TY - JOUR
T1 - Making sense of ‘teaching’, ‘support’ and ‘differentiation’
T2 - the educational experiences of pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans and Statements in mainstream secondary schools
AU - Webster, Rob
AU - Blatchford, Peter
N1 - Funding Information:
The SENSE study was funded by a grant from the Nuffield Foundation.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2019/1/1
Y1 - 2019/1/1
N2 - This paper reports on results from a descriptive study of the nature and quality of the day-to-day educational experiences of 49 13–14 year olds with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND). All pupils had either an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or a Statement, and attended in mainstream secondary school in England. Pupils involved in the SEN in Secondary Education study were shadowed for several days over a school week. Researchers prepared pupil-level case studies on the basis of data from qualitative observations and semi-structured interviews with pupils and key school staff involved in their learning and development. The case studies were subjected to a thematic analysis. Results are presented in terms of two inter-related themes–(i) teaching and support; and (ii) differentiation–which address approaches to, and expressions of, inclusive practice; the roles of teachers and teaching assistants; and the defining features of teaching and support for SEND. The results are considered in view of the inclusiveness, appropriateness and effectiveness of provision on offer to pupils with high-level SEND. We conclude there has been a systemic and long-standing failure to fully address the educational needs of such pupils, and suggest what schools could do to provide higher quality experiences.
AB - This paper reports on results from a descriptive study of the nature and quality of the day-to-day educational experiences of 49 13–14 year olds with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND). All pupils had either an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or a Statement, and attended in mainstream secondary school in England. Pupils involved in the SEN in Secondary Education study were shadowed for several days over a school week. Researchers prepared pupil-level case studies on the basis of data from qualitative observations and semi-structured interviews with pupils and key school staff involved in their learning and development. The case studies were subjected to a thematic analysis. Results are presented in terms of two inter-related themes–(i) teaching and support; and (ii) differentiation–which address approaches to, and expressions of, inclusive practice; the roles of teachers and teaching assistants; and the defining features of teaching and support for SEND. The results are considered in view of the inclusiveness, appropriateness and effectiveness of provision on offer to pupils with high-level SEND. We conclude there has been a systemic and long-standing failure to fully address the educational needs of such pupils, and suggest what schools could do to provide higher quality experiences.
KW - differentiation
KW - Inclusion
KW - pupil voice
KW - teaching assistants
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85045038750&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10046011/
U2 - 10.1080/08856257.2018.1458474
DO - 10.1080/08856257.2018.1458474
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85045038750
SN - 0885-6257
VL - 34
SP - 98
EP - 113
JO - European Journal of Special Needs Education
JF - European Journal of Special Needs Education
IS - 1
ER -