Sense of belonging is a complex construct that we all strive for in our daily lives. Sense of school belonging influences educational outcomes and is vital for cognitive, behavioural, and socio-emotional success at school. Sense of belonging for students with disability in special schools has rarely been examined and is not well understood. In this study, we investigated the role special school leaders, teachers, and teacher aides play in building a sense of belonging for themselves and their students. Two hundred and sixty-two participants from 10 state special schools within a regional area of Queensland, Australia, completed a survey to determine their perceptions of how special school staff promoted school belonging as well as their knowledge of policy documents. Responses consistently indicated a positive sense of school belonging across all schools. Findings highlight what school leaders, teachers, and teacher aides do in their everyday practices to promote a strong sense of belonging at their special schools, including building positive trusting relationships with all stakeholders, learning environments that valued diversity and difference, inclusive practices that met the social and academic needs of students, and schools’ organisational practices.

The importance of professional experience is clearly recognised in initial teacher education and in other professions. In this study, we explore one element of professional experience for trainee special/inclusive educators, placement in an educational setting for practicum, and how it is provided in postgraduate Australian special/inclusive education courses. We extracted data from publicly available material for all Australian postgraduate courses designed to prepare special and/or inclusive educators. Available data included the length of practicum, content of the unit related to practicum, supervision and placement arrangements, and assessment. We found that only 59% of courses included a unit that required completion of a practicum placement. Given there are no mandatory standards for special/inclusive educators, there was considerable variation in the way practical skills were assessed, the content of practicum units, mentoring arrangements and personnel involved. Practicum placements ranged from 10 to 30 days, and only two courses provided more than one placement. Further research is needed to consider the broader range of professional experiences that may be embedded in courses. We suggest that longer practicum placements should be mandatory in special/inclusive educator professional preparation and should include assessment of the implementation of specific evidence-based practices including collaboration with others.

Countries globally are working towards the Sustainable Development Goals 2030. Goal 4 affirms all students’ right to a quality inclusive education. Yet achieving quality inclusive education continues to challenge education providers without reference to economic riches or location on the globe. This exploratory study examines the professional views of 20 teachers about the state of inclusive education in Pakistan with specific reference to learners with cerebral palsy. Using focus groups interviews, we systematically examined the data and identified two key themes: learning together for all and learning environment. In exploring these themes, tensions appeared between what was posed theoretically as inclusive education and the reality of implementation. Some of these tensions result from contextual factors, while others emerge through viewing inclusive education involving a transformation of culture and practice.

COMPASS is an educational intervention aimed at supporting individualised goal setting for students on the autism spectrum. Although its effectiveness is supported by quantitative data, little qualitative research has explored the perceived benefits and challenges of implementing COMPASS with community consultants. In the present qualitative study, we explored the benefits and challenges of COMPASS from the perspectives of stakeholders including parents/caregivers, teachers, and consultants. Semistructured interviews and focus groups were recorded and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Participants felt COMPASS (a) brings the right information to the table, (b) sets the scene for collaboration, and (c) uses a quality tool for data collection. The fourth theme reflected participants’ concerns around how (d) time could be a barrier. The data for this study has implications for the individualised planning process for students on the autism spectrum, a process directly linked to critical student outcomes. Overall, stakeholders spoke positively about student outcomes, which they linked directly to participation in the COMPASS program. The standardised process for individualised planning provided by COMPASS was particularly valued. Results of the study provide further understanding about the COMPASS intervention and offer a direction for future replications of COMPASS.

This paper presents the content validation process and results of the Themis Inclusion Tool, a questionnaire designed to stimulate teacher reflection on the response to diversity in schools in Cyprus, where, despite efforts, progress is still necessary. We present the adapted form of the Themis questionnaire originally published in English. The Greek version of the questionnaire contains 60 items measured on a 5-point Likert scale, consisting of three dimensions: contexts, resources, and processes. The questionnaire also includes two open-ended questions. The use of the Themis questionnaire is suggested as an effective means to enable teachers to understand challenges with respect to inclusion and for developing more inclusive schools. Thus the aim of this research is to contribute to the lack of updated, validated, and research-based tools for Greek-speaking schools at a time where school self-evaluation processes have been prioritised in educational policymaking.