The existance of special educational settings has been a dominant theme in education research in recent decades. Many arguments for and against separating students with additional support needs (ASN) stem from broader debates about the value of mainstream versus special school education (Feiler, 2013). However, it seems that research provides no straightforward answer to the question whether the type of placement is the critical factor in the academic or social progress of ASN students (Zigmond, 2003). Therefore, educational policy and practice started focusing more attention on developing a continuum of support services. An important aspect of this continuum are special classes in mainstream schools. To date, however, little attention has been given specifically to the role of special classes within the context of inclusive education (McCoy et al., 2014). International debates around special classes are further complicated by the huge diversity between countries on the terminology and understanding of special classes, often operating under different titles, such as self-contained classrooms, resource rooms or special units (Ware et al., 2009; Mitchell, 2010).

Athough at the policy level special classes are usually defined as a part of continuum of provision for ASN students playing a part in the inclusion of ASN students in mainstream schools, research evidence suggest different picture in practice. For example, research conducted in Ireland show that across many special class settings, students stay together for most, if not all, of the school day, and a considerable proportion remain together as a group across school years. Allocation to a special class thus appears to be a relatively permanent arrangement, in contrast to the  intended ‘fluid’ approach (McCoy et al., 2014). Moreover, instead of serving as a support to ASN student to become better integrated in mainstream education setting, students in special classes can actually be quite marginalised within the mainstream setting (Angelides and Michailidou, 2007).

Recent research and analysis of policy documents have highlighted the evidence gap around special class provision in mainstream schools in Serbia which led to the the current mixed methods study of special class provision, funded by UNICEF office in Belgrade.   Serbia introduced in 2009 an educational policy which encourages inclusion of children with disabilities, learning difficulties and disadvantages in mainstream schools and classes. This was a Copernican turn in the concept of national education, shifting the school orientation from some to all students which led  to progressive changes in the mainstream schools' policies, ethos and practice (Kovač Cerović et al, 2016). Consequently, the role of special education schools started to change as well – downsizing and catering students with more complex needs. However, special classes in mainstream schools, although not officially sanctioned by the legal documents which define placement opportunities for ASN students, were maintained in practice creating a safe niche for catering ASN students. Overview of policies, existing administrative data and research findings highlighted that there is no clear understanding of how special classes operate in Serbian primary schools. This study offers insights into special class provision in Serbian schools and highlights important issues related to different aspects of educational process within these classes that has relevance to the overall European discussion on the role of special classes for ASN students.

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