The paper explores the processes of building awareness and readiness for inclusive practice in Slovenian schools by continuous professional development for whole staffs and for heads and principals. Headteacher training in Slovenia is provided by the National Leadership School which organises courses leading to the Headship Licence and a number of optional follow-up modules. One of these covers inclusion of children with special needs and related issues. It is concluded by an analysis of the state of affairs from within - from the points of view of each school, kindergarten or special school, where the headteachers are asked to identify the weaknesses and the strengths of their schools and to assess the threats and opportunities (a SWOT analysis) in the school's wider environment and our society as regards the inclusive practice for the children with special needs. The paper compares the leaders' analyses with those of other staff and uses the results for planning in- service training for teachers, school counsellors and heads.