For a long time, the highly differentiated and extensive special education system was seen as expressing concern for pupils with special learning needs. Currently, this point of view is the subject of much debate. A growing group of policymakers, educators and parents think segregation in education has gone too far. A gradually increasing number of parents want their child with special educational needs to attend a mainstream school because they wish him/her to go to the same school as siblings; to attend a neighbourhood school, or/and to educate their child with non-special needs children.

Advocates of integration also believe that integration is possible by making use of
examples in other countries (e.g. Denmark, Sweden, the UK and the United States). The debate also centres on a wider societal context. The segregation of these pupils is considered to be in conflict with widely accepted human rights, socially undesirable, and perhaps a convenient, but unnecessary way of providing special services.

Among politicians, administrators and certain teacher and parent groups there is a fair consensus that a halt should be drawn to the growing numbers of special education placements. However, compared to other countries, parents in the Netherlands have not in the past been prominent partners in the integration/exclusion debate. There is no tradition of parental pressure groups in the Netherlands actively advocating integration. The one exception are the associations of parents of children with Down's syndrome. These have succeeded in influencing mainstream primary schools to place these children , which has long been a very unusual practice. Recently other parent groups are becoming actively involved in the strive for integration.

In general, parents appear in favour of current integration policy. However, substantial numbers of both mainstream and special education teachers as well as some parents of pupils with special educational needs question integration. Whilst not rejecting the push for more integration in principle, they believe special needs pupils are better off in segregated settings as they need the highly differentiated and therefore more effective teaching and counselling available in special educational provision. In accordance with this view of the 'specialness' of special education, they consider pupils to have profound and special problems which makes mainstream schooling inappropriate.

Developments towards integration in the Netherlands have been largely influenced by two policy papers published in 1990 and 1996. The first, `Together to School Again', aims to support the integration of pupils with learning difficulties (so-called LOM pupils) and mildly mentally disabled pupils (so-called MLK pupils). This policy is known as the WSNS-policy in our country. As part of its policy all primary schools and special schools for pupils with learning difficulties and the mildly mentally disabled have been grouped into regional clusters over the last few years. Each cluster consists of one or more special schools working with 25 primary schools on average. This has resulted in a nation-wide network in which every special and mainstream school is attached to a cluster. Extra funding was available for this.

In June 1995 the Dutch parliament changed the regulations for funding special provisions. In subsequent years part of the funding now available for pupils eligible for schools for learning disabled and mildly mentally retarded has gradually been placed at the disposal of the regional clusters. School clusters may decide to maintain special provision in special schools. They can also decide to transfer parts of that provision to mainstream schools in one form or another. The key factor is that regular schools participate in the decision-making process concerning the structure of special education provision. Each of the school clusters is funded equally, based on the total enrolment in primary education. This was first implemented in 1998 and by 2002 the new funding structure was  fully operational. The new funding system is intended to stimulate integration, as it enables schools to take the services to the pupils instead of transferring pupils to the services.

In line with the ‘Together to School Again’ policy the secondary special schools for learning disabled and mildly mentally retarded pupils has also changed. Special secondary education for these pupils  is no longer part of separate special education legislation, but has become part of the 1998 secondary education act. This reform restructured secondary special education and the lower years of regular secondary education into pre-vocational secondary education (VMBO). For pupils with special needs a support structure has been developed to ensure as many pupils as possible complete their chosen courses and obtain VMBO qualifications. Pupils not expected to obtain a VMBO certificate even with considerable extra support can attend a ‘practical training’ course, which prepares pupils for low-skilled jobs in the labour market. A regional referral committee decides on the eligibility of pupils for separate learning support or practical training. The committee applies centrally developed criteria to decide on placement. The criteria relate to IQ range, level of learning backwardness and/or social-emotional problems. The special needs support structure has been gradually phased in over a four-year period, ending in August 2002.

For educating pupils with sensory, physical, and mental disabilities as well as/or behavioural problems a separate line of policy development has been drawn up. Until now, these pupils were only able to receive the services they needed after being admitted to a full-time special school. In 1996 the policy paper ‘The Back-Pack’ outlined plans to stop financing places for such pupils within special primary and secondary schools in favour of linking the funding of special services to the pupil involved, regardless of the type of schooling. The idea was to change from supply-oriented financing to a system in which the means are forwarded to the person requiring the services: demand-oriented financing. The policy is known as the ‘back-pack’ policy: pupils take the funding with them to the school of their choice. An important characteristic of demand-oriented financing is that parents have an important say in choosing a school for their child. Means would be made available only after a positive decision by a body of experts. If a pupil met the criteria for a pupil-bound budget, parents and pupil could choose a school and decide with the school on how to use the funding.

The regulations do not force regular schools to place pupils with special needs if the parents and the pupil should request this. However, only in cases where a school can clearly demonstrate to the school inspectorate and parents that it is incapable of providing suitable schooling for a special needs pupil is  placement denied.

The eligibility criteria for a ‘back-pack’ are largely based on existing practice. Criteria for the visually impaired are a visual acuity: < 0,3 or a visual field: < 30° and limited participation in education as a result of the visual impairment. For hearing impaired pupils a hearing loss > 80 dB (or for hard of hearing pupils 35-80 dB) and limited participation in education are required. The decision to provide extra funding for mentally impaired pupils will be largely based on IQ  (< 60), for physically impaired and chronically ill pupils medical data showing diagnosed disabilities / illness are needed. The criteria for behaviourally disturbed pupils require diagnosis in terms of the categories of the DSM-IV, problems at school, at home and/or in the community and a limited participation in education as a result of  behaviour problems.

Directly linked to the new funding system is a re-organisation of special (including secondary) education. The number of different school types will be reduced to four so-called expertise centres: those for the visually handicapped, those for pupils with communication disorders, those for physically and mentally handicapped and those for pupils with behaviour problems. In Spring 1997 first plans to reorganise education and change the way of funding special needs provision for these pupils were approved by Dutch parliament and late 2002 more definite legislation was accepted. Currently the implementation of both criteria, funding and the Expertise Centres is in full swing.