Introduction

This chapter takes as its focus issues around the relationship between the assessment and attainment of those children and young people who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities arising from hearing, visual or multi-sensory impairments. In particular, the chapter examines some of the implications of a system of assessment in England that pulls in two opposing directions. This is exemplified in the framework of government policy put in place by the Labour administration through the Every Child Matters agenda (ECM), which stresses entitlement for all children and young people to universal services, against the thrust of other policies that push towards a system of setting and streaming based on ability, as determined by the outcome of a series of national tests and formal examinations.

One could argue that an approach based on setting and streaming is entirely appropriate in a society built around competition and that to argue otherwise is to undermine an education system that seeks to prepare young people for the stark realities of life in the 21st century. However, what is at the heart of any society is some form of engagement and participation. At a time of growing unemployment among young people in general and those with disabilities in particular, there is a danger that many young people will disappear from mainstream society and become lost in a growing underclass.

A number of these young people will not have thrived at school and may well have been assessed as having some form of SEN in combination with their disability and will certainly have had more than their fair share of difficulties. It is vital that the needs of these learners are understood by government before these young people give up all hope of ever gaining access to employment and lose the skills and independence needed to be successful. It is therefore especially important to identify those at risk as early as possible. To do this we need to know who they are, how many there are and what their needs are in order to plan appropriate forms of intervention.