Book excerpt: Considerable challenges can face all those involved in teaching children with special educational needs. Complex policy and legislation, bureaucracy, inspection and limited resources can all appear difficult obstacles to those seeking to provide effective tuition. In this highly practical book, Michael Farrell unpicks and clarifies the role of educational standards in today's schools. Drawing extensively on detailed, real-life case studies, he closely explores such issues as: the definition of standards, identifying and providing for special educational needs, assessment and benchmarking, curriculum provision and target-setting, the role of the Code of Practice. Special educational needs coordinators, senior managers in schools and students completing initial training courses will find this an invaluable resource, which effortlessly simplifies an often complicated process.