Warnock report and its influence on the Australian policies and legislation

The United Kingdom’s Report of the Committee of Enquiry into the Education of Handicapped Children and Young People (1978), also commonly referred to as the Warnock Report, is heralded as a landmark achievement in the history of inclusive education (IE). It played a major role in moving away from a paradigm of segregation, towards the creation of fairer and more effective educational practice. In the four decades since the Warnock report, IE has undergone significant reforms globally. Expanding on previous accounts of the history of IE development, I consider IE reforms in relation to the Warnock Report and other influential policies that succeeded it, with particular reference to Australia.