Managed moves and tuition groups: Real commitment or veiled exclusion?

: An enquiry to ascertain whether managed moves and tuition groups are used appropriately in order to meet the demands of the educationally inclusive national agenda.

Abstract

Recent education and children’s legislation requires schools and local authorities to work together to adopt inclusive measures that address the range of pupils with special educational needs (SEN). The emphasis is on providing for most SEN in mainstream classrooms. This is part of a broader, government-driven agenda to promote social inclusion, which has education at its centre.

The study focuses on pupils aged 13-16 who are increasingly disaffected, who demonstrate an emotional or behavioural difficulty (EBD) and who are at risk of being, or have been, permanently excluded from school. The area selected for study is economically deprived. The study questions the viability of managed moves and tuition groups as inclusive measures in the light of concerns that they fail to address the in-school needs of pupils with EBD and so prevent pupils making academic and social progress. This is evidenced by a doubling of fixed term exclusions, many for pupils who have been moved, and a lack of professional accountability for the work done in tuition groups.

The writer combined participant observation and semi-structured interviews with six senior SEN managers to generate data for analysis. Data was coded by being allocated to five categories relevant to SEN practice.

A review of relevant literature yielded definitions of the nature of both social and educational exclusion and the relationship between them. The literature also highlighted the connections between poverty, deprivation and disaffection. The reading identified that disaffection can result in self-exclusion as well as formal exclusion from school. Examples of good inclusive practice were drawn out and compared with the data findings.

Interviewees revealed that they were largely satisfied with current practice as permanent exclusions have fallen significantly since managed moves and tuition groups were phased in. They were able to identify some key areas needing improvement but made limited commitment to addressing them.

By comparing the data findings with broader reading, the study concludes that both strategies are masking the need to develop in-school capacity. The writer argues that by redirecting existing support professionals to more consultative roles, teachers and support staff could quickly develop skills to better meet the needs of disaffected pupils at risk of exclusion. Recommendations are made as to how resources could be deployed to ensure better outcomes for both pupils and professionals.

Date of Award	21 Jul 2006
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Portsmouth
Supervisor	David Holloway (Supervisor)