Wilson Stuart School in Birmingham has a bank of information and resources for use with children with a wide range of physical disabilities. As this school for two to 19-year-olds has beacon status, the material is available to schools throughout the area. With this, and the expertise of specialists from inside and outside the campus, most questions from local schools with inclusion policies can be answered. And since a conference last spring, the information is reaching other parts of the country.

The formal outreach programme has been in place for 13 years, but, says service co-ordinator Barbara Hunter, “we were pro-inclusion 20 years ago. More and more children in the mainstream had physical needs, and the schools were working in isolation”. She and Nicky Muncey, who is concerned with general school support, were in daily contact with teachers seeking advice. “In the past few years we’ve taken on training too,” says Nicky Muncey. “It seemed the logical thing to do.”

The team advises on the educational implications of disability, classroom support, mobility, and equipment. “Schools would ring up saying, perhaps, ‘we’ve got a child without the use of one hand’,” says Nicky Muncey. “Or we might visit a nursery school to help a boy with poor co-ordination, and then we could lend equipment such as larger threading beads.

“We often see children who would always have been in mainstream, with a condition such as dyspraxia, but who are perhaps not specially well catered for. We work with the staff to build up strategies to help with inclusion in activities such as PE.”

From the stock of specialised equipment which has been tested by the Wilson Stuart team, some large pieces are loaned and smaller ones can be bought. Many of the latter are very simple, such as a triangular pencil which helps children who have difficulty gripping. This is one of several simple aids which are helpful in inverse proportion to their price. Cheap everyday objects can also become effective educational equipment. Children use small plastic dustbin lids as bats with which to hit balloons as balls, for example. The dustbin lids are light, easily held, and have a large hitting area.

The sport and PE section is run by Anne Cradock. “I cover the whole inclusion spectrum,” she says. “Some sports allow for it: swimming is one. Others can be played with slight modification - you can play hockey in a wheelchair, for example. Children can have access to more or less all activities, with adaptation. Table cricket is a good game: it has five fielders moving tools around the sides of the table, but no one running.”

Anne Cradock also advises locally. “My role in the mainstream situation is to help the disabled pupil to interpret the teacher’s task and participate,” she says. “For the teachers, I’m often providing suggestions for what to do when degenerative conditions, such as muscular dystrophy, worsen. By watching children at breaktime and in PE I can assess the situation and sometimes show a range of activities to develop inclusive PE.” Children from mainstream schools who have disabilities are often included in her PE lessons to help develop their confidence.

Drama is another subject in which children with a different physical capacity can often work in an integrated way. Drama co-ordinator Cae Hayes says: “Our performing arts children with disability use drama as a springboard, both to help other teachers and to show how children of very different ability can perform together.” Participation can start amazingly young. “The two-and-a-half-year-olds already have an awareness of movement and they can understand whether music is fast or slow, quiet or loud - and respond to it. Then they can start to do drama through nursery rhyme.”

It is not difficult to involve the local community, she says. “Twice a year, we invite adults and children to see our work. We take our pupils to see the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Ballet, then we mentor their dancers to work in special schools.” Among her recommendations to teachers seeking to set up inclusive arts projects are these: establish partnerships with schools and colleges with artistically gifted pupils and incorporate their skills; invite high-quality performing arts groups; set up cross-arts workshops with mainstream schools.

The school’s dedication to the principle of inclusion runs through all subject areas, and was demonstrated at a conference it held in March. Speakers offered encouragement and many practical suggestions on subjects such as ICT (for example, “pay attention to the positioning of the monitor, keyboard, mouse and seating of the pupil”) and design technology (for example, “reverse direction of saw blades so they cut on the backstroke”). There is a great deal more along these lines, available in packs and as leaflets.

The Wilson Stuart directories of equipment and suppliers, books, materials, and suggestions are the outcome of many years of experience. The school also offers various kinds of training, from full in-service training days at about pound;200 to twilight sessions covering two topics for pound;50. Information packs cost between pound;1 and pound;10, with most at pound;2.

The techniques described are straightforward and often cost very little. The red-green colour-coding system for use with dyspraxic children is one example.

Further information on the outreach programme, training schemes, or the equipment, can be obtained from Barbara Hunter at The Wilson Stuart School, Perry Common Road, Erdington, Birmingham B23 7AT.

Web: www.wilsonstuart.bham.sch.uk

Inclusion

* Identify a member of staff to take responsibility as inclusion co-ordinator, ideally someone who has taught the pupils and has the confidence of all parties.

* Develop a set of procedures to follow when setting up an inclusion programme. Programme to be monitored and reviewed regularly, written reports sent to all interested parties.

* Find a potential partner school that shares your enthusiasm for the inclusion programme. Success is more likely in a school that has had previous positive links. Links can be initiated by inviting pupils and staff to concerts, sporting activities, and so on.

* Be honest and realistic with all parties involved - host school, parents, staff. Have opportunities for both schools to liaise and share expertise.

* Project must be supported by host school: management team, governors, staff, pupils and parents.

* Sort out the practicalities - transport, access, toilets, equipment.

* Initially, individual pupils must be supported by a member of staff from their base school who knows their needs. Levels of support required on transfer must be identified early and funding arranged with the LEA.

* Good, manageable communication between all parties is essential. An inclusion link book helps to monitor the programme.

* Prepare and resource the host school and pupils well. Within school, make use of assembly and displays.

* Ensure specialist support is available to the host school in maintaining the placement. It could be a starting point for establishing an outreach service. Establish links with community physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and any other appropriate LEA support services.