Policy Futures in Education

ISSN 1478-2103

Volume 1 Number 4 2003

CONTENTS [click on author's name for abstract and full text]

EDITORIAL Social Inclusion

JULIE ALLAN University of Stirling, United Kingdom

Social inclusion has become a common part of our everyday language and a central strand of educational policy. The ‘social’ of inclusion emerged relatively recently and has been adopted by governments as a moral, and indeed legal, imperative. Yet it is one of the most complex notions, characterised by a lack of shared understanding about what it means to be socially included and about the necessary conditions to achieve social inclusion. A key barrier to understanding arises from the fragmentation of policy in relation to different arenas of inclusion/exclusion. So, for example, race/ethnicity, gender and disability are all addressed in different ways, by different government departments, with different solutions, and with varying degrees of ineffectiveness. Joined-up working has been a much-used cliché which has not been accompanied by connected thinking about the different groups who are at risk of exclusion.

This special issue of Policy Futures examines social inclusion from different perspectives. The majority of these articles were first presented at a seminar, hosted jointly by the Participation, Inclusion and Equity Research (PIER) Network, University of Stirling and the Centre for Education for Racial Equality in Scotland (CERES), University of Edinburgh. The aim of the seminar was to encourage dialogue across different strands of inclusion/exclusion and to consider ways of addressing the fragmentation within national policy. The authors who were invited to present papers, or submit papers to the journal, are accomplished scholars in their own areas of inclusion/exclusion – poverty, gender, race/ethnicity, disability, the criminal justice system, faith and the arts – and it is hoped that this focus is useful in two ways: first, it is intended to speak directly to local and national policy makers within Scotland and to provide some clear messages about the kind of policy futures for social inclusion which are needed; second, by placing analyses of social inclusion from different perspectives alongside each other, it is hoped that some parallels and common strands will emerge which will be relevant to other national contexts. It should be said, however, that these articles are far from parochial and Elinor Kelly, for example, provides some useful comparisons of approaches to faith across Europe, Philomena de Lima considers the development of social inclusion both nationally and internationally, and Anthony Duff’s article addresses social inclusion and the criminal justice system in general. The final article offers an Australian perspective, exploring the approach to social inclusion and the arts adopted by the Adelaide-based company, The Tutti Ensemble.

The analysis of poverty, equalities and social inclusion provided by Damien Killean emphasises the profound impact on social inclusion of poverty and reveals how this area of policy seems to have suffered considerably from the effects of devolution, in the form of a confused and complex web of political and departmental responsibilities and accountability at United Kingdom and Scottish levels. Several other authors explore the relationship between material disadvantage and social exclusion: Philomena de Lima, for example, points out that under-provision of social services undermines social cohesiveness and highlights Chinese communities as being particularly affected in this respect. Anthony Duff considers those who experience disadvantage or are excluded and who then commit a crime. He questions whether these individuals should be held to account by the polity, given that they have not been fully recognised as citizens.

Anthony Duff also invites us to question assumptions about inclusion and exclusion; in particular, he asks whether exclusion is always undeniably bad by drawing our attention, in contrast, to coercive or non-voluntary inclusion. In this philosophical essay, he argues that criminal punishment poses one of the sharpest challenges to the politics of inclusion and contends that social inclusion is neither empty rhetoric nor a panacea for our social ills; rather, he suggests, it should be seen as an aspiration for political, social and legal reform by anyone taking the idea of citizenship seriously.

Mary Brennan’s account of the inclusion of deaf children makes, in her own words, ‘gloomy’ reading and raises questions about social inclusion being appropriate for all children. She is questioning, not the principle of social inclusion, but its reification and the processes of assimilation with which it is associated. She also notes that the new disability legislation, the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act, creates further inequalities for deaf people and buying into it has been seen by some deaf activists as the equivalent of selling one’s soul. Perhaps the most salutary message comes from the deaf children in the research she reports, who speak of decisions being made about them and who describe their feelings of worthlessness. This sense of powerlessness must be deeply exclusionary, denying children their own sense of self.

Elinor Kelly is critical of the omission of issues of faith from the Race Relations Amendment Act, but does welcome the inclusion of measures against ‘sectarianism and religious hatred’ within criminal law. The principle of equal recognition of denominations and religions, she reminds us, cannot exist so long as there is a single established church (of Scotland, of England) and she highlights the sharp contrast with other European states in this respect. Data on religious affiliation are much needed before a clearer picture of the inclusion/exclusion experienced by different faith groups can be obtained.

The arts have become increasingly implicated as a vehicle for promoting social inclusion and Pat Rix’s article gives some indication of why this is a serious charge. Her account of The Tutti Ensemble’s growth into an internationally renowned arts organisation – involving both disabled and non-disabled people – provides a much-needed glimpse of how to do social inclusion. I met Pat and Tutti in Toowoomba, Australia, and was immediately cast under their spell. As someone who dislikes singing – intensely – I was astonished to find myself performing in front of an audience, coached and coaxed by the Tutti members. During the workshop, the best and most inclusive teaching I have ever seen was modelled by Pat Rix, the Artistic Director of Tutti. As Pat says in her article, good inclusive teaching is about learning to listen rather than speak and asking questions rather than giving answers or opinions; it is an approach that appears, however, strangely elusive.

Policy Futures for Social Inclusion

Each of the articles in this special issue underlines the fragmented nature of policy on social inclusion and illustrates the disconnections between areas of inclusion/exclusion. Social inclusion and exclusion, as Anthony Duff points out, are useful analytical tools for a framework for analysing the effects of disadvantage, not just in material or psychological terms, but also in terms of how they exclude individuals or groups. It also enables us to assess how far policies facilitate – or limit – social inclusion. The authors make it clear that social inclusion has to be tackled in much more coherent and systematic way. Their analyses suggest that for this to be done, a number of changes are necessary:

• greater awareness of the different arenas of inclusion/exclusion in the development of policy and legislation and, in particular, how change in one strand of policy could have an impact on others;
• ‘multi-pronged’ strategies for tackling social inclusion, which consider multiple dimensions of social exclusion and which address cultural issues such as language and identity;
• the establishment of an anti-poverty strategy with Poverty Impact Statements attached to all legislative proposals, differentiated for gender and minority ethnic and disabled groups;
• research and information on a range of matters, including religious affiliation and the educational experiences of all children, including those without formal statutory assessments;
• more strategic associations and collaboration among equalities groups;
• children and excluded groups advising on, rather than merely receiving, policy;
• greater attention to exclusionary potential of language;
• consideration of how punishment is enforced upon those who commit a crime, but who, because they have experienced material disadvantage or social exclusion, have not been fully recognised as citizens;
• greater acceptance of the place of the arts as a vehicle for social inclusion.
• These imply both substantial systemic change and a greater ability, on the part of policy makers, to think about social inclusion in much broader terms. Joined-up working, far from being a cliché, may be essential to ensure that no one is left out of the policy debate on social inclusion.

Correspondence

Julie Allan, Institute of Education, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, United Kingdom (j.e.allan@stir.ac.uk)

Poverty, Equalities and Social Inclusion

DAMIEN KILLEAN Scottish Human Services Trust, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

This article explores the relationship between inequalities, exclusion and poverty and assesses the efforts of the Government and others to address them in an integrated way. It considers the failure of a radical vision of a poverty-free and socially inclusive society and attributes this failure, in part, to an unwillingness to take account of the extent of poverty and its impact on different social groups. The article identifies the need for an anti-poverty strategy and calls for non-government equalities groups to demonstrate greater awareness of the impact of economic inequalities on the solidarity and vitality of the communities they represent.

Inclusion: a gender perspective

TERESA TINKLIN, LINDA CROXFORD, ALAN DUCKLIN & BARBARA FRAME Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Beyond Place: ethnicity/race in the debate on social exclusion/inclusion in Scotland

PHILOMENA J.F. DE LIMA Inverness College (UHI Millennium Institute), Inverness, United Kingdom

This article examines the extent to which the discourses on social exclusion/inclusion and policy interventions have addressed the issue of race/ethnicity in the Scottish context. Based on a review of literature and government policy documents, the article concludes that, while there have been some attempts to address issues of race and ethnicity and to take ‘institutional racism’ seriously, there are a number of recurrent themes which emerge, suggesting that there has been limited success with regard to the ‘mainstreaming’ of race/ethnicity within the discourses and policy interventions on social exclusion/inclusion in Scotland. The overwhelming emphasis on economic or labour market participation, the lack of interrogation of the notion of a ‘homogenous cultural majority’, which underpins policy discourses, and the lack of ‘race proofing’ of the social inclusion milestones and targets have resulted in a inconsistent and piecemeal approach to issues of race/ethnicity. For race/ethnicity to be taken seriously, policy discourses and debates will have to develop approaches and analyses which interrogate the assumptions that privilege the views and values of the so-called ‘cultural majority’, to ensure an approach which embeds race equality and avoids reinforcing the boundaries between the ‘included’ and ‘excluded’.

Deafness, Disability and Inclusion: the gap between rhetoric and practice

MARY BRENNAN Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom

This article provides a critique of the interpretation and practice of educational inclusion, particularly in respect of deaf children. It is argued that the inclusion agenda, as presently realised, does not incorporate the fundamental paradigm shift required to bring about equity and social inclusion for deaf children. Superficially ‘inclusive’ practices, such as the attendance of deaf children at mainstream schools, often simultaneously deny the linguistic rights of deaf children and thus fail to ensure either full access to the curriculum and assessment or access to a satisfying social experience. Despite this, there are indications within Scotland and the Scottish Parliament of a more genuinely inclusive approach to linguistic and cultural diversity. Recent developments include the recognition of British Sign Language (BSL) by the United Kingdom Government and the explicit inclusion of BSL as one of the languages of Scotland. The challenge is to embed linguistic recognition and rights within education at all levels: this requires placing Deaf people at the heart of developments.

Integration, Assimilation and Social Inclusion: questions of faith

ELINOR KELLY University of Glasgow, United Kingdom

Scotland is unique in having an established church that does not run its own schools; it is also unique in having a minority denominational sector that is dominated by one church alone. National debate on religion is locked in Scotland because closed minds prevail. ‘There is no alternative.’ The debate is conducted oblivious to faith arrangements in other European countries, and regardless of the need to reach some new accommodation. The Census of 2001 reveals Scotland’s high rate of ‘secularisation’, the variable balance between denominations in different parts of the country, and the presence in all cities of other religions. Arrangements decided a century ago just do not fit the facts of faith today. Scotland cannot continue to seek assimilation, and sustain outdated arrangements; some new forms of integration are required. Inexorably the debate is being reopened because new legislation, based on the principles of human rights, is penetrating the fabric of Scottish political culture.

Inclusion, Exclusion and the Criminal Law

R.A. DUFF University of Stirling, United Kingdom

The first section of this article clarifies the concepts of social inclusion and exclusion: three important features are that exclusion and inclusion are normative, not purely factual matters; that they involve agency, either active or passive (exclusion involves someone who either actively excludes or passively fails to include); and that the judgement that someone has been excluded depends on a view of the responsibilities of the supposed excluder. The next section then examines some of the ways in which the criminal law can serve as an instrument of exclusion or of inclusion: in virtue of its content; in the way in which it is enforced; through the criminal process, and in particular the criminal trial; and through the punishments imposed on offenders. However, the possibility of a genuinely inclusionary criminal law depends on the justice of the political and social structures that underpin it: if offenders have not been treated inclusively, as full citizens of the polity, the polity’s right to call them to account for their wrongdoings through the criminal law is undermined. The conclusion is that the concepts of social inclusion and exclusion can play a useful role in a critical analysis of our political and legal institutions and practices, but that the ideal of an inclusive political community presents both governments and citizens with a demanding challenge.

‘Anything is Possible’: the arts and social inclusion

PAT RIX Tutti Ensemble, Adelaide, Australia

The Tutti Ensemble is an arts organisation, based in Adelaide, South Australia, and with 80 members, both disabled and non-disabled. This article describes how the group was initiated and how it has evolved into a model of effective social inclusion. The features of an environment conducive to genuine social inclusion, and the values which are central to this, are considered. Tutti’s success in promoting social inclusion has been accompanied by spectacular artistic accomplishments, attracting the adulation and involvement of high-level performers and it is argued that the two can go hand in hand and that opportunities for creativity can help address some of the effects of fragmentation experienced in society today.

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