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Schools demonstrated different beliefs about the advantages and disadvantages of withdrawing students from classrooms. However, there was a general belief that

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learning support was better targeted in the classroom and that not all students liked leaving the classroom to be part of withdrawal groups.

Participants recognised a shift in practice, away from withdrawing students for specialist support, although an exception was made for specialised one-to-one intervention such as reading recovery. Advocates of full inclusion did not want children with special needs to be given a special programme that excluded them from the whole class, or excluded them from the professional classroom teacher who was expected to know best. This thinking was demonstrated by the

following statement.

“I suppose one of the biggest shifts we have had in the past few years, because we are constantly trying to get better, better at what we do, is that we are now trying not to withdraw children from the room, but [instead] put the specialist person of support into the room” (Principal A).

It was felt that children were often stigmatized by being the person seen to go out of the room consistently for intervention. By withdrawing and keeping students away from others, Principal A considered that students were not learning to be inclusive.

“Schools need to model the fact that society has people who have got disabilities in one form or another and they can be just as good as most, as an able citizen, as anybody else” (Principal A).

One principal, who was a strong advocate of full-inclusion, considered that if students remained in the classroom for intervention, they had a sense of belonging rather than being special. Principal A suggested that this brought with it a sense of achievement. By developing their self-esteem, students felt that they could cope in their environment and succeed as learners in their own right.

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“They stay in the classroom so the child has a sense of belonging to the classroom, not being special. I don’t have to go out of the room to get help and that for a lot of kids is the big issue around self-esteem, because one of the traps … that we believe, is that children get stigmatized by being the person who is always seen to go out of the room to somebody else. Kids are inclined to say “Oh yeah, that’s because he is special” (Principal A).

“Students need to feel that they belong to their classroom, which is as important as belonging to the school.… Feelings that I can make it by myself in this room are seen as really, really important. It is as inclusive as it can be” (Principal A).

In contrast, another participant while still promoting the value of inclusivity believed that withdrawing students with high needs for specialist intervention was essential. The respondent recognized teacher stress levels and acknowledged the ‘challenging and exhausting’ environment that accompanied teaching students with high needs.

“[Students are withdrawn] because their teachers would go mad.… It is challenging all the time and they are not the only ones. Often the high needs children have got so much equipment and things and so many people who are poking into their programme.… Teachers need to remember that they have got another twenty odd children. Everyone is focusing on that child. It’s unfair and so for sanity those children go out” (Principal B).

Principals determined whether or not a whole class environment was the best utilisation of a teacher aide. Some respondents believed withdrawal programmes offered specific directed teaching without the distraction of a busy mainstream class, especially for very young students or those easily distracted. All

respondents indicated that any support programme risked students becoming dependent on their teacher aide. Although students were withdrawn for intensive

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intervention, as a consequence of increased confidence they tolerated the gradual reduction of teacher aide support and the increase in independence.

“I think what is really important with children with special needs too, is that they develop their independence.… We should be aiming to get them to be as

independent as they can for as much as they can” (Principal A).

Finding showed that some schools had trialled the withdrawal of GAT students for extension programmes, but found that their children disliked being withdrawn from class. Instead, one principal grouped GAT students together in a class and provided them with differentiated and challenging classroom programmes.

A leadership approach identified by respondents was to advocate the use of

teacher aides to work within the classroom with individual students or groups with similar need. Teacher aides frequently supported class learning, while the teacher, being the most skilled person, worked with specific groups of need. It was

evident that teachers were made fully aware that any withdrawal support for skilled teacher programmes was additional to the classroom programme. This was indicated in a statement by Principal D.

“You are the teachers and so if the teacher aide is doing something, it must be on top of what you have taught that day as practice, or you work with the child and you get the teacher aide to do something with some other kiddies”.

Research findings show that principals all acknowledge that intervention comes at a considerable financial cost to schools.