Abstract
An overview of an ethnographic case study of the development of a Special Educational Needs Support Service (Senss) sets the scene for this session. The effects of change on Senss as an 'organisation' were examined as the Local Education Authority attempted to redefine and implement Government policy through the process of continual review and reorganisation. A synthesis of the findings lead to the tentative identification of a phenomenon called 'Ambivalence of Place'.
The second part of the session looks at the results of additional research into the idea of 'Ambivalence of Place'. This time the concept is examined within the context of the management and organisation of units for pupils with hearing impairment in mainstream schools. Ideas of 'place', 'territory', 'belonging' and 'identity' of both staff and pupils are discussed together with the implications this may have for the implementation of an 'inclusive' policy in schools with attached units. Substantial evidence of some of the unintended outcomes of different Government policies on inclusive practice concludes the paper.
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