Changing Role of Specialist Provision in Supporting Inclusive Education: Mapping Specialist Provision Approaches in European Countries

The Changing Role of Specialist Provision in Supporting Inclusive Education (CROSP) project focuses on the re-organisation of specialist, separate provision (schools, classes and units) and the perceived shift in the role of such provision to support the right to inclusive education for all learners.

Phase 1 of CROSP describes past, current and future trends in relation to specialist provision in countries. It aims to form a clear overview of the development of specialist provision in meeting learners' rights to education generally, and inclusive education more recently.

This synthesis report is the outcome of Phase 1 of the project. It builds on recent Agency project outcomes and information from individual country reports. The report describes the situation and trends in Agency member countries in relation to specialist provision. It forms a clear overview of the development of specialist provision for meeting learners' rights to high-quality inclusive education. It does so by exploring:

• the current role and main characteristics of specialist provision;
• the main policy reforms underpinning existing specialist services;
• further policy developments to transform the role of specialist provision to support inclusive education.

The report findings provide the basis for further analysis during Phase 2 of the CROSP project. Phase 2 aims to enable member countries to develop more effective strategies to improve the role of specialist provision for inclusive education.