Inclusion projects are now firmly established and provide our pupils with weekly opportunities to interact and work alongside their peers in other schools and in the community.  Staff believe that this provision will enrich our pupils experiences and lead to an increased awareness of our pupils’ needs and the community’s duty to help meet those needs. 

Inclusion programmes consist of a variety of links developed between staff in Foyle View School and teachers in other schools.  Over time they have proved useful in helping students at Foyle View integrate more fully into the local community. 

There have been two main areas of positive growth.  The original aim of helping our pupil’s function more easily in their local environment has been met.  On a second level, there has been a breakdown of prejudice and a development of an understanding of the abilities of students at this school.  In the past there would have been a greater tendency to patronise and expect little from them.  As a staff in Foyle View, we also expect more from our students and this also applies to attitudes toward their overall abilities. In return our students have higher expectations of themselves.

It is recognised that levels of readiness for inclusion may differ according to the individual needs of pupils. Programmes are designed with this in mind. Pupils who have significant social or communication difficulties may have different inclusion programmes from classmates who are capable of more highly developed social contact with peers from other schools.