Education Acts 1921, 1944, 1970, 1981, 1988, 2002

The first Education Act came into force in 1921 and defined five categories of disability. In 1944, an amended Education Act was introduced. This Act defined 11 categories of disability, including children who were deaf, blind, physically handicapped, epileptic, diabetic etc. In 1970 the Act was amended once more, to include children who had more severe mental disabilities. The 1981 Education Act which followed the Warnock Report changed the concept of special needs. It aimed to give parents more power, as partners in their children’s education. The Education Reform Act 1988 Act introduced the National Curriculum and gave more power to schools. Further amendments have been made to the Education Act during the past few years, as set out in the White Paper 2002.