SEN inclusion and pupil achievement in English schools

This paper presents and discusses the key findings from a study funded by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) that explored the relationship between achievement and inclusion in mainstream schools in England. Overall the results indicate that, although there is a small statistical relationship between inclusion and academic achievement, this is unlikely to impact on a school's overall performance. This is partly because of the large degree of variation among schools, suggesting that there are other factors within a school's make up rather than its degree of inclusivity which impact on the average achievements of its pupils. This was confirmed by the findings from a number of case study visits. The overall conclusion from the study is that mainstream schools need not be concerned about the potentially negative impact on the overall academic achievements of their pupils through including pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in their schools.     

An analysis of English teachers’ self-efficacy in relation to SEN and disability and its implications in a changing SEN policy context

Policy and practice in relation to meeting the diverse needs of all children, including those with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities, is in a state of change in the UK. As a result, there is growing interest in and understanding of the need to focus on factors which impact on teachers’ levels of self-efficacy in meeting the needs of learners with SEN, and the implications of this for further development and training. The research reported in this paper gathered data from teachers at a unique time in the transition of policy and practice in England. Through a quantitative analysis of a questionnaire completed by 213 teachers from a variety of teaching settings, data relating to the self-efficacy and confidence levels of teachers immediately prior to the statutory changes in SEN policy has been captured. The findings identify that the Key Stage that the teacher works in is directly related to self-efficacy, that self-efficacy in collaboration is generally lower than self-efficacy in instruction and behaviour management, and that knowledge of laws and policies pertaining to SEN and Disability and experience in teaching children with disabilities had a strong positive relationship on overall self-efficacy. Implications for the ongoing development of practice within the profession, including the development of appropriate initial and continuing professional development models to support teachers throughout their career, and avenues for further research are presented.     

Concepts of special educational need

Editor's note. This article first appeared in 'Education Today' in 1981. At that time issues of classification and categorisation of children with special educational needs were being debated in many countries, and in England an enquiry into the education of children with disabilities had recommended the abolition of categories of disability in favour of the concept of special educational need ( DES, 1978 ). Today, as the government consults on the reintroduction of disability categories, it seems appropriate to reconsider this concept and the thinking that led to its adoption.
The use of the male pronoun has been retained in this article for fluency of reading. 'He' and 'his' should be understood as 'he or she' and 'his or her'.
The article is reprinted with the kind permission of the College of Teachers – http://www.collegeofteachers.ac.uk .     

What can national data sets tell us about inclusion and pupil achievement?

Recent developments in the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) have produced a national pupil database (NPD) that contains information about the attainments of individual pupils. Every child in the country has been allocated a unique pupil number (UPN), which means that the academic progress of individuals can be tracked over time. It is possible to combine data on attainment with the demographic information which is obtained from the pupil level annual schools census (PLASC). These innovations make it possible to combine 'value added' information about pupil progress from one key stage of education to the next with data from the PLASC, which contains pupil background information, to produce a single matched data set. Thus the NPD and the PLASC are able to provide much of the necessary information to explore issues of individual pupil performance over their school careers. Notably, more specific information about the academic achievement of pupils who are described as having 'special educational needs' is now available. Lani Florian, lecturer in inclusion and special educational needs, Martyn Rouse, senior lecturer in inclusion and special educational needs, Kristine Black-Hawkins, senior research associate, and Stephen Jull, research associate, are all based at the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education. In this article, drawing on their work in the 'Inclusion and Achievement Project', they explore the problems and possibilities for researching issues of pupil achievement and inclusion through the use of these new national data sets.     

How can ICT contribute to the learning of foreign languages by pupils with SEN?

In this article Lynne Meiring and Nigel Norman focus on the notion of entitlement and the demands this has made on schools and teachers to cater for the needs of a wide range of pupils previously denied an experience of foreign languages. In order to enable all pupils to realise their potential, facilities and strategies have to be reviewed and developed to ensure that their learning experience is appropriate. This article focuses on the contribution that one such facility, namely information and communications technology (ICT), can make towards removing some of the barriers to learning experienced by some pupils, enabling them to realise some of the benefits of what has often been perceived as a particularly inaccessible curricular area. The authors examine how the generic capability of ICT can enhance and enable the learning of pupils with special educational needs (SEN), but do not purport to consider specifically the specialised technology required for certain manifestations of special need.     

Achievers,confidence-builders,advocates, relationship-developers and system-changers: what ‘making a difference’ means to those who work with children with special educational needs – a typology of rewards

Previous research on the rewards found that teachers gain satisfaction in a sense of vocation, ‘making a difference’, and the emotional rewards of ‘care’ and ‘love’, especially in whole-class teaching. The meaning of ‘making a difference’ often remains unexplored however, and this article is an attempt to rectify this gap in the literature and aims to construct a typology of the rewards that staff find in working with children with special educational needs (SEN). SEN co-ordinators and teachers of children with SEN were studied using four focus groups (n?=?20) and 12 semi-structured interviews (total sample, n?=?32). A narrative, life-history approach was taken to analyse the rewards over time of working with children. Making a difference was mentioned as a phrase 47 times across the sample of 32. A typology of the kinds of rewards experienced by teachers was constructed and the rewards were found in improving attainment, being an advocate, confidence-building and ‘system changing’. Some respondents defined ‘making a difference’ in disparate ways. The article found that those having the longest career in school found that being an advocate for parents was the most rewarding aspect of their job. The study concludes by drawing out the implications for the retention of staff in a time of policy change.     

Class placement and competence attainment among students with special educational needs

John Olav Myklebust is Professor of Sociology at Volda University College in Norway. In this article, he discusses his analysis of data emerging from a longitudinal study of 494 young people with special educational needs who have been followed over a period of six years. This analysis focuses on the attainments of these students during their time in upper secondary education and asks whether placement in special or ordinary mainstream class groupings is more beneficial. The results indicate that students receiving special support in ordinary classes obtain vocational or academic qualifications more often than students in special classes. Professor Myklebust pursues his analysis by looking at the influence of a number of other variables, including assessments of functional level, family stability and gender. He concludes that the relationship between attainment and placement in an ordinary classroom does not change, even when these variables are taken into account, and argues that his findings provide further support for the inclusion of learners with special educational needs in ordinary mainstream classes.     

Special educational needs coordinators and leadership: a role too far?

Although the National Standards for special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs) (TTA, 1998) emphasised, as essential, their preparation for leadership, the extent to which SENCOs are formally recognised as leaders varies significantly. In this article, Lyn Layton provides perspectives on the SENCO role, collected through a small‐scale study, that include suggestions from SENCOs themselves that they should be part of senior leadership teams in order to work strategically. At the same time the article relates one view of leadership to the SENCO role, in order to consider how systemic changes in schools can promote the inclusion of pupils with diverse learning needs.     

Radical conservatism in Herbert Spencer's educational thought

Abstract

The paper examines variations in the extent of special education needs (SEN) in different socio-economic contexts, drawing on data from 46 English primary schools. It examines the implications of variations in SEN for individual pupils and for school organisation and processes. It reviews funding allocations for SEN and what they mean for the provision of support in different settings.     

The role of the special needs assistant supporting pupils with special educational needs in Irish mainstream primary schools

In this article the author describes a small‐scale study into the role of the special needs assistant (SNA) supporting the inclusion of pupils with learning difficulties in the Irish Republic. The findings regarding the perspectives of teachers, principals, SNAs, pupils supported by SNAs and their parents on the support offered to three pupils are also described. The actual (as distinct from the prescribed) role of SNAs, including the issue of SNAs working in a general rather than a pupil‐specific capacity, and the nature of the SNA‐teacher relationship are discussed. The main findings emerging from the data were that the role of the SNA is one of both education and care and that SNAs are a welcome support for inclusion. Issues emerging from the study include the need for effective communication and planning, shared understanding of the role and responsibilities of SNAs and ongoing monitoring of the way in which support is provided.     

The influence of the inclusion of visually impaired pupils on teachers’ conceptualisations of inclusion and SEND

Despite progression in policy towards greater inclusion over the last four decades, teacher insecurities regarding a lack of expertise in special educational needs and disability (SEND) remain. This qualitative case study research investigated the influence of the inclusion of visually impaired pupils on teachers’ conceptualisations of inclusion and SEND. Baseline and end-of-study surveys were undertaken with teachers (n = 13) and support staff (n = 8) who would be working with a visually impaired pupil for the first time. Classroom observations and end-of-study interviews were undertaken with teachers in Key Stage 2 (n = 2) and Key Stage 3 (n = 5). Addressing VI inclusion did not require significant acquisition of specialist knowledge but could be managed successfully through ongoing, small-scale changes. These changes were sufficient to trigger reflection on the choice of pedagogical approaches and challenge teachers’ conceptions of inclusion through changed knowledge and understandings of how some children learn. Findings support the view that what constitutes special in addressing SEND is less a need for specific pedagogical strategies but rather teacher capacity for reflection and reappraisal such that they deepen their understanding of inclusive practice.     

Special Teachers’ Educational Responses in Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in the Domain of Social Skills Development

The acquisition of appropriate social skills is considered critical for a person’s social development and personal well-being. This consideration is far more crucial in the area of inclusive education, where the development of social skills in children with SEN has been associated with academic progress, social inclusion and successful transition to adult life. Special teachers are considered to be critical agents in designing and implementing school-based interventions targeting at the social development of students with SEN. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the responses of forty (40) Greek special education teachers about dealing with the difficulties experienced by students with SEN in the social domain. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and were coded and analysed according to the principles of the inductive data-driven analysis approach. The analysis revealed that special teachers had to respond to a wide range of difficulties concerning the students’ social skills that were mainly associated with the formation and maintenance of peer relations, the development of assertion, self-management, compliance and academic related skills. The participant teachers used a repertoire of strategies. However, their responses were not a part of a systematic social skills programming. Furthermore, many participants did not consider themselves efficient enough to create and implement such programmes. The paper concludes by highlighting the need to advance the initial training and professional development programmes of special teachers by incorporating courses related to designing and implementing multi-layered and holistic school-based interventions targeting at the social skills development of students with SEN.