1: Introduction and background
1.1 Introduction
In November 2003, the Scottish Executive Education Department ( SEED) commissioned the SCRE Centre at the University of Glasgow to evaluate the impact of Section 15 of the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc Act 2000. This legislation came into effect in August 2003, and introduced what is now commonly referred to as the 'presumption of mainstreaming' in relation to pupils with special educational needs ( SEN).
The term special educational needs (or SEN) is used throughout this report, as the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act was still at the bill stage when the research began. One of the changes enshrined in the new act is the adoption of the term additional support needs, which is considerably wider in scope than its predecessor. This change in nomenclature signals a general recognition amongst policy-makers that all children or young people may have additional support needs at some stage in their school career. In sum, the political consensus is that it is not necessarily exceptional to experience additional support needs - although in some cases these support needs are exceptional.
The change in terminology is also an indication of the extent to which the spectrum of additional support needs has widened in recent years. In some cases, however, additional support needs will be mild and temporary, and will arise from the particular context within which the child is located - school, family, community, etc. For example, children and young people with behavioural problems, and/or are living in complex and challenging family circumstances, may have additional support needs. In other cases, the child's or young person's impairments will be multiple and permanent. The spectrum of need is likely to widen still further in the wake of advances in medical science. For example, a recent study has found that most babies born in the UK at 25 weeks gestation or less had severe or moderate learning difficulties (Marlow & Wolfe, 2004).
1.2 About the evaluation
The evaluation took place between January 2004 and August 2005. The main aims of the research were to
- examine the response of education authorities throughout Scotland to Section 15; and
- assess its impact on all those involved - pupils, parents and teachers, as well as other professionals and agents who support pupils with SEN.
The research comprised four main strands. These are detailed below. (Readers with a specific interest in the research methodology should refer to Appendix 1, which includes copies of the main research instruments.)
Strand 1: Comparative statistical analysis of secondary school census data (from 1998-2001) 2, and of school-level data.
Strand 2: A survey of policy and practice in the thirty-two education authorities in respect of mainstreaming pupils with SEN.
Strand 3: Case-study research in twelve locations (see Table 1 below). 3
Strand 4: Survey of special schools.
1.3 Objectives
The specific objectives of the research are detailed below.
- To monitor any changes in the number and proportion of pupils with SEN who are educated in mainstream schools or have remained in special schools since the introduction of the presumption of mainstreaming (Strand 1).
- To investigate the ways in which the infrastructure of mainstream pre-school, primary and secondary schools, and the nature of their curricula facilitate or inhibit the mainstreaming of pupils with SEN (Strands 2 and 3).
- To explore attitudes to the mainstreaming of pupils with SEN; and to explore the practical and social implications of the presumption of mainstreaming (Strands 2 and 3).
- To gauge the impact of mainstreaming on the personal and social development of all pupils; and upon their attainment (Strands 1, 2 and 3).
- To explore the changing role of special schools, and the changing demands on staff in the special education sector and in mainstream schools (Strands 2, 3 and 4).
- To review the development of training materials for teaching and non-teaching staff in relation to the presumption of mainstreaming (Strands 2 and 3).
Table 1: Overview of case-studies (Strand 3)
Case/ LA | School | Focus | Interviews |
|---|
CS 1 (A) | Assam PS | Transition arrangements into P1 for child with cerebral palsy. | HT; DHT; pupil's mother; class teacher; occupational therapist; physiotherapist; learning support auxiliary |
CS 2 (A) | (1) Nilgiri PS
(2) Keemum HS | Transition arrangements for 4 children with severe and complex needs (P7 to S1); and 5 children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties ( SEBD) undergoing an enhanced transition. | (1) DHT; principal teacher (Support for Learning) (2) HT; principal teacher (Support for Learning) |
CS 3 (B) | Earl Grey PS | The local political dimension - including parental attitudes - in a 'flagship' school where there are currently a number of pupils with differing severe and complex needs | HT; DHT; principal teacher (Support for Learning); speech and language therapist; parents (x 5), learning support auxiliary |
CS 4 (C) | Oolong PS | Provision for children with significant physical disabilities, with an emphasis on developing pupils' functional mobility. All pupils included in mainstream classes. | HT; DHT; principal teacher (Support for Learning) physiotherapists (x 2), educational psychologist; learning support auxiliary, nursery nurse, area support for learning team leader; parents (x 4) |
CS 5 (D) | (1) Darjeeling PS
(2) Lapsang HS | Nursery to P1 and P7 to S1 transitions. | (1) HT, class teacher; learning support auxiliary; support for learning teachers (x 2); parents (x 2); (2) HT; class teacher; learning support auxiliary; nursery-p1 support teacher; parent; educational psychologist |
CS 6 (E) | Dragon Well | The impact of the presumption of mainstreaming on a special school. | HT, DHT, PTPE, parents (x5) |
CS 7 (E) | Gunpowder HS | Unit which caters for c 20 children on the autistic spectrum. Unlike in CS 4, there is little contact between the unit and the rest of the school. | DHT, principal teachers (support for learning) (x 2); class teacher; learning support auxiliaries (x 2); s2 pupils (x 14); speech and language therapist. |
CS 8 (F/B) | (1) Macha PS (2) Genmaicha PS | Transfer arrangements for a P5 child with Down's syndrome from unit-based provision in one authority to a mainstream primary in another. | (1) HT, class teacher (2) Parents (2 groups) |
CS 9 (G) | Silver Needle | Specialist provision for children with communication disorders. | HT, class teacher, nursery teacher, SLT (x 2) nursery nurse (x 2) |
CS 10 (H) | Orange Pekoe HS | Provision for S6 student with brittle bone disease. | HT, class teacher, learning support auxiliary |
CS 11 (H) | Jasmine PS | Provision for P5 child with brittle bone disease. | HT, class teacher, learning support auxiliary, parent |
CS 12 (I) | Silver Surf | Alternative curriculum for young people with SEBD. | Educational psychologist, youth workers, social work officers |
1.4 About this report
This report is designed to provide a clear overview of the main findings, which are reported thematically. In order to make the report as readable as possible, technical details are confined to the appendices. Chapter 2 comprises headline statistics about the number and proportion of pupils with SEN who are educated in mainstream schools or have remained in special schools; and about the impact of mainstreaming on attainment. We also provide a brief outline of the policy environment in which the proposed research is located.