This study investigated children's attitudes towards children with Down syndrome in Cyprus and Ireland. A sample of 278 children in their final years in primary school, divided approximately equally by country, sex, and school type (inclusive or non-inclusive) participated in the study. The aim of the study was to assess children's attitudes towards children with Down Syndrome in the context of planned integration. The Irish data were collected prior at a time when inclusion was rare and children with Down Syndrome were often educated apart from children in regular classes. The data on the Cypriot children were collected this year in schools where inclusion is actively becoming educational policy. A new law (1999) on inclusion in Cyprus requires all children with special educational needs should be educated in ordinary schools in their neighbourhood, unless this is impractical. This has now being implemented since 2001. The questionnaire used assesses children's attitudes towards children with Down Syndrome on two dimensions: sociability and inclusion in the school setting. Pictures were used to ensure that the children understood what Down Syndrome means as they answer the questions. Internal consistency for each scale was 0.64. In addition children select words they might use to describe a child with Down Syndrome: the internal consistency of the scale of positive words was 0.62. Differences between country are reported for sociability towards children with Down Syndrome, and attitude to inclusive education for children with Down syndrome. Main effects were qualified by some interactions showing that these attitudes were influenced by sex and school type. Non-parametric analysis of items on the inclusive education scale show interesting differences between children in Ireland and Cyprus on their understanding of the need for differentiation in classrooms. Previous studies with this questionnaire show its use in helping teachers see how they may need to prepare children to overcome their social uncertainties towards children who are different. The present data being analysed may be useful to help teachers prepare children to engage in co-operative learning in inclusive classes. A first step in this process of promoting effective inclusion is to understand how children think about their classmates with special needs. Results are discussed also in terms of their implications for educating children to respect differences.