeritus Professor Goldsmiths at the University of London, UK, Honorary Fellow at the Department of Education, University of Oxford, UK




“This book is a wake-up call to us all to the ‘liberation’ of our current system… it invit[es] active engagement in change through review and reflection…  I would recommend this book to my teachers.”

Dr Stella Scharinger, Primary School Executive Head Teacher, The Stour Academy Trust, UK 




"This is an important and imaginative book written by two experts whose writing is always both clear and engaging. It is both theoretically sound but also very practical. It deals with extremely important issues and deserves a wide readership."

Professor Adrian Furnham, Professor of Psychology, Norwegian Business School, Norway


“Dr Sue Soan and Prof Jeremy J Monsen have written what is undoubtedly one of the most thought-provoking books on inclusive education of our time. They have captured perfectly the evolution of the education system in England to date demonstrating how good intentions have too often failed to deliver good outcomes... No stone is left unturned by Sue and Jeremy. From teacher education and technology to teacher retention and the curriculum, excellent insights and ideas are provided in abundance. It is a book that is itself built on inclusive principles designed for a broad readership extending beyond educators and into the general public.

This is a book that everybody should read at least once, and probably more than once.”

Professor Adam Boddison, Chief Executive of the Association for Project Management, UK




This book provides a critical overview of the development of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) ‘industry’ within the English state education system. It connects the work of earlier educational thinkers with the challenges faced by school leaders, teachers, parents, carers and policy makers today. 

Moving from separate systems towards a truly integrated and inclusive educational system, the authors explore which areas have been undervalued and why. Instead they encourage debate and the chance to explore new ideas away from the constant cycle of reforms without improvements. 

The book: 

• Proposes how to move beyond inclusion vs. exclusion 

• Provides guiding principles to create true equity within education 

• Analyses past and present issues in the sector across policy and practice

Inclusive Education Theory and Policy is essential reading for anyone interested in building an education system that is for every child. It provides an incisive analysis of how to make SEND truly equitable and is relevant across all career stages.




Sue Soan is Senior Lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University, UK and the facilitator of the research group Action for Collaborative Transformation (ACT), which is working to improve collaborative practice across the statutory professions. Previously, Sue worked as a teacher and SENCo for over 25 years.

Jeremy Monsen is Executive Principal Educational and Child Psychologist for the London boroughs of Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea. He is also Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde, UK, Lecturer (Honorary) to University College Lon