Educational opportunities for disabled children remain a vital contemporary issue in British social policy. This new edition of the milestone book Education, Disability and Social Policy outlines critical debates in education concerning the position and experiences of disabled children and young people within a contemporary policy context.

Incorporating new voices from leading thinkers, this second edition includes a fresh introduction and updates to key chapters, including whether the Children and Families Act (2014) resolved tensions between parents and local authorities over resources, and proposals for a whole-school, strengths-based approach to social, emotional and mental health difficulties. In addition, it includes a new discussion on the intersection of race and disability.

"This book seeks to identify and analyse a range of significant issues and questions concerning the position and experiences of disabled people in education and society generally. It highlights some of the complex, contentious and contradictory ideas and practices that are currently integral to the system of policy and provision within education and society generally. It contains a wealth of ideas, insights and questions and should be of interest to all those concerned with the well-being of all learners." Len Barton, Executive Director of IDRIS, Emeritus Professor of Inclusive Education, University of London.

“The emphasis on including all children and for joined-up thinking makes this book an important contribution to understanding current challenges and potential solutions. School leaders will find the analysis compelling and the guidance practically useful.” Jane Farrell, Mulberry Schools Trust

“This new edition could not have come at a better time, as England finally begins to reckon with its rapidly imploding SEND system. By bringing together some of the most experienced and knowledgeable voices in the sector, it weaves together the historic with the contemporary, and the practical with the theoretical, providing an invaluable perspective on where our education system – and society more broadly – might go next.” Loic Menzies, Centre for Education Systems

Steve Haines is Director of Public Affairs at Impetus.

David Ruebain is Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Culture, Equality and Inclusion and Professor of Law at the University of Sussex.