Special education in the United Kingdom
Encyclopedia
Special education in the United Kingdom, being an aspect of education, is a devolved matter
with each of the countries of the United Kingdom
having separate systems under separate governments: the UK Government is responsible for education in England
, the Scottish Government is responsible for education in Scotland
, the Welsh Government is responsible for education in Wales
and the Northern Ireland Executive
is responsible for education in Northern Ireland
.
For details of special education in each country, see:
Devolution
Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level. Devolution can be mainly financial, e.g. giving areas a budget which was formerly administered by central government...
with each of the countries of the United Kingdom
Countries of the United Kingdom
Countries of the United Kingdom is a term used to describe England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. These four countries together form the sovereign state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which is also described as a country. The alternative terms, constituent...
having separate systems under separate governments: the UK Government is responsible for education in England
Education in England
Education in England is overseen by the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Local authorities take responsibility for implementing policy for public education and state schools at a regional level....
, the Scottish Government is responsible for education in Scotland
Education in Scotland
Scotland has a long history of universal provision of public education, and the Scottish education system is distinctly different from the other countries of the United Kingdom...
, the Welsh Government is responsible for education in Wales
Education in Wales
Education in Wales differs in certain respects from education elsewhere in the United Kingdom. For example, a significant number of students all over Wales are educated either wholly or largely through the medium of Welsh: in 2008/09, 22 per cent of classes in maintained primary schools used Welsh...
and the Northern Ireland Executive
Northern Ireland Executive
The Northern Ireland Executive is the executive arm of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the devolved legislature for Northern Ireland. It is answerable to the Assembly and was established according to the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, which followed the Good Friday Agreement...
is responsible for education in Northern Ireland
Education in Northern Ireland
Education in Northern Ireland differs slightly from systems used elsewhere in the United Kingdom, though it is more similar to that used in England and Wales than it is to Scotland. A child's age on 1 July determines the point of entry into the relevant stage of education unlike England and Wales...
.
For details of special education in each country, see:
- Special education in EnglandSpecial education in EnglandSpecial education in England is the responsibility of the Government of the United Kingdom and the term "special educational needs" is used to describe the needs of children who need additional provision in order to make progress...
- Special education in Northern Ireland
- Special education in ScotlandSpecial education in ScotlandSpecial education in Scotland, being an aspect of education in Scotland, is a devolved matter with Scotland having its own arrangements.The Education Act 2004 redefined the law in Scotland relating to the provision of special education to children with additional needs by establishing a framework...
- Special education in Wales