Session Information
ERG SES B 01, Inclusive Education
Parallel Paper Session
Contribution
This research investigates the experiences of eight English children who have formal Statements of Special Educational Needs (SEN), before and after they transfer from the primary to the secondary phase of mainstream education at age 11. The project explores through questionnaires, interviews and focus groups the views of children, parents and school staff about this process and the approaches taken by mainstream schools in an English Local Education Authority. The focus of this paper will be upon the child’s viewpoint – a crucial and sometimes overlooked factor.
Compulsory education in England divides into the Primary Phase; Key Stages 1 (up to age 7) and 2 (up to age 11); and the Secondary Phase (Key Stage 3, up to age 16). In the great majority of mainstream settings, pupils transfer from Primary to Secondary School at age 11, and this research focuses specifically on this Primary/Secondary transition.
Over the last three decades there has been increasing emphasis in England on meeting children’s SEN in their local mainstream school. Early milestones were the Warnock Report (DES 1978) and The Education Act 1981. Every mainstream school was subsequently required to have a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo), a teacher whose job it is to advise other staff about SEN and ensure there is a graduated response to meeting children’s SEN. They co-ordinate additional support for pupils with SEN and liaise with their parents, teachers and other professionals who are closely involved in the transfer of children with SEN between schools. A similar role exists in European countries such as Sweden and Ireland. Apart from parents, other key adults involved are the child’s year 6 class teacher, also their Head of Year and Form Tutor at secondary school. The child thus operates within embedded ecological systems, each of which affects his/her educational experience, so reference will be made to ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979).Children with SEN statements are considered for secondary school placement, and are allocated places, ahead of other children.
Adjustment to the secondary school environment can be difficult for most pupils, as they take this major step towards independence and must re-adjust to a much larger community and the varying styles of several different teachers each day, as opposed to the pastoral single teacher model seen in most primary schools. (Valentine 1997) Transition is often particularly challenging for children with SEN and disabilities who may be less well equipped to adapt to these increased social and curricular demands. (Maras and Aveling 2006)
The overall objective of the project is to identify and evaluate those factors within the control of schools which are effective in facilitating phase transition for pupils with SEN. The focus of this paper will be upon children’s accounts of their experience before and after transition, including their views about what is in place to facilitate the process, and what elements of the educational experience (school organisation, curriculum, preparation, resources and teaching) they see as key to successful transition from mainstream primary to mainstream secondary school.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Bassey, M. (1998) Creating Education through Research. Newark: Kirklington Moor Press BERA, (2011) Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research, BERA ISBN: 978-0-946671-32-8 On line at:http://www.bera.ac.uk/files/2011/08/BERA-Ethical-Guidelines-2011.pdf (2011) (Accessed8th Dec2011) Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979) The ecology of human development: experiments by nature and design Harvard College, USA Burgess, R.G. (1989) The Ethics of Educational Research. Lewes: Falmer Press Cohen, L. & Manion, L. (1989) Research Methods in Education 3rd Edition. London, Routledge Creswell, J. (2003) Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Method Approaches 2nd Edition: Sage Publications Department of Education & Science (1978) Report of the Committee of Enquiry into the Education of Handicapped Children and Young People (The Warnock Report), London: HMSO (1978) Department of Education and Science (1981) Education Act (1981): Chapter 60. (1981). London: HMSO Department for Education and Skills (2001) SEN Code of Practice London: DfES Lewis, A. (2004) “And when did you last see your father? Exploring the views of children with learning difficulties/disabilities.” British Journal of Special Education. 3 (1):3-9 Maras, P. and Aveling, E-L (2006) Students with special educational needs: transitions from primary to secondary school. British Journal of Special Education, Volume 33, Number 4, 2006 Mason, J. (2006) Qualitative Researching London: Sage Powell, R., Smith, R., Jones, G. and Reakes, A (2006) Transition from Primary to Secondary School: Current Arrangements and Good Practice in Wales. Research Report. Windsor: National Foundation for Educational Research. Ragin, C. (1994) Constructing Social Research – The Unity and Diversity of Method Pine Forge Press. (Sage Publications) Robson, C. (2002) Real World Research. London: Blackwell Rose, R, & Doveston, M. (2008) Pupils talking about their learning mentors: what can we learn? Educational Studies 34 (2) 145 -155 Valentine, G (1997) “Oh yes you can.” “Oh no you can’t”: Children and parents’ understandings of kids’ competence to negotiate public space safely, Antipode, Vol. 29(1), pp.65-89.
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