Whilst attendance in mainstream school helps encourage inclusivity, these environments are recognised as being particularly challenging for young people with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The COVID-19 pandemic brought a novel transition as young people moved from school to home-learning. This study compared the experiences of parents of…

Education professionals (n = 41) in special schools were interviewed about supporting their autistic pupils transitioning to adulthood following the introduction of the Children and Families Act 2014. Our participants explained how they lacked the time to fully implement knowledge gained from training, leading to growing reliance on experiential…

There is on-going debate about whether mainstream education is desirable for children with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD). Whilst some hold that 'inclusion' is a human right, and that interaction with mainstream peers leads to socio-cognitive gains, others argue that profoundly disabled learners require developmental curricular…

This collection explores a variety of perspectives on the student voice in UK higher education. Featuring reflections from a vice-chancellor, student representatives and interviews with the Office for Students' Student Panel, as well as sections considering disabled students, international students and mature students, the thirteen essays each…

There is a large science attainment gap between students with and without special educational needs, and many students with developmental disabilities (DD) struggle to access the mainstream science programmes of study. The purpose of the present project was to pilot the use of the Early Science (ES) curriculum over a six week period with nine…

Mainstream primary and secondary schools are increasingly committed to the inclusion of students with Tourette Syndrome (TS). This qualitative study explores teachers' perceptions of factors that have contributed to, or hindered, their success in creating an inclusive environment for children with Tourette Syndrome (TS). Eight teachers (two males,…

Over 2.4 million children in the public school system are diagnosed with a learning disability, including dyslexia and developmental dyscalculia. Previous research has shown that some teachers are unaware of the importance of working memory in a student's academic and social realm and what working memory deficits may look like in the classroom.…

When schools were closed due to the COVID-19 restrictions, teachers were challenged to engage children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) through remote teaching, particularly in physical education. The European Standards in Adapted Physical Activity (EUSAPA) have been used to define the competencies of adapted physical education (APE) teachers.…

Introduction: The United Kingdom's Department for Education's advice on behaviour focuses on the power of staff and the strength of the policy in challenging behaviour, via rules, sanctions and rewards. We designed a video-feedback intervention for staff teams in a special educational setting who were working with children with intellectual…

Statistics relating to special schools indicate very low rates of basic literacy. However, there is very little information available regarding typical instruction in these settings and, therefore, no clear picture of the potential barriers precluding the improvement of reading skills in special schools. The current paper investigated current…

There is a growing population of young people with autism entering higher education and successfully completing qualifications, however, their postgraduate outcomes are often some of the poorest. This study responds to the gap in research regarding the transition out of higher education and into the labour market for this group. It outlines a…

This document provides a combination of analysis and links to the key data sources on children and young people with special educational needs and/or a disability (SEND). This is a collated product from data published throughout the year. As such, trends across sections might not be directly comparable.

Autistic children and adolescents and their parents are likely to have been disproportionally affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been little focus on how the mental health of these vulnerable families developed during the pandemic and how it compared to those with other special educational needs and disabilities. Questionnaires were…

Systems thinking has dominated debates and policy discourses on inclusive education, resulting in an almost exclusive focus on children and formal schooling. Based on the BAICE Presidential Lecture 2019, this paper considers the limitations of systems theory in framing discussion and research on inclusive education, introducing instead alternative…

This paper proposes a framework of support for reducing barriers to curriculum access for students with disabilities in higher education (HE), by drawing upon findings from a unique longitudinal qualitative study. The 'Longitudinal Transitions Study' commenced in 2010 and followed the transition experiences of a group of 80 young people since they…